The Walking Dead Is Going Somewhere New, and Here's What You Need to Know

On the next episode of The Walking Dead, a new location will be introduced that will be familiar to fans of the comics that inspired the show: The Kingdom.

The Kingdom is a colony like Alexandria Safe Zone or Hilltop, and in the same general vicinity as those. It's similar in that it's a fortified place where survivors are trying to build a civilization by growing crops and rallying behind a charismatic leader. That leader, and the structure around him, makes the Kingdom different than any other place we've been on The Walking Dead.

The Kingdom, as its name suggests, is a medieval sort of place presided over by a monarch: King Ezekiel (Khary Payton). He's an over-the-top fellow who speaks like he came from a Renaissance fair and rules with his pet tiger Shiva by his side (Shiva is played by a combination of CGI and animatronics, which makes PETA happy). The Kingdom is built on the campus of an old school, has robust gardens and has a bigger population than anywhere else we've seen.

If the show hews closely to the comics, then the Kingdom, King Ezekiel and his knights and subjects will become crucial allies to Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and friends in the fight against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Ezekiel will convince one of Negan's key followers to switch sides.

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But if that happens, it will be further down the road. For now, what's important to know about the Kingdom is that it's kind of weird, there's more to it than meets the eye, Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan (Lennie James) will be there for a while and it's home to a terrific tiger.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.