Promotional image for 'The Walking Dead' showing the cast

The Walking Dead may be over, but beloved characters still live on in AMC’s many spin-offs. The one glaring omission is King Ezekiel (Khary Payton), who fans have not seen since the series finale. According to the actor, however, that may not always be the case. Payton spoke to Discussing Film in an exclusive interview about his character’s future. Ezekiel is a fan-favorite character from the comics and entered the live-action series when the characters needed him most. Following Glenn’s (Steven Yeun) traumatizing death, Carol (Melissa McBride) happens upon The Kingdom, run by the former zookeeper and his pet tiger, Shiva. Ezekiel was a welcome addition to the cast, adding a sense of theater when things seemed so dour. Discussing Film spoke to Payton about where he thinks Ezekiel has been since viewers had last seen him.

“That’s a great question. He is off raising his kids for a couple of years — I mean me, Khary, is off raising his kids. My daughter was like, ‘Khary, you can’t leave.’ She didn’t say Khary; she said ‘dad,’ ‘dad, you can’t leave.’ And so I’m gonna hang out with them for a couple of years.”

Raising children was something Ezekiel never got a chance to do during his tenure on The Walking Dead, so no one can begrudge the actor for taking a break from the world of death and zombies. But Payton also hinted that Ezekiel could come back in the greater The Walking Dead expanded universe.

“I get the feeling, you know, we got more story to tell. [I’m] just putting it out there, but I get the feeling, you know, Ezekiel has stories to tell,” Payton teased. Especially with his former lover, Carol, running around in another location, there could be many opportunities for Ezekiel to crop back up.

‘The Walking Dead May’ Have a Second Chance At Life

Norman Reedus as Daryl holding a rifle against a wall in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2
 Norman Reedus as Daryl and Melissa McBride as Carol walking with weapons in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Cailey Fleming as Judith, Anthony Azor as RJ - The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Season 1, Episode 6  Seth Gilliam as Gabriel Stokes in the woods in The Walking Dead
Norman Reedus as Daryl holding a rifle against a wall in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 Norman Reedus as Daryl and Melissa McBride as Carol walking with weapons in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Cailey Fleming as Judith, Anthony Azor as RJ - The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Season 1, Episode 6  Seth Gilliam as Gabriel Stokes in the woods in The Walking Dead

Unlike many other franchises, reintroducing a retired character wouldn’t be difficult. While the flagship series ended in 2022, The Walking Dead world is still going strong with a collection of spin-offs, all involving main cast members. Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and Carol have all gone to different corners of the world. Though separate, it’s almost as if The Walking Dead never ended.

With these actors still open to playing their characters, could The Walking Dead return for another season? Giving Lincoln and Khary Payton a break so they could spend time with their families was necessary, but now they are refreshed, nothing seems to stop the gang from getting back together. Whether Ezekiel travels to New York to help Maggie in Dead City Season 2 or somehow finds a way to be with Carol again, The Walking Dead world is alive with possibilities. Viewers can watch all iterations of the franchise on AMC+.