Character from The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman (comics), Frank Darabont (TV), Telltale Games
A priest who locked his congregation outside to die, then spent years trying to earn back a faith he'd betrayed — transforming from the group's weakest link into one of its most reliable soldiers.
Gabriel locked the doors of his church and listened to his congregation beg for help as walkers tore them apart. He survived because he was a coward, and that cowardice became the defining fact of his existence — the sin he spends the rest of the series atoning for. His transformation is the show's longest redemption arc. He starts by trying to betray Rick's group to Deanna. He vomits the first time he kills a walker. He can barely hold a machete. Then, slowly and painfully, he becomes a fighter, a counselor, and a spy. He infiltrates the Saviors. He protects his people with the same hands that once locked the doors. He maintains his faith but redefines it: God isn't coming to save them, so Gabriel will have to do it himself. His sermons become battle speeches. His collar becomes armor.
Slim with dark skin, short-cropped hair, and the perpetually haunted expression of a man who hears his dead parishioners' screams in quiet moments. Wears his priest's collar even in combat, a visible reminder of who he's trying to become. His clerical black clothing gradually incorporates tactical elements — holstered weapons, body armor — as the man inside changes.
Also known as: Gabriel, Father Gabriel, Gabe