The Walking Dead: King Ezekiel has a new mission

King Ezekiel has been through a lot over the past few months on The Walking Dead, and his new mission is one that gives him a very important task.

It has not been easy being the King. Ezekiel has seen the highest of highs and the lowest lows over the course of The Walking Dead but the past few months have been the biggest test of all. He lost his Kingdom and his son. His marriage was torn apart. The gregarious leader became a lone reed bending in the wind. Now, as the Whisperer War heats up, he has a new mission that might provide the focus and purpose he needs.

For a while, the worst thing to happen to Ezekiel was losing Benjamin and Shiva. Benjamin was like a son to him while Shiva was his best friend and a remnant of his life before the fall. Losing them was a blow for the King but he had a community to run and he pushed forward, building a family with Carol and Henry.

When he lost Henry, it drove a wedge in his marriage. The Kingdom collapsed as winter fell, and everything looked bleak.

While Carol has been coping with Henry’s death in her own way, Ezekiel has been at Hilltop dealing with his health issues. With no cure available for his cancer in the middle of the apocalypse, Ezekiel faces an uncertain future.

“Morning Star” was a turning point for the King. Not only did he reunite with Carol, but he also had a heart to heart with Daryl that ended with the two men forming a plan to rescue the children. If one of them goes down in battle, it will be the other man’s job to get the children to safety.

It was exactly the kind of mission Ezekiel needed to galvanize himself in the face of battle.

The King has purpose: He has people to defend. He has children to defend.

Ezekiel has been a polarizing figure on The Walking Dead with his larger than life persona and his Shakespearean bravado, but it must be noted that these are things he created and fostered to help him survive in this world. At his foundation, Ezekiel is someone who is driven to help others and that’s the main reason Daryl saw him as the man to protect the children from danger.

With new purpose, the King’s future is bright once more as he heads into the Whisperer War.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC.