The Walking Dead theory: who was the Judas walker?

Two weeks ago, Negan found a burnt walker with a “Judas” sign over his head. Who was he? I try to find out in my latest The Walking Dead Theory!

Okay, let’s rewind a bit, so we’re all on the same page: Two weeks ago, in The Walking Dead episode “Hunted”, while escaping with Maggie, Alden, and Agatha, Negan saw a walker tied to a tree, burnt to a crisp, but still very much active. On the tree, above the walker’s head was a sign that read “Judas”.

Who would go around, tying people to trees, setting them on fire, and labeling them Judas? I mean, while it’s not too tough it understand what it means, it’s also got a very specific connotation to it, doesn’t it? A very religious one.

The Walking Dead theory: the Judas walker was a Reaper

Alright, enough beating around the bush: Considering the obvious religious overtones, and the fact he was found not far from their base, it seems like a no-brainer that the Judas walker was a member of the Reapers. But, let’s dig a little deeper.

In the episode following the discovery of the Judas walker, Pope, the leader of the Reapers, used fire to dispose of one of his subordinates.

Why you might ask? Because he thought that Bossie had abandoned his comrade, Turner, and left him to get wounded (And eventually die) while Bossie ran away. Would you consider that a betrayal? I don’t know, but I think that Pope did, and punished him with fire. Boy does that sound familiar.

Now, you might ask: If this person was a Reaper, why didn’t Leah mention him?

Well, my guess is that, once Pope feels you’ve betrayed the team, that’s it: He “casts you into the fire”, and deems you persona non grata. If you like, you could consider it an ex-communication.

The last question is: What did the Judas do to deserve such an execution?

What Pope did to Bossie was brutal, but there was no ceremony to it, he was just chucked into the fire. The Judas walker, however, was tied to a tree, literally labeled a Judas, and for lack of a better term, burned at the stake. This wasn’t a spur of the moment kind of thing, the way Bossie was, this was a formal execution, something you do as a warning to others.

You might think that, with their habit of hanging those they kill upside-down from trees or poles or bridges, that this could just as easily be some poor person that ran afoul of them and wound up torched, but if that were the case, they wouldn’t have labeled him a Judas, would they? No, this was a warning to the rest of the Reapers what fate awaited them if they dared to betray the team in the same fashion.

Was he the reason the Wardens escaped the Reapers in Tennessee? Did he let a prisoner go? Did he air some discontent about Pope that got back to him? Did he try to leave? Did he learn something about Pope that Pope didn’t want him learning?

Or, was his betrayal something we won’t find about till later? Season eleven is going to be a long one, and we’ve got plenty of time with The Reapers left to come, so, it’s possible that the Judas walker’s betrayal maybe something that reveals itself whenever Daryl tries to escape. It’s even possible that he did something to weaken The Reapers that may prove crucial whenever Alexandria inevitably comes to blows with them, and maybe Pope knows that it was done (Hence the execution), but, not what it was.

But, what do you think? Do you think the Judas was one of the Reapers? If so, what do you think prompted Pope to have him burned at the stake? I’m curious to hear! If you enjoyed this and want to learn how to stay alive in a zombie apocalypse, why not pick up a copy of my book, The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! You can also get it at Amazon here, on iTunes here!