Is Father Gabriel’s death being foreshadowed on The Walking Dead?

Every time Father Gabriel mentions anything about a water tower on The Walking Dead, comic fans flinch, and rightfully so. While Father Gabriel has outlived his comic book counterpart, it hasn’t been long enough for fans of the source material to think he is here to stay for the long haul. Season 10, Episode 19, titled ‘One More,’ certainly gave some uncomfortable nods to his brutal comic death.

Spoiler warning ahead for the comic series!

Father Gabriel in the comic series doesn’t compare to the incredibly dynamic Father Gabriel in the AMC television series, and there is no room for negotiation there. In the comics, this character doesn’t ever come out of the background in any profound way. He largely stays in his lane and makes no ripples. However, in the show, Gabriel has grown into a totally different person.

Unfortunately, in the comic series Father Gabriel dies during the whisperer war. When Alpha dies, and Beta releases the horde, Father Gabriel is sent to a water tower to make sure things are okay. As soon as he looks through the scope of his gun, he can see the walkers approaching. He begins to rush down in an attempt to warn everybody, but in his haste, he trips.

When Gabriel trips on the step of the water tower ladder, his leg becomes stuck, and he suffers a massive break. He is hanging upside down, and even parts of his bone are exposed. He screams out in pain, begging for help, and sadly the person who comes to his “rescue” is Beta. Beta says aloud that he will help Gabriel and proceeds to “release” him by gutting him. All his organs spill out and over his face, and walkers devour him.

With clues from season 10, episode 19 of The Walking Dead, comic fans worry that Father Gabriel might face his comic book fate.

Needless to say, every time comic fans watch the TV series and Gabriel mentions going anywhere near a water tower, they are shaking in their boots. In ‘Find Me,’ Gabriel mentions a water tower several times. When Gabriel trips in the mud and Aaron kills the walker, the walker then falls directly onto Gabriel’s machete to add insult to injury. Guts spill out all over him, which mirrors his comic demise in a way that is too close for comfort.

Now in The Walking Dead TV series, Beta is dead. Father Gabriel cannot die in the exact same fashion, but it can come close. Season 10 Episode 15 was even titled ‘The Tower’ as a nod to his comic fate. So why keep up all of the bad omens? Is The Walking Dead just purposely making comic fans worried for fun? Or is there something much darker on the horizon for Gabriel? Fans will have to wait until the summer of 2021, when season 11 premieres, to find out!

Have you read The Walking Dead comics? Do you think Father Gabriel’s death is being foreshadowed? Tweet me your thoughts @Mamadeadhead!