The Walking Dead teases the arrival of complete badass Jesus in season 6

It's been a long mid-season break for fans of The Walking Dead, which finally returns to our TV screens next month. In addition to the debut of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's grisly villain Negan, one of the reasons why the second half of season 6 is so anticipated is the introduction of Paul 'Jesus' Monroe, a fan-favourite character who is a highly skilled badass in the comics.

British actor Tom Payne will be bringing Jesus to life on the show, and The Walking Dead creator and writer Robert Kirkman has been talking to Entertainment Weekly about what we can expect from his introduction: "Jesus is just such a fun character to write in the comics. At this point in the life of the series, my thought is the apocalypse has been going on for so long, the people you encounter in your day-to-day life have to be extremely skilled".

"They’ve been surviving for a reason, whether they were at a place like Alexandria that’s very safe, or they’re a great leader of their group and somewhat sadistic but in control of their group like Negan, or someone who’s an absolute, complete badass like Jesus", Kirkman continued. "He’s smart, quick, very athletic. He’s kinda been surviving on his feet. He’s going to be bringing a lot to the show. There’s some cool stuff coming with him". Sounds good to us!

There's no word yet on when we might get out first glimpse of the character, but with Negan's impending arrival it will be good to have another friendly face on the show.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC at 9 pm on February 14, 2016.

Images: AMC/Image Comics

Amon Warmann

Amon is a contributing editor and columnist for Empire magazine, but is also a Film and TV writer for GamesRadar+, Total Film, and others. He has also written for NME, Composer Mag, and more, along with being a film critic for TalkSport. He is also the co-host of the Fade to Black Podcast, and a video mashup creator. Can also do a pretty good Bane impersonation.

Latest in Action Shows
Reacher
Reacher star is rooting for Alan Ritchson to be the next Batman in the DCU: "I think he would be the best Batman we've ever had"
Daredevil: Born Again
A new look at Matt Murdock suiting up in Daredevil: Born Again has Marvel fans saying the same thing
Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon in Agatha All Along
A quickly killed off Agatha All Along star thought she'd be a witch: "I get there and no one is really looking me in the eye"
Peacemaker
Peacemaker season 2 star says the show feels like the DCU's "cool kid" as it's one of James Gunn's "first babies": "I'm excited to see how that expands and grows"
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again fan compiles all the teasers the show hasn't used yet, and it seems Wilson Fisk's scariest scene is still to come
Bullseye in Daredevil: Born Again trailer
Daredevil: Born Again fans have a Bullseye and Punisher theory after Frank Castle's appearance in the latest episode
Latest in News
Fallout 76 screenshot showing an irradiated mutant man-like creature screeching, its sharp canine teeth showing
After 14 years at Bethesda, Skyrim and Fallout veteran made his final settlement in just 2 days – but only because he'd made some rough ones before that
halflife screenshot showing a headcrab jumping at a player
Half-Life devs worried Gabe Newell "promised things that they couldn't possibly deliver" for the iconic FPS, but "they just didn't know" that they'd be able to do it yet
Razer Freyja back cushions
Dune: Awakening will launch with full Razer Sensa HD haptics
Seth Rogen in The Studio
New Apple TV show with 97% on Rotten Tomatoes teases all its cameos, including Martin Scorsese and Zac Efron
Giovanni and Mewtwo from Pokemon Destined Rivals
Team Rocket is blasting off again in new Pokemon TCG expansion, Destined Rivals
Jack Reynor in Midsommar
Midsommar star cast in new Mummy movie, but still no word from the original stars