In an interview at New York Comic Con (NYCC), Khary Payton revealed that he expects he will eventually return to The Walking Dead franchise to reprise his role as King Ezekiel.
Payton played Ezekiel Sutton on the hit horror show from Season 7 in 2016 through Season 11 in 2022, when the show eventually concluded. Since then, there have been multiple spin-off series, with the most recent being The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Payton has not been in either season of Daryl Dixon, despite his character having previously been married to Season 2's titular character, Carol.
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King Ezekiel Actor Believes He'll Return to Walking Dead
While speaking with The Direct's Gillian Blum and promoting his ongoing series Teen Titans Go!, Khary Payton revealed that he "get[s] the feeling" that fans have not seen the last of King Ezekiel in The Walking Dead universe just yet.
When asked where King Ezekiel is, Payton explained that, for now, he is "off raising his kids," and he plans to "hang out with them for a couple of years," seemingly saying this is a reason behind Ezekiel's absence in Daryl Dixon thus far:
“That’s a great question. He is off raising his kids for a couple of years — I mean me, Khary, is off raising his kids. My daughter was like, 'Khary, you can’t leave.’'She didn’t say Khary; she said ‘dad,’ ‘dad, you can’t leave.’ And so I’m gonna hang out with them for a couple of years.”
He continued, saying that he "get[s] the feeling" they have "more story to tell," clarifying that specifically, "Ezekiel has stories to tell."
This was not any sort of official confirmation, of course — as Payton reminded, he was "just putting it out there:"
"But, I don’t know, man, I get the feeling, you know, we got more story to tell. [I’m] just putting it out there, but I get the feeling, you know, Ezekiel has stories to tell."
When Might King Ezekiel Return?
As exciting as it would be to hope Ezekiel's Walking Dead return will come on the sooner side, that seems unlikely given Payton saying he still plans to spend time with his family "for a couple of years."
Luckily, it feels probable that this world of stories is not going anywhere anytime soon. The show already has had several spin-offs, and there are more seasons in the works.
While Season 3 of Daryl Dixon may be a little too soon for an Ezekiel return, perhaps if the show sees a Season 4 or beyond, that would be the right time for it.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which followed Rick and Michonne, just ended its run and saw those two characters return to Alexandria. This means that Ezekiel himself has probably already reunited with them, so he is in the perfect spot to return down the line.
This world never seems to run out of concepts to explore, so there will certainly be plenty more places for Ezekiel to partake in the long-running franchise.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is currently being released weekly on AMC+.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
