Ezekiel’s “King” persona isn’t a character or a front he puts on, it’s his reality. Khary Payton, who plays the character in The Walking Dead Season 7, wants fans to understand The Kingdom isn’t a fantasy world.
Payton spoke to IGN about Ezekiel’s community and why he disagrees with anyone who says his character isn’t a real king. Payton explained Ezekiel created the Kingdom to give people a reality they can survive in. Ezekiel didn’t ask people to call him a king, the people wanted to call him king.
"This is not a fantasy that he's living. It's a construct to be sure, but it's not different than the construct of the United States government," Payton told IGN. "When people say, well, he's kind of putting on this character or whatever, it's not any different than what we do in this real life. That is real life to him. This is the way that he's able to protect his people, and as far as they're concerned, he is a king. He's not pretending to be king. He didn't call himself a king. They did because it made them feel better, it made them feel protected, made them feel comfortable. They call him a king and a king he is."
The Governor did something similar with Woodbury a few seasons back. The Governor created a community where people can survive and feel as “normal” to their lives before the zombie apocalypse as possible. The difference between the Governor and King Ezekiel is that Ezekiel helps people because it makes him feel good. Ezekiel is selfless and wants to do what’s best for his people, even if that means hiding some of the bad from them.
However, even Ezekiel knows things can’t remain peaceful forever. He recognizes his people’s desire for a fight. They are angry at the world; think about all of the loss and chaos everyone experienced after the zombie apocalypse. Ezekiel knows he needs to teach his people how to fight because he can’t always protect them, which is why he wants Morgan and Carol to stick around.
How long before The Saviors try to take over The Kingdom? Let us know in the comments below. The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.
