Will King Ezekiel risk the Kingdom by joining Rick in The Walking Dead 7B?

When The Walking Dead Season 7 returns Rick is going to be asking King Ezekiel to join the survivors as they fight Negan. But will Ezekiel be willing to risk his Kingdom for freedom?

King Ezekiel has managed to do what no other community leader has managed to do on The Walking Dead. He’s worked out a peaceful deal with the Negan and the Saviors. The Saviors have never even been inside Kingdom. Ezekiel’s deal with the Saviors is that he and a few of the fighters from Kingdom meet the Saviors to deliver meat and produce on an arranged schedule.

So far that agreement has worked out well for Ezekiel. The Saviors have not killed anyone from Kingdom. Ezekiel’s subjects don’t even know that Negan exists. Presumably this arrangement could continue for a long time. That means that at least for now the Kingdom is not on Negan’s radar.

If Ezekiel agrees to join Rick and commit the Kingdom to fighting the Saviors that agreement will be shattered. If Rick and the survivors lose the war it the Kingdom could be destroyed. Or the people of Kingdom could fall under the same scrutiny that the other communities are under. They would be policed by the Saviors. Some of the residents could be killed.

Ezekiel has a lot to lose if he joins Rick’s fight. His Kingdom is doing alright at the moment. The people are happy, safe, and thriving. But the clock is ticking. If the Saviors stay in control eventually the agreement will fall apart. It’s just a matter of time.

Richard, Carol and Morgan

Richard is one of the strongest fighters that the Kingdom has. He knows how fragile the peace with the Saviors is. He wants to strike first and strike hard against Negan. It’s a safe bet that he will encourage Ezekiel to join Rick.

But Ezekiel may not take Richard’s advice. He also trusts Carol and Morgan, and they don’t want to fight. Morgan is clinging to his philosophy that all life is precious. And Carol says that she just doesn’t want to get involved.

Neither Carol or Morgan knows that Negan killed Glenn and Abe at this point. Their perspectives might change when Rick and the group visit Kingdom and tell them what happened.

The Kingdom’s Contribution to the Cause

Kingdom doesn’t have a lot of fighters that can join the survivors. But because Alexandria’s numbers are so low any of the fighters from the Kingdom would help. Carol and Morgan would be a huge help. And King Ezekiel also has Shiva. Shiva is a pretty good deterrent. Shiva also could be very effective at taking out large numbers of the Saviors. Khary Payton, who plays King Ezekiel, tweeted this photo of the King and Shiva recently:

The Kingdom could also be a fantastic cover for Rick and the group as they gather weapons and prepare for war. They can’t count on Gregory’s loyalty at the Hilltop. It’s very likely that Gregory would betray the survivors to Negan. But Rick’s group could hide Daryl, Maggie, and their weapons and materials at Kingdom.

No Saviors have ever been inside Kingdom, and their current deal with Ezekiel prevents them from going into Kingdom. So even if Ezekiel doesn’t want to join in the actual battles against Negan he could prove to be a huge asset for Rick and the others.

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Will Rick be able to convince King Ezekiel to help them? That should be revealed in The Walking Dead Season 7 episode 9, “Rock in the Road”. New episodes of The Walking Dead start on Sunday, February 12^th.