Paul Monroe (Comic Series)

"Negan rules by fear... or by manipulating his people into believing he's the only thing keeping them alive. They worship him. For him... it's all about ego. You're building something... I can see that, we all can. When you're done, the world will be changed... renewed... better. I want to be a part of that. I want to do whatever I can to help make that a reality. You're a leader we can follow."

- Part of Paul's leadership speech to Rick.

Paul Monroe, more commonly known as "Jesus", is a character first encountered in Issue 91 of Image Comics' The Walking Dead and is a survivor and resident who lived in a community called the Hilltop Colony which held almost two hundred other survivors. Paul now resides in the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Location Unknown
Nothing yet has been revealed about Paul's life before or as the outbreak began. It is possible that he lived in or near the Hilltop Colony.

Hilltop Colony
At some point after the apocalypse, Paul made his way to the Hilltop Colony. He meets with their leader Gregory, who is impressed with him and welcomes him to the colony. When he first arrived, many people at the colony noted his resemblance to Jesus Christ and most of the survivors began to refer him by the name "Jesus" instead of his given name. Sometime afterwards, the Saviors arrived and terrorized the colony into paying tribute to them in exchange for protection against walkers. One time, Paul tries to track them back to their base but narrowly escapes with his life. He eventually gets the idea to scout the surrounding area for other colonies to trade with in order to alleviate the pressure off of the Hilltop, an idea that Gregory agrees with.

Discovering Alexandria
Close to two years after the apocalypse occurred, Paul is preforming a run when he discovers the Alexandria Safe-Zone. After a pretty tense and unexpected introduction, Paul is forced to attack Michonne and Abraham, easily immobilizing them. He then instructs Michonne to arrange a meeting with Rick. Paul claims he is from a community with two hundred survivors and offers to trade equipment. He also states that there are two other groups that he knows about and trades with.

However, Rick knocks him out, distrusting him due to his previous encounters with the Woodbury Army and the Hunters. Paul is held prisoner in the Safe-Zone's infirmary and when Rick visits him, Paul admits that he doesn't blame Rick for his actions to protect his group and tries to reason with Rick, but the latter continues to distrust Paul. Rick later decides to meet Paul's group.

New Allies
Paul takes Rick, Glenn, Michonne, Andrea and a stowaway Carl to Paul's community, Hilltop Colony. On the way, Paul reveals that he could have escaped anytime but remained there to see if Rick could be trusted. The two make up and continue their way. When they reach Hilltop, Paul leaves Rick with Gregory and takes the others around the colony. Suddenly, a resident named Ethan returns from an expedition and attempts to kill Gregory in order for Negan to free a hostage of theirs named Crystal, causing a chaos that results in Ethan's death. After diffusing the situation after Ethan's death, Paul tells Rick and the others about  and how they terrorize the residents of Hilltop. After thinking it over, Paul seems to like the idea proposed by Rick and Carl to deal with the Saviors in exchange for supplies.

The Saviors and The Kingdom
A week later, Paul is pleasantly surprised to see Rick again so soon. His jovial mood quickly shifts to one of horror after he sees Glenn's beaten corpse. After hearing Rick tell him and Gregory what happened since they were last at Hilltop, Paul is amazed that Negan actually came and dealt with Rick personally; he, like all the other residents of Hilltop, had never actually seen Negan and was believed to be a fabrication made up by the Saviors. He later decides to accompany Rick and the others back to the Safe Zone saying, "I'll feel a lot better knowing more about Negan and his people" and that "you guys seem to be on the front lines."

Paul is later shown to his new house in the Alexandria Safe-Zone by Heath. Heath tells Paul how great the Hilltop Colony is and then Paul tells Heath how he would trade the Hilltop's trailers for the Alexandria's houses any day. After Dwight  is released, Rick tells Paul to follow him and see what they are up against. Paul follows Dwight and is almost noticed by him after throwing a zombie off the highway, however Paul lies down flat on the highway and Dwight does not notice him. Paul is eventually spotted which leads to his discovery and capture. Dwight orders him to be tied up and sent to Negan for questioning. As they arrive at the Saviors base, Paul unties himself and jumps out of the Jeep, successfully escaping.

When trying to go back to Alexandria, Paul meets up with Rick, Michonne, Andrea and Nicholas, who were searching for Carl. Back to the safe-zone, Paul talks to Rick and Michonne about The Savior's base and members, and says that it is time for them to meet Ezekiel.

Days later, he travels with Rick to The Kingdom to meet Ezekiel. There, they learn that an inside man within the Saviors has betrayed Negan; it is revealed to be Dwight, Abraham's killer. Rick angrily attacks Dwight, but is held off by Ezekiel and Shiva, his tiger. Rick is suspicious of Dwight but agrees to work with him.

A Traitor in Their Midst
Some time later, Rick asks Paul to go tell Maggie about his plan. He sneaks into Hilltop and tells her their plan to deal with Negan. He visits Gregory, who is fearful about the plan and thinking of backing out of the original deal set up with Rick regarding the Saviors. Paul goes to the Wall and informs one of his friends, Kal, about rounding up men who can assist in the fight. He also introduces Maggie to Earl Sutton, the blacksmith and asks him to craft a combat knife for Maggie. When asked about if Kal had come by, Earl mentions that Kal left for a perimeter check and won't be back until nightfall. Paul is in shock and asks himself how he could have been so stupid, realizing that Kal is in league with the Saviors.

Paul asks how long ago he left; after receiving an answer, Paul grabs a horse and heads out to pursue Kal. He ends up catching Kal, who had fired a flare to contact the Saviors. Kal tells him to leave, but Paul refuses and Kal says that he doesn't want anyone else to be killed; joust then, a group of Saviors show up. The leader of the group, Connor, asks what is going on. Before Kal can tell them abut the planned revolution, Paul interrupts him and says that next time the Saviors visit the Hilltop their catch is going to be light. Connor punches Paul and threatens him it better not be. After Connor and the other Saviors leave, Kal pleads with Paul to keep this between themselves.

Preparing for War
Later on, back at the Hilltop, Paul is seen rounding up men and women to join the fight against the Saviors. He stops Eduardo from joining them, saying that he's too young and isn't ready. Gregory continues to remind Paul how uneasy he feels about this, but Paul tells him that for all he knows, they defected. When Gregory says that it's the safest way to avoid putting others at risk, Paul reminds him that if he had thought about the welfare of others over himself, 'maybe we wouldn't be in this position.' Gregory takes offense and claims that his cautious nature was what prevented things from getting worse; he also says that he was the one who's kept Negan at bay and that he isn't scared of the Saviors. Paul calls his bluff and leaves, saying that their argument is pointless.

Paul arrives at the Kingdom with roughly twenty people from the Hilltop. During a meeting with Rick and Ezekiel, Paul says that the head of security, Kal, rounded up the most able bodied members to join them. Rick questions if he trusts Kal and his judgement; Paul (with the recent attempt by Kal to sell them all out to the Saviors still fresh in his mind) says that he does.

Paul alongside Aaron is later seen infiltrating one of the Savior outposts. He inquires that the outpost is empty and that no guards are in the vicinity. He suddenly notices something and says, "Oh, damn." It is revealed that he knows The Saviors have gone to Alexandria and gathers Ezekiel and his men to help him save the Safe-Zone.

Jesus arrives at the Safe-Zone, hidden away from Negan and his men. He then grabs a Savior by his foot and trips him over. The Saviors open fire, but instead of hitting Paul they kill the Savior. Negan tells them to hold fire and at that moment Paul throws himself at the nearest Savior and orders Rick, Heath, Holly and Nicholas into a trench. He proceeds to fight The Saviors until he works his way to Negan, who he disarms and captures. Negan frantically tells The Saviors to hold fire and Paul issues an order to let the survivors go and threatens to kill Negan. He tells Paul that even if he were to succeed, the Saviors would still open fire and kill Paul. However it was revealed that Paul's intentions were to stall the Saviors until Ezekiel and his soldiers arrive.

After the Saviors retreat, Paul converses with Ezekiel about the Safe-Zone and Ezekiel tells Paul that he greatly undersold the community to him. He is later seen outside of Rick's house where he informs Rick that he is the leader the people need and that he is the one who they will follow.

The War Begins
Paul is seen with Rick, Kal, Ezekiel, Michonne, Andrea and Richard conversing over the battle plans for the upcoming battle of Sanctuary. He is later seen talking to Rick before they attack The Sanctuary, Rick asks Paul how he feels and he replies by saying; "Nervous as hell, but that's to be expected." Rick agrees and they resume their march to The Sanctuary.

He arrives alongside over one hundred men from The Kingdom, Hilltop Colony and Alexandria and together they demand that Negan surrender or they will storm The Sanctuary and kill all of his people. Negan refuses and states that he has a different plan and brings out Gregory. Paul watches in horror as Gregory informs him and the other members of the Hilltop rebel group that Hilltop has sided with The Saviors and that if they want to see their friends and families again they must surrender. Rick tells Paul that he will understand if he chooses to leave the battle. However Paul affirms that he's staying, saying that "all I have at the Hilltop are a bunch of books." It is shown that Paul was one of the few fighters from the Hilltop to stay with Rick and that eight men, including Kal, leave. On their way out of the battlefield, Kal informs Paul that he can't go through with the battle, knowing Negan has control over the Hilltop.

After Negan declares war on Rick's forces, Paul is seen crouched with Rick behind a bus, ducking from Savior gunfire. He notes the walkers around the wall are going crazy and asks Rick if he really thinks his plan will work. To which Rick replies by saying; "Yes, I am." He is later seen with Rick retreating back inside the buses. Paul is still unsure that Rick's plan will work, however Rick assures him that it will. After getting on one of the buses, he tries to stop Holly who says that she is trying to find Rick. His attempt to stop her fails and she goes to confront Rick.

After escaping from an oncoming herd (drawn to The Sanctuary by the noise of the battle), Paul finds Michonne. She asks him where Rick is. He responds by saying that, as part of the plan, Rick stayed behind. However he is cut short when Rick appears behind him and declares that the war has just begun. A few hours later Paul and Rick are talking about the battle and how Holly smashed through The Sanctuary's fences instead of Rick, who blames himself for her actions. He goes on to say that he knows Negan would never kill him immediately and that he will kill Holly. Paul tells him to eat and that there is nothing they can do about Holly, however he says that The Saviors are probably too busy with the zombies to care about Holly. Rick says that he hopes he is right and Paul responds saying; "Me too."

Paul later accompanies Rick and many other fighters in a raid on one of The Savior outposts. He, alongside Eric are the first people to run into combat, however, Eric is gunned down by a Savior and Paul quickly rushes to disarm another Savior in order to gain access to the inside of the outpost. Paul holds the Savior at gunpoint so that he will open the door for Paul and the rest of the fighters. The Savior does so and is immediately shot in the head by Paul, who proceeds to gun down The Saviors who opened the door and the oncoming Savior forces alongside Rick and the others.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Paul has killed:
 * Several unnamed Saviors.
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Ezekiel
"It pleases me to see you, old friend. Tell me, what news do you bring good King Ezekiel? Is this a new ally you've brought me?"

- Ezekiel to Paul, upon his arrival at The Kingdom.

Paul and Ezekiel are good friends, as he happily greeted Paul when he arrived with Rick. Although he considers Ezekiel and his community "more like a tumor rather than a participant" of the trade network with the Hilltop, they are both allies against Negan and the Saviors.

Gregory
"Maybe if you hadn't bent over backwards to keep your ass out of the line of fire--We wouldn't be in this position. Ever consider that?"

- Paul berates Gregory for his cowardliness.

Paul seems to be split on Gregory's methods. Although he thinks Gregory is suitable as a leader, he agrees that he is not the ideal man to face confrontations. When Paul comes to Gregory about rustling up the most able-bodied members of the Hilltop to help Rick fight the Saviors, Paul is shown to be disgusted by Gregory's extreme reluctance to help, the latter using Glenn's brutal death as an excuse to back out of the deal between the Hilltop and Alexandria. Their relationship is shown to have taken a severe blow when it's revealed that Paul went behind his back and rounded up men anyway. They argue and Paul calls him a coward for "bending over backwards to keep your ass out of the line of fire."

Rick Grimes
"Rick, I let you tie me up, I risked my life to prove I wasn't a threat to you. I could have attacked you in the van, while you were sleeping last night. What's it going to take?"

- Paul to Rick, about his hesitance to enter Hilltop.

Paul and Rick are very good friends. Since he introduced Rick's group to the Hilltop, he has realized that he is similar to Rick by leading a group of survivors in the undead epidemic and since then, Paul has taken Abraham Ford's place as one of his most trusted allies. He has proven himself to be an important and prominent member of Rick's group, even moving to Alexandria from the Hilltop. Paul holds a great deal of respect for Rick for being the first of the DC area leaders to take a stand against Negan.

Dwight
Paul first encountered Dwight when Rick assigned him to tail Dwight back to the foundry that the Saviors use as their main base. He is captured by a few Saviors and menaced by Dwight, implying that Negan would torture him for trying to follow them home. Paul encounters Dwight again in the Kingdom and is shown to be a little more understanding of Dwight's past than Rick is, but is still suspicious of what Dwight's ultimate plan is.

Kal
"Kal--Stop fucking around and trust me. I'm not doing anything that's going to endanger us."

- Paul to Kal, about his betrayal.

Paul and Kal have been living together at the Hilltop for an unspecified amount of time. Paul trusts Kal, choosing him as one of the few individuals to be in on the planned attack of Negan. Kal, in fear, betrays Jesus and takes off to warn Negan of this. Jesus tracks him down and confronts Kal about his actions and after the Saviors show up, due to a flare that Kal previously set off before Jesus arrived to his location, Jesus understands Kal's actions and they both ride back to the Hilltop together.

Negan
"Your soldiers suck. And the apple doesn't fall too far--"

- Paul subduing Negan.

Paul has a significant role in planning to overthrow The Saviors reign of tyranny and kill Negan. He has a strong dislike of Negan, yet has only seen him in person a few times.

Samuel
"Back off, Samuel! I don't care how much we loved Ethan! He was trying to kill this man. All he did was defend himself."

- Paul to Samuel, after Samuel assaults Rick.

These two haven't been seen interacting much. After Samuel punched Rick at Ethan's funeral, Paul intervened and told everybody that Rick did what had to be done and that Ethan was nothing more than a coward that deserved to die.

Carl Grimes
"Jesus seems like a good guy, dad. I don't think we need to have him all tied up."

- Carl to Rick, about Paul's capture.

Despite not being seen interacting much, they are in good terms, as showed by the fact that Carl was the first to fully trust Jesus when being held as prisoner at the Safe-Zone, and that Jesus fully trusted Rick's group because of Carl. Carl also has a high trust in Jesus's judgement as he states that he trusts Ezekiel as long as Jesus trusts him.

Appearances
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Volume 20: All Out War - Part One

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Trivia

 * Paul prefers the nickname, "Jesus", as his friends at the Hilltop Colony call him that. This is due to his resemblance of Jesus Christ not only in appearance, but in behavior.
 * His ultimate acceptance of the Alexandria Safe-Zone survivors actions could be considered Christ-like, as Jesus Christ fought with peace and forgiveness throughout his persecution.
 * It was revealed by Robert Kirkman in Letter Hacks that his name is pronounced Jee-zuss; the biblical version.
 * After Rick is attacked at Ethan's funeral, Paul yells to the crowd, "Until you can convince me none of you would have done the same--leave him alone." This is similar to a line Jesus Christ was known for; "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
 * In Issue 118's 'Letter Hacks,' Robert Kirkman reveals that Paul is a fan of the novel series "Goosebumps".
 * Paul has displayed exceptional skills in close-quarters combat; it has not been elaborated if Paul has had previous military or law enforcement training before the undead apocalypse began.
 * He has shown to be an excellent escape artist twice, as he managed to single-handedly untie ropes that bounded his limbs.
 * Jesus, Aaron, Eric, and Tavia all have similar roles as recruiters for their respective communities.
 * Robert Kirkman has confirmed in Issue 113's 'Letter Hacks' that Jesus isn't related to Monroe Family inside the Safe-Zone.
 * He is the first citizen of the Hilltop to make an appearance.
 * He is the first member of The Hilltop to see Negan, given the fact that before Rick's arrival The Hilltop didn't even know if he truly existed.

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