The introduction of Ezekiel to The Walking Dead Season 7 comes his beloved Shiva, a tiger he refused to let die in a zoo post zombie virus outbreak. While seeing tiger on the show might be odd for The Walking Dead fans who haven’t read the comics, it was a necessary addition for Ezekiel’s storyline.
[Warning: The Walking Dead comic book spoilers ahead]
Ezekiel, played by Khary Payton on the show, is the leader of a community called The Kingdom. The people of the community have fortified what was once a school in the pre-zombie apocalypse. Before getting to the school, Ezekiel went back to the zoo where he worked near Washington D.C. to protect the animals from the walkers. Shiva attacked Ezekiel when he tried to free her when the walkers were about to swarm the zoo. Ezekiel refused to let her die and protected her from the walkers. She realized Ezekiel was trying to protect her and has stayed by his side ever since.
Payton recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about Ezekiel’s bond with the tiger.
“Shiva is the beginning and the end for Ezekiel,” Payton told EW. “She’s one of the reasons that he didn’t lose hope when this whole thing started. She’s this beautiful unique creature in the middle of this dark, dark time, and so she’s beloved, and she’s also a symbol to him of what it means to be different in the context of the world that you’re living in. It’s like she’s a constant reminder every time he looks at her that there’s beauty in the world. She started off as his protector and now he feels like that relationship is reversed and she’s this giant, powerful symbol that he feels a real kinship with and a need to protect. So she’s kind of the end all, be all for him. I think Shiva’s a really appropriate name for her because she’s hallowed in his eyes. She’s holy in his eyes.”
Shiva makes Ezekiel a better leader. Like Payton said, Shiva is a reminder of the beauty in the world and what could be, which makes Ezekiel arguably a better leader than Rick. Ezekiel looks at the long game rather than the short-term when it comes to The Saviors. Ezekiel originally acts as an advisor to Rick before the war with The Saviors breaks out.
Unlike Rick, based on the comics, Ezekiel is very diplomatic when it comes to his interactions with other communities. At first, Ezekiel and Negan had come to an agreement without violence and had no issues with the leader of The Saviors. However, Ezekiel was unaware of how cruel Negan had become. Negan may’ve put on a front when he saw Shiva hanging around Ezekiel.
Ezekiel didn’t experience Negan’s cruelty because he chose to talk to Negan rather than attack him. Negan respects Ezekiel and leaves The Kingdom alone because of it. Still, the peace between Negan and Ezekiel won’t last. Fans will get to see Ezekiel and Shiva when The Walking Dead Season 7 premieres Oct. 23 on AMC.
