The Walking Dead may have snuffed out the candle that was Jesus' life force on The Walking Dead, but that doesn't mean he's done on the series for good. Even better than the character returning is that Tom Payne's big comeback as Jesus will possibly be more than an undead version of the character, as the actor recently hinted there's a portion of Jesus' story that the AMC drama may yet tell.
There's a six-year time jump, in which a lot of stuff happened and there's those mysterious marks on Michonne and Daryl. All of these things which could be explained, and Jesus may have a hand in some of that.
Tom Payne seems to be noting that while Jesus is gone from the present-day storyline of The Walking Dead, he may still appear in Season 9 or beyond via arcs that involve the mysterious marks on Michonne and Daryl. Payne noting the oddly specific scenario Jesus may be involved in seems to imply he definitely has something to do with those marks, but he can't reveal the details on that just yet.
At least not to the attendees of Walker Stalker Con New Jersey (via Comicbook.com), for whom Tom Payne revealed the potential scenario in which Jesus could return to. Six years have passed in the time gap and it stands to reason The Walking Dead could tell more stories that would involve Jesus, at least, provided Tom Payne is game to return when they call him up.
That would probably depend on what Jesus was up to in said theoretical episodes, as Payne told CinemaBlend he had been disappointed with how his character was used in the series for some time. Tom Payne was hoping for more of the character's iconic moments to be incorporated into the series, and was somewhat discouraged that the show didn't attempt to bring some of them to life.
This ultimately led to Tom Payne's somewhat tempered attitude toward being killed off. The Walking Dead could still do right by Jesus by adding some cool moments for him via flashbacks, although since the character would not be living in the present, those moments may feel bittersweet to fans. Perhaps they can find solace in the fact that Payne was largely happy with how he went out, as he told CinemaBlend he felt he created a "moment."
Tom Payne might bring more moments to The Walking Dead provided he's indeed along for some flashback fun in the show's second half that kicks off Sunday, February 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is happening on television around that time and beyond, be sure to visit and bookmark our fall and midseason premiere guide.
