MVP of The Walking Dead Season 7 finale

We had peril, betrayal, surprise walkers, a tiger and triumph in the thrilling finale of The Walking Dead’s seventh season.

A season that began in the depths of despair wrapped up with a little bit of hope. Rick and Co. fought off The Saviors and the Garbage Pail Kids (Scavengers) with help from friends. And seeds were planted for Season 8’s All Out War, which will see more wins and bitter losses.

Impending deaths aside, Season 7’s final episode saw the rise of both factions. It also showed the strong leadership from each group, including the finale MVP, King Ezekiel (and by extension, Shiva).

Ezekiel leads the most trained soldiers for the good guys. He also brought Carol into the fold, previously took a turn as a father figure and convinced Morgan to stop moping around and fight.

The latter was spotted wearing Benjamin’s old gear. Zeke asked Morgan if he wore the garb to honor Ben or just look like a bullpen catcher for the Toledo Mud Hens.

On they went (with Morgan showing up, too) to Alexandria, as the Kingdom and The Hilltop made it in the nick of time. Shiva mauled a few Saviors, while Zeke loudly proclaimed “Alexandria will not fall today.”

He then led the group on a rousing half-jog around Alexandria to “finish the job.” Of course, that didn’t happen after Negan took off and gave the symbol for “you’re No. 1.”

Zeke and the Kingdom will prove to be key in winning All Out War. He was once skeptical of fighting, but recent events such as Ben’s death changed his mind for the better.

There will be plenty of time for bloodshed and love between he and Carol. His influence and bad-assery will be felt much in upcoming episodes.

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• Watch Tales of TWD actress Jillian Bell in Prime Video’s Candy Cane Lane

Honorable mentions: Walker Sasha, Michonne’s swollen eye and Jadis, who despite the horrid haircut actually looked and played every bit the baddie.

I’ll be picking my seasonal #TWDMVP as well as choosing one on the funny side. Be sure to look for polls on our main Twitter account to voice your opinion and use the hashtag to join the conversation.