Last night’s episode of The Walking Dead season 10, “Morning Star,” was an important one for Ezekiel (Khary Payton). With the Hilltop preparing to make a stand against the zombie army sent by the Whisperers, Carol went to her ex-husband for perhaps one last night of passion. As they rekindled their romance, she discovered that Ezekiel is suffering from thyroid cancer, which is non-curable in this post-apocalyptic world, something he’s been keeping secret.
This hasn’t bode well for Ezekiel’s long-term future on the show all season, but there was a specific moment during this episode that suggested that, yes, the former monarch of the Kingdom is going to meet his end this run, but by different means from his illness. As the scene cuts to Carol and Ezekiel after they’ve done the deed, we see the latter lying on the bed with his eyes closed and his arms out by his sides, which seems to be deliberately evoking Christ on the cross.
See for yourself below:
Obviously, Jesus’ crucifixion evokes themes of sacrifice for others, so this seems to be telling us that Ezekiel will ultimately save someone else in a way that costs him his own life. We also know that there’s an episode coming up where a situation like this is surely set to happen. The season 10 finale is titled “A Certain Doom,” which shares its name with a volume of the comics.
Notably, this volume features the death of Andrea when she rescues Eugene from a walker horde. We’ve previously theorized that Rosita could be the one to fill Andrea’s role in the TV adaptation of this moment. However, given the Christlike imagery of Ezekiel on his bed, what if this is telling us that he’s the one who’ll sacrifice himself to save Eugene instead?
Like Rosita, Ezekiel died in The Walking Dead comics when Alpha massacred many of the survivors and stuck their heads on pikes – as adapted in last year’s season 9. So, you could say he’s on borrowed time. And the clock might be about to run out by the end of this season.
