Paul Monroe May Join 'The Walking Dead' Very Soon

The Walking Dead doesn't waste any time jumping back into the action. Right after it kills off a character (or multiple in the case of the midseason premiere), it moves right along, setting up new storylines and possibly adding more characters. According to the cast list on IMDB, The Walking Dead may introduce Paul Monroe in this week's episode,"The New World." If the show follows the comics, Paul Monroe, also known as “Jesus," will be around for quite a long time. When it comes to his introduction, though, showrunner Scott Dimple has been pretty mysterious (as usual), telling Entertainment Weekly, “I think to viewers of the show, it’s very much in the spirit of how he was introduced in the comic. But, you know, little remixes here and there that hopefully will provide a little bit of surprise for comics readers.” Update: The Feb. 21 episode of The Walking Dead introduced this character with the name Paul "Jesus" Rovia .

So who’s playing the long-haired, bearded survivor? Back in September, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Tom Payne was cast as Jesus, but he is a relatively new face in the entertainment world. Payne is a British actor known for his roles in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Waterloo Road, Luck, and The Physician. Of course, landing what could be a major role on The Walking Dead is sure to make him much more well known.

Whether he makes his first appearance this season or further down the road, here's what you should know about Paul "Jesus" Monroe from the Walking Dead comics that could hint at what's to come on the show. Spoilers for The Walking Dead comics ahead.

He Resides In Hilltop Colony

We haven’t been introduced to Hilltop Colony on AMC yet, but Paul is a member of the community there. He’s close with the head of the colony, Gregory, and performs runs and works out trades between communities. When Paul does make his TV debut, it could be a sign that we'll see the Hilltop Colony soon after.

How We Meet Jesus

In the comics, Jesus is out on a run for Hilltop when he runs into Michonne and Abraham. He takes Abraham hostage, which isn’t an easy task considering how large Abraham is, and demands that Michonne bring their leader to him. Jesus tells Rick that he’s from Hilltop and he wants to trade with their community, but Rick knocks him out and takes him back to the Safe-Zone as a prisoner. Now, there are some photos of this week's episode featuring Rick and Daryl, so if Jesus is introduced in "The New World," he may encounter them first instead.

His Personality

We’re adding a new fighter to the team. Jesus is known for being a great fighter and in the comics he’s good at getting out of near-death experiences, which means we may have some close-calls in our future. He’s extremely smart and a quick thinker, so basically the best person to have around during an apocalypse.

He Gets Close To Maggie

In the comics, Maggie goes to live at the Hilltop Colony and becomes the unofficial leader of the community. She rallies the people behind her and the current leader, Gregory, is eventually pushed out. Paul and Maggie have a close friendship because of her taking over the Colony.

His Role In The War Against Negan

You all know about Negan at this point, right? Scary, huge guy with a baseball bat? Well, technically the Safe-Zone gets involved with his group because Hilltop Colony is involved with them. So, Alexandria and the Colony team up in this giant war with Negan and “The Saviors.” It’s the biggest war that Rick & Co. have ever dealt with. Rick deals with Negan while Paul leads the group against the Saviors, so his role is important.

Where Is He Now?

In the comics Jesus is still alive. Yay! That means if The Walking Dead follows its source material, there’s a good chance we won’t have to get to know and like Jesus only to lose him... Hopefully.

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