Gabriel Stokes (TV Series)

"Satan he disguises himself as the angel of light. I'm afraid that false light is here inside these walls. Your community, you say it's not a paradise, but it is. I'm grateful to be here. I am. But you made a mistake letting in the others. [...] They've done things. They've done unspeakable things. [...] They can't be trusted. They're dangerous. You may believe that they did what they had to do, that they were afraid and so they-- listen up! The day will come... we made a damn good dent today. When they'll put their own lives before yours and everyone else's and they will destroy everything you have here, everything you're working so hard to build. [...] Satan, he disguises himself as the angel of light. His servants are the false apostles of righteousness. They don't deserve this. They don't deserve paradise."

- Gabriel to Deanna about Rick's group.

Gabriel Stokes is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He lived barricaded in his church until he joined Rick's group.

Location Unknown
All that is known about Gabriel Stokes' life before the outbreak began is that he was a minister at St. Sarah's Church, where he regularly ran masses and fundraisers.

"Strangers"
Father Gabriel is first seen lying on top of a rock, kicking at walkers and yelling for help and is rescued by Rick and his group. The group seeks refuge at Gabriel's church, although Rick tells Carl that he doesn't trust Gabriel. Gabriel, Rick, Bob, Sasha, and Michonne set off to find a food bank with supplies that Gabriel cannot get into as it was overrun by walkers. While in the flooded basement, Gabriel seems to be focused on a female walker with glasses and refuses to kill her, trying to run up the stairs which rot and give away. Gabriel is ultimately saved by Rick, who figures out that Gabriel knew the walker as they head back to the church. While the group celebrates the decision to head to Washington and for their survival, Rick threatens to kill Gabriel if his sins end up hurting his "family" in any way. Gabriel pulls out a photograph of himself and the woman who he saw as a walker at the food bank and prays over it.

"Four Walls and a Roof"
Gabriel is threatened by Rick and Sasha, finding it suspicious that three members (Daryl, Carol and Bob) have gone missing. Gabriel denies any involvement in their absence and ties to an outside group. After being forced by Rick when he asks what happened to that woman he saw as a walker and the "You'll burn for this" on the side of the church, Gabriel admits that he locked the church doors and refused to open them for members of his congregation, being forced to listen to them screaming for help as they were devoured by walkers and he believes Rick group has been sent to kill him as he is damned. Gabriel offers to help Rick and the group find the elementary school where Gareth's group is hiding out when they drop an injured Bob off at the churchyard, but ultimately stays behind with Carl, Eugene, Rosita, Judith, Tyreese and Bob when the Terminus survivors enter the church. After the Terminus survivors are all massacred when they are ambushed by the survivors who went looking for the elementary school, Gabriel is shocked that they would kill people in a house of God. Later that night, he is seen talking to Michonne outside the church. He tells her that she hears the voices of the people he locked out. Michonne tells him that the voices won't stop, but it won't be heard all the time. Michonne hears rustling in the bushes, and quickly Gabriel runs back inside the church.

"Crossed"
After Daryl's return, Gabriel watches as the survivors begin barricading his church with wood from the pews and pipes from his church organ. He asks Daryl if they would be using the cross as well; Daryl simply responds, "If we need it." He is left behind with Michonne, Carl and Judith while the others head off to rescue Beth and Carol. While Michonne and Carl board up the front door, he notices dried blood splatters caked deep into the wood floor - remnants of the recent slaughter. He desperately tries to clean the blood out, during which Carl brings out some weapons for him to choose; telling Gabriel that they are likely to leave and that he has to learn to defend himself. Gabriel picks up a machete, and when Carl tries to teach him how to wield it he feigns sickness and heads to his office, where he secretly begins using the machete to pry out the floorboards and escape. Michonne knocks on his door later to see if he is alright and offer counselling if he needs it, which Gabriel nervously appreciates before locking the door again and finishing his work. He crawls out from underneath the church and to the outside, but accidentally drives a nail embedded in his shoe sole up his foot, forcing him to limp away. He soon fights off a female walker and impales her on a narrow tree stump, but stops short of killing it when he sees a necklace with a gold cross hanging from its neck. Gabriel walks away, tormented by the sight.

"Coda"
Gabriel goes to the infested school building where the Terminus gang had camped outside; he finds Mary's personal bible, and the rotting and burnt remnants of Bob's leg over the extinguished campfire. He is disgusted by what he sees and breaks down crying; having finally realized the brutal reality of this new world. He is forced to flee when the walkers trapped in the building finally bust out and give chase. He leads them back to the church, where he begs Michonne and Carl to let him back in. The pair break down the door but the rescue allows the small herd to enter the building. They escape through the hole Gabriel made in his office, then barricade the walkers inside the church. They wait outside and watch as the walkers begin to break down the doors, but Abraham's group suddenly arrive in the firetruck to block them back in again. They all drive over to Grady Memorial Hospital, where Gabriel and the others see Rick's rescue team exit with Beth's body.

"What Happened and What's Going On"
Gabriel is seen reading a passing of the bible at the beginning of the episode, while the group is burying a then unknown person. He is then seen again near the end of the episode, when the scene is played again, but this time revealing the grave is Tyreese's.

"Them"
Gabriel is seen with the group in this episode, talking to a depressed Maggie and telling her that he understands her pain and he is there if she ever wants to talk about Hershel and Beth. Maggie instead coldly says that he doesn't know shit about her pain and that he does not know Hershel or Beth, bringing up Gabriel's cowardice by hiding and shutting out members of his flock from the church. After Sasha kills a pack of dogs who prepared to attack the group and after barbecuing them for consumption, Gabriel pulls off his clerical collar and drops it into the fire. Soon after it rains, and he becomes remorseful after burning it, saying, "Sorry, my Lord.."

When the storm approaches the group, he and the rest reside within a barn Daryl located near the road they were walking along on. He is seen sitting down and again when the entire tries desperately to block off a group of walkers from entering the barn they were settling in as the storm wreaked havoc outside. He is also see in the next morning, asleep along the others after the chaos last night.

"The Distance"
Gabriel is first seen in the barn watching as Aaron is led inside. He witnesses Rick bound and interrogate him. When Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, Abraham and Rosita are sent to outside to see if Aaron's telling the truth, Gabriel remains behind. Later on, Gabriel is present as the group travels to Alexandria. When the RV's battery runs out, Gabriel is seen standing behind Carl as Glenn fixes it. Eventually, the group reaches the gates of Alexandria and are content, Gabriel included.

"Remember"
Gabriel is briefly seen when the group arrives in Alexandria, in the background when the group is handing over their guns and again together with the rest of the group in the house.

"Spend"
Gabriel appears in the beginning of this episode tearing pages out of a bible after seeing a gift from Rosemary. He is then seen towards the end of the episode talking to Deanna and saying that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, he then says that Alexandria is a paradise but Rick and his group are Satan disguised as the angel of light and that they've done terrible things and they don't deserve paradise because of this, also stating that they are dangerous. Unbeknownst to Gabriel, Maggie had been listening to Gabriel's warning from the basement steps.

"Conquer"

Gabriel will appear in this episode.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Gabriel has killed:
 * Many unnamed people (Indirectly Caused)
 * At least one zombie.

Rick Grimes
"You're hiding something, and it's pretty obvious it's something you can't hide from. That's your business, but these people - these people are my family, and if what you're hiding hurts them in any way, I'll kill you."

- Rick to Gabriel.

Rick is initially skeptical of Gabriel. Though Rick is grateful for his help and refuge, he is nonetheless extremely distrustful of him. Rick suspects he is holding a secret and always watches him carefully. Despite this, Rick protects him on several occasions.

Carl Grimes
"Thanks for this."

- Carl to Gabriel about opening the church doors to the group.

Carl is grateful for Father Gabriel's help and refuge. Unlike his father, Carl trusts Gabriel and even tries to convince Rick that Gabriel is a good person.

Michonne
Michonne is shown to be wary of Gabriel but finds his lack of experience with the new world, almost amusing.

In Four Walls and a Roof, Gabriel talks to Michonne about his past and admits he feels guilty every moment of every day. Michonne tells him that the guilt doesn't go away but eases after time.

Sasha
Sasha was as distrusting of Gabriel as the rest, but when Bob disappeared she became extremely hostile and suspicious of him. Ultimately she appears to forgive him for what he did and is grateful for his hospitality.

Bob Stookey
Although it did not interact much can be inferred that they had a good relationship. Also because during a run of power Bob showed concern towards Gabriel when he was in trouble and even Bob Gabriel when he was bitten. He also said to Sasha that there was a couch in the office in which he could rest Bob. Later, Gabriel is present with the rest of the group in the sacristy of the church to say goodbye to Bob for the last time.

Appearances
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Season 5
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 * "Strangers"
 * "Four Walls and a Roof"
 * "Crossed"
 * "Coda"
 * "What Happened and What's Going On"
 * "Them"
 * "The Distance" (No Lines)
 * "Remember" (No Lines)
 * "Spend"
 * "Conquer"

Trivia

 * The character was announced on May 5, 2014 under the name "Michael Todd", described as a "school guidance counselor who had an issue with a couple of his students", until the casting was revealed at SDCC on July 25, 2014.
 * Gabriel Stokes is described as "having two sides, displaying a friendly, puckish humor but also having a haunted side stemming from a dark secret".
 * This dark secret was revealed to be him not letting his fellow survivors in the church out of fear in the early days of the outbreak.