Father Gabriel Stokes didn’t start as a hero. Far from it. When we first met him in Season 5 of The Walking Dead, he was basically the personification of "please get this guy off my screen." He was cowering on top of a rock while walkers snapped at his heels, wearing a pristine priest collar that felt like an insult to everything Rick’s group had suffered through to get to that woods.
Gabriel the Walking Dead fans remember him for wasn't the badass sniper of the later seasons. He was the coward who locked his congregation out of his church.
Think about that for a second.
The man heard his own flock—people who looked to him for literal salvation—screaming and clawing at the doors of St. Sarah’s while they were being torn apart. He sat inside. He listened. He did nothing. That kind of moral failure is hard to come back from in a show where "doing the right thing" is usually the difference between life and death. Honestly, most of us expected him to be walker bait within three episodes. Seth Gilliam, the actor behind the collar, played that sniveling, self-righteous fear so well that he became one of the most loathed characters in the entire series.
But then something weird happened. He stayed alive.
The Long Game of Redemption
Redemption arcs are a dime a dozen in prestige TV, but Gabriel’s was different because it took years. It wasn't some sudden "aha" moment where he picked up a machete and started hacking limbs. It was a slow, painful, often embarrassing crawl toward competency.
Remember Alexandria? When he went to Deanna and tried to rat out Rick’s group?
That was the peak of his "rat" phase. He told Deanna that Rick and the others weren't good people, that they didn't deserve to be there. He was projecting his own guilt onto the people who actually saved his life. It was infuriating. Yet, looking back, it made total sense for a man who had lost his faith but was still trying to use the language of faith to justify his cowardice. He couldn't handle the fact that "sinners" like Daryl or Carol were more moral than a man of the cloth.
Eventually, the wall broke.
The turning point wasn't a speech. It was the moment he realized that "God has given us the courage to save ourselves." He stopped waiting for a miracle and started becoming one, even if that miracle was just learning how to hold a machete without shaking.
That One Eye and the Rise of "Badass Gabriel"
By the time the Saviors showed up, Gabriel had shifted. He was still a priest, but he was a priest who understood that the world required a different kind of ministry. He became Rick’s confidant. He became a protector.
Then came the infection.
Losing his sight in one eye was a massive symbolic shift. In many ways, it felt like a biblical "eye for an eye" payment for the people he let die at his church doors years prior. But instead of it weakening him, it turned him into a stone-cold killer for the good guys. The milky-eyed look gave him a terrifyingly calm vibe. He wasn't the guy hiding under a desk anymore. He was the guy leading the charge during the Whisperer War.
If you look at his trajectory, he has one of the highest "growth-to-time" ratios in the show. Compare Season 5 Gabriel to the man who executed the Reaper, Mancea, in Season 11. Mancea was talking about God’s will, and Gabriel—without blinking—essentially told him that God wasn't in the room anymore.
He found his faith again, sure. But he found a faith that was rugged. It wasn't about stained glass and pews; it was about protecting the family he had found.
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What Most People Get Wrong About His Faith
A lot of critics say Gabriel "lost" his religion. That’s a bit of a shallow take, honestly.
He didn't lose it. He evolved it.
In the beginning, his faith was a shield. He used it to hide from the reality of the apocalypse. By the end of The Walking Dead, his faith was more of a weapon—or a tool for discernment. He understood that in a world where the dead walk, the "old" rules of turning the other cheek didn't just get you killed; they got everyone you loved killed.
Seth Gilliam has mentioned in various interviews, including some at Walker Stalker Cons, that he played Gabriel as a man constantly at war with his own nature. Gabriel is naturally a fearful person. That’s what makes his bravery so much more impressive than someone like Daryl or Michonne, who seem born for this. For Gabriel, every fight was a choice to ignore his instinct to run.
Why Gabriel Matters More Than Rick (Sometimes)
Rick Grimes is the hero we want to be. Gabriel is the person most of us actually are.
If the world ended tomorrow, most of us wouldn't be swinging katanas. We’d be the ones locking the door and crying in the corner. Gabriel’s journey provides the blueprint for how a "normal," flawed, and even cowardly person can find their spine.
He survived the bridge. He survived the Whisperers. He survived the Commonwealth.
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He didn't just survive; he became a leader. Seeing him as a member of the Council in Alexandria felt earned. It wasn't a gift. He worked for that seat through blood and some pretty questionable moral choices that he had to live with every single night.
The Key Takeaways from Gabriel's Arc:
- Survival isn't just physical: You have to survive your own guilt before you can truly lead.
- Consistency is boring but necessary: Gabriel’s slow burn made his eventual badassery feel authentic rather than unearned fan service.
- Religion adapts: The show used Gabriel to explore how ancient belief systems survive (or fail) when the world's rules are completely rewritten.
What to Do Next
If you’re doing a rewatch of the series, pay close attention to Gabriel’s clothing. It’s a subtle detail, but as the seasons progress, his priestly garb gets dirtier, more practical, and eventually incorporates tactical gear. It’s the perfect visual metaphor for his soul.
Stop looking at him as just "the priest guy."
Go back and watch Season 5, Episode 2 ("Strangers"), and then jump immediately to Season 11, Episode 9 ("No Other Way"). The difference is staggering. It’s arguably the best character work the writers ever did.
To really understand the legacy of Gabriel the Walking Dead fans discuss today, you need to stop judging him for who he was at the rock. Judge him for who he was when the world was ending for the tenth time and he was the one standing on the wall, rifle in hand, ready to do the "ugly" work so others could stay pure.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Re-watch "The Damned" (Season 8, Episode 2): Notice the nuance in his interaction with Negan in the trailer. It’s the first time we see Gabriel’s spiritual strength actually intimidate a villain.
- Analyze the "One Eye" Cinematography: Watch how the directors began filming Gabriel from his "blind" side to emphasize his transformation into a more hardened, singular-focused soldier.
- Compare Gabriel to the Comics: While the show follows the broad strokes, the TV version of Gabriel is significantly more developed and survives much longer, giving him a far more satisfying conclusion than his graphic novel counterpart.