The Walking Dead’s Season 6 finale showed Negan and Rick’s group finally meeting. However, TWD fans did not see who the villain “Lucilled,” which disappointed viewers. Even though the AMC zombie series is on a break for several months, there are some details coming out about what will happen in Season 7. One of those details includes a casting call for a character named Augustus. Is this someone new, or will it be another character from The Walking Dead comics?
According to TV Line, Augustus will have a recurring role in The Walking Dead. Not only is there a casting call, but a short description gives fans a clue who Augustus could really be. TV Line wrote that the character is described as “flamboyant and wise, nice and weird.” As for King Ezekiel’s description in the comics, Walking Dead Wikia used the words eccentric, affable, flamboyant, charismatic, and has “an aura of wisdom.” It definitely sounds like Augustus could be code for Ezekiel.
Those that have read The Walking Dead comics believe Augustus is really Ezekiel of The Kingdom. This is a group that fans have not met yet, but if the TV show follows the comics, they may make their introduction in Season 7.
So, who is Ezekiel? As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the character has a pet tiger named Shiva, and The Kingdom just might help Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) group win a battle against Negan. According to Walking Dead Wikia, Ezekiel is close to Jesus (Tom Payne) and is considered a friend of the Hilltop Colony. However, he doesn’t help Rick’s group battle Negan just because of the association with Jesus. It turns out that Ezekiel has his own hatred for Negan and the Saviors.
Before anyone gets the idea that Negan will die in The Walking Dead, that might not happen. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Jeffrey Dean Morgan teased in an interview that his character could stick around for a while. In the comic books, Negan was actually imprisoned, but taunted Rick with his words and was actually found outside the cage, as if he were casually hanging out.
Another tidbit about Ezekiel in the comics is that he has an affair with Michonne (Danai Gurira). Will that happen in the TV show, as well? It’s hard to say, especially since Rick and Michonne began having their own intimate romance in the back half of Season 6. If Ezekiel and Michonne do get together, how will this affect Rick, who already has a history of not being the most mentally stable member of the group?
As everyone knows, some storylines in the TV show follow The Walking Dead comics, others are invented by the television writers, and then there are those that are a combination of both. For example, Rick waking up from a coma and finding his family was from the comics. However, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) isn’t in the graphic novels at all. As for a mixture, Lori Grimes died, but so did her baby. In the TV show, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) also died, but in a very different way. However, baby Judith survived and is literally growing up in the zombie apocalypse.
Do you believe Augustus is really code for Ezekiel? Who do you think should play the part? Will the storyline be straight from the comics or will the writers go a different route when The Walking Dead returns with Season 7?
[Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AMC]