Khary Payton throws glorious shade at fansplainers
Khary Payton, who brings King Ezekiel to life on The Walking Dead, took to social media to throw some much needed shade at fansplainers.
For the record, Khary Payton is an awesome guy. While his role as King Ezekiel is understandably divisive among The Walking Dead fans for a number of reasons, there’s no question that Payton is a good guy and an upstanding human being. However, when it comes to fans trying to tell him what happens to his character in the comics, Payton has a message for the fansplainers and we’re here for it.
Payton posted pictures of Samantha Morton in a pre-Alpha state and Ryan Hurst in full-Beta mode. The caption made it clear that The Walking Dead has some of the best villains around: “Our baddies are just so badass.”
However, he went on to caution those fans who would seek to remind him (over and over again) of what happens to King Ezekiel in the comics: “P.S. To all the 14 year-olds: Yes, I’ve read the comic. It’s very popular. You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”
Here’s the post and the comments:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvCQnV8h5ID/
What’s more is that showrunner Angela Kang got in on the fun with her own comment: “Wait, what happens in the comic?”
To everyone’s chagrin, someone actually replied to her to tell her what happens.
Welcome to fansplaining.
Fansplaining happens when fans try to explain things to actors and creators, and to other fans. It can be accidental. If you give the benefit of the doubt to the person who responded to Kang’s humorous yet sarcastic comment, he was just trying to be helpful.
Unfortunately, all too often fansplaining is not accidental. Recently a group of fans tried to tell legendary puppeteer Frank Oz that they have a better understanding of Yoda from Star Wars than he does. Just imagine having enough gall to tell Frank Oz that he doesn’t understand Yoda. It’s beyond comprehension.
Many of the fans spent far more time with this character than you did. You spent months working on him. We’ve spent years immersing ourselves in his various incarnations. And remember...how art is intended by the artist is rarely how that same art is received by the audience.
— Star Wars:The1stGen (@SW_TFG) March 14, 2019
You can imagine that Payton hears about Ezekiel’s fate in the comic books quite often, hence the healthy dose of shade he tosses to the “14 year-olds” who like to tell him what happens, over and over again. (He’s not really talking to teenagers, by the way, in case that wasn’t clear)
King Ezekiel’s reception among The Walking Dead fans has been a mixed bag. There are some fans who appreciate his warm baritone voice, his penchant for speeches that channel Shakespeare, and his ability to make Carol smile. There are fans that aren’t fans of it. It’s all good, because everyone gets an opinion. But when fans start crossing the line from having opinion to being rude or coming at actors and other fans as a result of those differences of opinion, well, that’s another thing entirely.
Next. Danai Gurira missing, then added to Avengers: Endgame poster. dark
Fansplaining is the most recent plague to descend upon social media, along with its cousin mansplaining. In this case, though, Payton (with an assist from Kang) delivered the shade needed to send a much-needed message. He gets it, folks. But if season 9 of The Walking Dead has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. Maybe things aren’t going to happen the way some fans think….