Gabriel Stokes (TV Series)

"Thank you... thank you... I understand. I know now. You've given me so much... after you have given me so much. I can see."

- Gabriel praying to God

Gabriel Stokes, also known as Father Gabriel, is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. Prior to the outbreak, he was a priest at St. Sarah's Church. After the onset of the undead apocalypse, he barricaded himself inside for 17 to 18 months, haunted by the memories of leaving his former churchgoers to die, until he joined Rick Grimes' group. Since then, he has hardened more considerably from his meek self, and now serves as one of Rick's most brave and trusted allies. He was captured by the Saviors during the first assault on the Sanctuary and was forced to work in Eugene's new outpost. Having been rendered nearly blind from an infection and having suffered a crisis of faith, Gabriel nonetheless played a vital if inadvertent role in the defeat of the Saviors and a renewal of faith.

Personality
Gabriel is a deeply religious, wise and generally well meaning, but also severely traumatized man. He is shown to have had extreme difficulty adapting to the nature of the post-apocalyptic world and instead retained his Christian faith.

Gabriel was initially shown to be a coward as instead of helping members of his congregation by giving them shelter in his church he refused to let them in (possibly out of fear), resulting in them being devoured alive by the walkers. This event has had a lasting effect on Gabriel and he is extremely damaged and remorseful as a result of it. He believes himself to be a bad person, smitten by God, initially even believing that Rick Grimes' group was sent to punish him.

When he meets Rick's group, Gabriel begins to see the reality of the new world, but remains in disbelief of certain attributes such as cold blooded murder and even killing of the walkers as a necessary way to survive. He still retains his religious faith even as a result of witnessing true horrors, and is one of the few members of Rick's group who still holds his faith.

Due to his cowardliness, lack of survival experience and religious nature, many members of the group initially do not seem particularly fond of Gabriel when they meet him, particularly Rick, Sasha Williams, and Maggie Greene. Gabriel, however, also seems to not care for Rick's group much following their massacre of Gareth and his people, as he betrays them to Deanna Monroe of the Alexandria Safe-Zone and warns her that they are dangerous and bad people who have committed unspeakable atrocities. In this sense, Gabriel can also be classified as a hypocrite as he fails to see the irony that he is not a good person either and has also caused atrocities, although this could be seen as a self-serving act, him wishing to exile the only people in the world who know of his sins to secure his place in the community. Whilst Gabriel is talking to Deanna, both are unaware that Maggie is listening nearby, and she shows pure shock and anger in her face towards Gabriel's betrayal and hypocrisy.

After Gabriel finally kills a walker and a suffering man, he turns cold and cruel for a brief period of time towards Sasha, who almost ends up killing him when he throws guilt on her shoulders and insults her deceased brother, Tyreese, but after Maggie defuses the situation, Gabriel eventually feels remorse for his actions and finally gains the forgiveness of Maggie and Sasha.

In Season 6 it is revealed that Gabriel maintains his faith in God, and feels remorse for his betrayal of Rick's group, and is shown searching for forgiveness from Rick's son Carl. Gabriel is shown to have become more confident as he volunteers to help execute Rick's plan to deal with the zombie herd, even though Rick shuts him down. He continues to demonstrate a growing inner strength, asking Carl for lessons on how to use weapons.

After a megaherd of walkers invades Alexandria, Gabriel assists in protecting the group and, when the time comes to leave the house they are holed up in, he promises Rick that once they are outside he will not run or turn back, which Rick acknowledges. In "No Way Out", he keeps his cool as he travels with Rick, Carl, Jessie Anderson, and her sons Ron and Sam amidst the zombie herd. When Rick changes his plan, Gabriel volunteers to take Judith by himself to safety in his Church. He confidently assures Rick that he will keep her safe, and Rick thanks him. Later on Gabriel watches from his church as Rick and other Alexandria residents take to the streets in a last stand against the zombies. He gives Judith to a woman in his congregation, grabs his machete and without hesitation, heads out to join the battle. He explains that their prayers for the salvation of the town have been answered; God has given them the courage to save Alexandria themselves. Through his selfless actions, Gabriel has earned the respect of Rick and redeemed himself from his past, as demonstrated when he battles with the survivors against the horde.

Gabriel has now shown to be brave and fearless as shown when he accompanies Rick and the group to attack a base under the control of the Saviors and personally executes one himself, showing that he is no longer afraid to take matters into his own hands. Gabriel has also shown to be becoming a leader as when Rick and the group leave to take Maggie to the Hilltop, Rick places Gabriel in charge of it's defense and Gabriel promises to not only protect Judith at all costs but Alexandria too, showing that he has now become a determined survivor who will do what it takes to protect those he cares about from danger.

In Season 7, following the death of Glenn Rhee, Gabriel becomes the new moral compass of the group and, using his religious faith and newfound optimism, gives helpful advice to his friends, such as Rick, Spencer Monroe, and Rosita Espinosa, while they are under the rule of Negan and the Saviors. During a visit by Negan, Gabriel remains optimistic of an eventual positive outcome, and says as much to Rick, who tells him that there is no way out. Gabriel, however, remains hopeful. He later counsels Rosita when she becomes obsessed with killing Negan by herself, telling her to have patience so that the group can figure out how to put things right together, and at an opportune time. Though she ultimately ignores his advice and ends up blaming him for her failure and the consequences of her actions, Gabriel calmly and pleasantly tells her that he has no regrets over what he said, and re-iterates his plea.

While Rick and the others are out, Gabriel is ambushed within Alexandria by a member of a mysterious group called the Scavengers, and is taken hostage. When his friends discover him and are assaulted, he holds one of his captors at knife point and successfully manages to convince them to listen to Rick's proposition of an alliance to fight the Saviors, demonstrating his new-found resolve and determination. After the deal is made, he thanks Rick for believing in him and coming to his aid,and Rick tells Gabriel that he was what convinced him that enemies can become friends.

Later, the Saviors and the Scavengers invaded Alexandria, and Gabriel was present alongside Alexandria's inhabitants fighting against them. As the battle draws to a close, he fires his machine gun against Negan's truck, although Negan manages to escape, much to his frustration.

Gabriel later assists Rick and the Militia's plan in the assault against the Sanctuary and Negan by drawing a massive herd to the base and trap those within while taking out various outposts. With walkers quickly closing in on the Sanctuary, Gabriel restrains a hellbent Rick from killing Negan and further reminds Rick that their fight isn't purely about him. As Gabriel is about to leave with Rick, he notices a petrified Gregory and reluctantly comes to his aid only for Gregory to abandon Gabriel by stealing his car, showing Gabriel still believes in forgiveness of others like Gregory despite the latter's morally ambiguous and selfish character.

Rural Georgia
Gabriel was born in the early 1970’s and grew up in rural Georgia, although little is known regarding his early life. At a young age, he developed a deep faith in religion and thus desired to bring people together in order to help them navigate through their lives and improve upon their weaknesses.

As an adult, he became a priest positioned at St. Sarah's Episcopal Church, where throughout his holy service, he conducted weekly mass and also helped to promote several fundraisers where he befriended a female organizer. Several members of his congregation often commented that Gabriel’s humor left much to be desired.

"Strangers"
Father Gabriel is first seen lying on top of a rock, kicking at walkers and yelling for help, and is rescued by Rick Grimes and his group. The group seeks refuge at Gabriel's church, although Rick tells his son Carl that he doesn't trust Gabriel. Gabriel, Rick, Bob Stookey, Sasha Williams, 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, D.C., with Abraham Ford 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 whom 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 Dixon, Carol Peletier, and Bob) have gone missing right after he shows up. 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" marking on the side of the church, Gabriel admits that he kept the church doors locked at the onset of the outbreak and refused to open them for members of his congregation who had come for refuge from the apocalypse at his church, being forced to listen to them screaming for help as they were devoured by walkers, and that he believes Rick's 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 Porter, Rosita Espinosa, Rick's infant daughter Judith, Sasha's brother 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. The following 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 they 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 the kidnapped Beth Greene 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 all right and offer counseling 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 steps on a nail on the ground outside, 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 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. Michonne informs Maggie that her sister is still alive and 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 passage 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 her father Hershel or Beth. Maggie instead coldly says that he doesn't know shit about her pain and that he did 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 were preparing to attack the group and after they barbecue 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 found 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 seen in the next morning, asleep along the others after the chaos the night before.

"The Distance"
Gabriel is first seen in the barn watching as Aaron, who reveals himself as a recruiter for a community called Alexandria, is led inside. He witnesses Rick bound and interrogate him. When Maggie's husband Glenn Rhee, Maggie herself, Michonne, Abraham, and Rosita are sent out to see if Aaron's telling the truth about there only being two vehicles in the area, 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 is 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 angrily tearing pages out of a Bible after seeing a gift from a citizen called Rosemary. He is then seen towards the end of the episode talking to Deanna and recounting how Satan disguised himself as the angel of light, which he relates to Rick and his group being evil disguised as 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 is listening to Gabriel's warning from the basement steps.

"Conquer"
Gabriel first appears at the gates of Alexandria as Spencer Monroe lets him out. Gabriel claims he wishes to take a quick walk, and leaves the community. Gabriel then approaches a zombie distracted by eating a corpse, and calls out to it, saying "I'm ready!", intending to let the walker kill him. He then notices the corpse the walker was eating to be moving, notifying that the person has just reanimated. The walker turns and approaches him, and, even though he knew that it was not human, he still found it emotionally difficult to kill it. He rips its head off and smashes its head in with a rock, killing it. He then neared the zombified man and crushed his head in too. Due to this emotional trial, he breaks down on the road and cries. He then returns to the community where Spencer asks if his walk around outside the community was okay, Spencer then tells if he could close the gate himself and makes a halfhearted attempt to close the gate, failing to shut it properly. At night, he declines attending the gathering and instead goes into the chapel. He finds Sasha there, requesting emotional guidance, which he coldly denies her. He then taunts her over her sins causing Bob's and Tyreese's deaths. Sasha angrily strikes him and threatens to kill him, and he is entirely unconcerned over it. Maggie intervenes and stops Sasha, to which Gabriel tells her she made a mistake in not letting Sasha kill him. Maggie convinces both of them to pray with her.

"First Time Again"
Gabriel is first seen having a conversation with Deanna, who tells him that he was wrong about Rick's group. When Rick needed volunteers to carry out his plan to lure the quarry herd away from Alexandria, Gabriel tries to volunteer, but Rick instantly declines his offer after his betrayal to him and his group.

"JSS"
Gabriel is first seen approaching Carl as he is walking Judith. He apologizes for saying bad things about the group and insists on wanting to learn how to survive. Carl tells Gabriel that he should tell everyone. Before walking off, Carl arranges a meeting with him. He tells Gabriel to come by at 3 o'clock to learn how to use a machete.

Later on, Gabriel is seen when the Wolves attack Alexandria. He attempts to flee from one of the attackers, but falls. The Wolf is about to execute him when Morgan Jones saves him by knocking the attacker unconscious. Gabriel then watches as Morgan bounds him and then watches as Carol shoots the subdued Wolf.

"Heads Up"
Gabriel is seen placing posters for a prayer service at 1:00 by the solar panels up but Rick coldly rips them down when he, Carl and Ron walk by heading for gun training, showing that he still despises him for his betrayal of him. Gabriel in response simply places new ones up.

Gabriel is later seen giving his prayer service by the solar panels as the burned watchtower falls down destroying a large portion of Alexandria's walls.

"Start to Finish"
After the walls crumbled, Rick yells for everyone to flee to their houses. After Gabriel's prayer circle attendees scatter, he regroups with Michonne, Carl, and Ron to help Rick and an injured Deanna. As they are nearly overwhelmed by zombies in the streets, Jessie steps in and shoots some of the horde before she ushers them to rush to her house.

After the fight between Carl and Ron which causes the zombies to stream to the garage, Gabriel and the rest are shoving a couch in order to block the walkers from entering. Later, he, Jessie, Ron, Michonne and Carl watch as the herd finally begins to infest most of the streets of Alexandria. Afterwards, he helps the others keep the herd at bay as they begin to force their way in through their makeshift defenses but are forced to retreat upstairs as the walkers finally breach in. When Rick instructs them to smear on guts to camouflage themselves, Gabriel asks what should they do with Deanna as Michonne walks up and checks on her for the last time.

As they are preparing to leave, Gabriel tells Rick no matter what will happen outside he will not give up and run away in which Rick replies "I know", indicating he has possibly forgiven him. Gabriel is then among with the group, smeared with guts, standing outside on Jessie's front porch as they look out on the massive horde before continuing to pass by them.

"No Way Out"
Gabriel appears when the group is seen still walking through the herd, when Rick announces that they will need to go for the cars to drive the herd away back to the quarry. He volunteers to take Judith to his church to keep her safe, Rick thanks him for it. After that time he is seen again inside the church with the remaining Alexandrians and watches as Rick and the others fight the oncoming horde, he then does the unthinkable, he gives Judith to Anna and picks up his machete and tells the Alexandrians that they can keep Alexandria safe because God gave them the courage to do so and runs outside killing walkers. After the attack, he is shown in brief montage clips hacking and slashing away, this results in him surviving and winning the fight with the others.

"Not Tomorrow Yet"
Gabriel is among the townspeople sitting inside the church as Rick gives them a speech about attacking The Saviors. He is part of Rick's group to head off to the Savior's compound. When they all stop on the road to format a perimeter, Gabriel is seen walking out of a vehicle, strapped with a rifle on his shoulder. When Rick asks why Gabriel is still wearing his priest garment, he replies that he is still who he is and jokingly adds that it would be harder for the Saviors to see him in the dark which Rick laughs and pats him in the shoulder. As the other members break in and infiltrate the Saviors' outpost, Gabriel and Tara remain inside the vehicle alongside Jesus, Andy and Craig. When they hear the alarm, Gabriel, Tara and Jesus rush to help the others as Andy and Craig, told by Tara to drive back to the Hilltop to seal the deal. Outside, Gabriel loads his rifle and spots an injured Savior, lying on the ground. He recites a prayer and proceeds to shoot him. In the morning, after the bloody gunfight, Gabriel and the rest of the group are outside the building when a Savior tries to escape with a motorcycle which Daryl recognizes as his. After they capture the Savior, a woman's voice can be heard from his walkie-talkie, ordering Rick to lower his gun. She tells them that they've got Carol and Maggie with them. Gabriel and the rest remain on guard as they wait what will happen.

"The Same Boat"
Gabriel arrives with Rick and the group rescuing Carol and Maggie. He moves forward to see if there are any other Saviors left in the building.

"Twice as Far"
Gabriel is seen patrolling the streets of Alexandria.

"Last Day on Earth"
When Rick and the group leave to escort Maggie to the Hilltop, Rick trusts Gabriel to look after Judith and Alexandria. Gabriel reassures Rick that he will do all he can to keep Judith safe. As Rick leaves, Gabriel proudly stands tall, and watches his friends leave.

"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"
Gabriel briefly appears in a dream sequence with the rest of the group at Alexandria having dinner outside.

"Service"
When Negan inquires about Maggie’s whereabouts, Gabriel approaches and asks if Negan wants to pay his respects. Negan asks if Maggie didn’t make it. Rick says nothing but shakes his head hesitantly. Gabriel leads Negan to the graveyard where Glenn, Abraham and supposedly Maggie are buried.

Later, Gabriel, Rick and Aaron search Spencer’s house for the missing guns. Rick commends Gabriel on his Maggie ruse with Negan earlier at the graveyard: “It was quick thinking. Thank you.” Gabriel is optimistic that they will prevail in the end, referring to the fact that there was a time when they once weren’t friends, despite Rick's insistence that there is no way out.

"Sing Me a Song"
Gabriel and Spencer drive up to the gates to find Rosita and Eugene preparing to leave. Gabriel suggests they all travel together, but Rosita and a reluctant Eugene leave on their own.

Out on the road, Spencer asks Gabriel if it is a sin to hate someone. Gabriel tells him it is not, and Spencer confesses that he hates Rick. He says he is a bad leader and hopes he doesn’t make it back from his supply run. A shocked Gabriel asks him to stop the car. He reaffirms his belief in Rick and calls Spencer a “tremendous shit”, but that he doesn’t have to be eternally. He gets out of the car and starts walking back to Alexandria alone.

"Hearts Still Beating"
In the church, Gabriel urges Rosita to refrain from attacking Negan by herself. He agrees that Negan needs to die, but recommends she wait for the right moment so the community can take him down together.

Gabriel and some of the other residents gather round as Spencer and Negan play pool in the street. He watches in horror as Negan disembowels Spencer, and is horrified when Olivia is shot in the face by Arat as punishment for Rosita’s attempt to kill Negan.

At night, Gabriel keeps watch at the gate, unaware that someone is watching him through binoculars. The dark figure then heads towards Alexandria.

"Rock in the Road"
Gabriel reads his bible during his night shift at the Alexandria gate. He stares into the darkness, a worried expression on his face, and leaves his post.

In the pantry, Gabriel hurriedly fills crates with food and weapons. His bible falls to the ground as he skims through the weapons registry with shaky hands. He loads the crates into a car and leaves Alexandria. A dark figure is visible in the passenger seat.

"New Best Friends"
Gabriel is first seen when Tamiel retrieves him after he was kidnapped along with Alexandria's supplies. During a brief fight between Rick and the Scavengers, Gabriel holds Tamiel at knife-point and threatens to kill Tamiel if they are not let go. He tells Jadis the Saviors have lots of things that they want, and if they join them they will be rewarded more than they can imagine. Jadis says they want something now, and Gabriel says that Rick can do anything.

Back at the junkyard, Gabriel explains to Rick that he heard a noise in the pantry and was jumped and the woman was angry because she didn’t get the supplies from the boat so made him pack up everything else. He said he hoped Rick knew what he meant by boat and Rick credits him for getting them there. Gabriel says they will set things right but things will get hard before that time comes. He asks Rick why he was smiling, and Rick tells him that someone showed him enemies can become friends.

"Say Yes"
Gabriel is shown at the church. Rosita visits him and she yells at him for dissuading her from killing Negan, even though it might have gotten her killed. Gabriel patiently defends himself; he argues that the rest of the group still needs her.

Gabriel accompanies the others in delivering the guns to Jadis and her group. They looks defeated when Jadis says it is not enough and they need nearly twice as many. Rick insists on keeping 20 guns to help them in their search for more. Jadis agrees.

"Something They Need"
Gabriel accompanies Rick and the others to Oceanside. As they round up the residents, Gabriel reassures them that nobody has to get hurt. He helps the others defeat the incoming walkers.

Later, when the group is gathering the guns, Gabriel asks if it is really necessary to take them all. Rick insists that it is.

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"
Gabriel is seen fighting against the Saviors and Scavengers in the battle in Alexandria.

Gabriel presides over Sasha’s funeral in the graveyard, and afterwards, listens to Rick's speech.

"Mercy"
Gabriel travels to the Sanctuary with Rick and everyone to attack Negan and the Saviors. Gabriel tries to leave the Sanctuary but then spots Gregory in need to help, so he gives him a hand, but Gregory leaves Gabriel behind by taking his car and driving off. Gabriel rushes to safety to escape the walkers and find a trailer house. Inside he finds Negan there as the trailer house is surrounded by the dead.

"The Big Scary U"
Gabriel appears in the same room as Negan, Negan gives a speech on how Rick got his people killed, and explains that he has killed people that deserved it. As Negan talks to Lucille, Gabriel takes his gun and tries to shoot him, he then locks himself in a little storage area inside the room and refuses to come out unless Negan confesses about his real wife. Once Negan mentions he had a real wife and couldn’t put her down, he described himself as ”weak“. Gabriel comes out and Negan drags a walker out of a hole. He and Gabriel then rub walker guts on themselves and head outside. Once they are outside, they begin to make their way through the herd of walkers, Gabriel trips over a walker, and is saved by Negan, and he later saves Negan in return. They finally make it inside where they regroup with the other saviors, Negan orders his men to put Gabriel in a holding cell, Eugene later comes in and knocks on the door, unlocks it and sees Gabriel on the floor wounded. Eugene says “we need to get you to Dr. Carson 2.0”, Gabriel then says “Dr. Carson is Maggie’s, we need to get him out of here”.

"Time for After"
Gabriel is seen in the infirmary at the Sanctuary, being treated by Harlan Carson. He reveals to Eugene that Gabriel has a few infections and will need more help. He asks Eugene to watch over Gabriel as he heads down to the marketplace in search of medicine and herbs to treat Gabriel's infection.

Gabriel reaches for water and Eugene watches him struggle a bit before helping him get a drink. Gabriel asks if Eugene is going to help him get the doctor out, but Eugene insists he only does what is in his own best interest. Gabriel tells him to have faith and trust himself. "It's absurd," Eugene tells him. Gabriel continues his plea, urging Eugene to do the right thing. Eugene sees the red paint on his own finger and has thoughts about Dwight.

Awhile later, after the walkers get into Sanctuary, Eugene storms into Gabriel's room and tells him he will never help him escape and says that he will never put himself at risk for anyone other than himself.

"How It's Gotta Be"
Gabriel is first seen in the hospital bed when Eugene comes in and reveals that he will allow him and Harlan to escape. Eugene has taken out the guard at the North Gate and prepared a vehicle so that Harlan and Gabriel can make it to the Hilltop and Harlan can take care of Maggie. Gabriel asks Eugene to come with him to the Hilltop, but he refuses and Eugene “drops” the key to the gate, and Gabriel compliments Eugene for doing the right thing.

"Dead or Alive Or"
Gabriel and Carson sit in their car, having lost their bearings on the road and trying to determine their position on a map. Carson notices Gabriel shifting the map in an effort to read it better, concerned that his infection may also be attacking his optical nerves and blinding him. Gabriel assures that their situation can still be handled provided they keep their faith in God's plans intact; Carson is unconvinced. As Carson attempts to start their vehicle again, Gabriel barely notices a walker with a chain on its ankle crawling alongside them.

After disposing of the walker, Carson performs a vision check on Gabriel, whose condition is worsening. He condemns himself for allowing Gabriel to leave the Sanctuary in his current condition. Gabriel notices a noise emanating from the forest and both go to investigate. They find an abandoned building with a slab of metal swinging in the wind, but Carson is uneasy about the area.

Gabriel and Carson enter the log cabin, finding it clear of intrusion. Gabriel finds a notepad and, in his attempts to read it, concludes that the cabin was used as a radio station. While Carson is pessimistic about their chances of finding help through the station (having read the logbook and finding several empty entries), Gabriel tries to find the light in their situation. However, the morale boost is wiped away upon Carson's discovery of the radio operator, having turned after supposedly committing suicide.

As Carson searches the room for anything useful, he notices Gabriel sitting up on the bed, trying to read an antibiotics container. Carson realizes that the antibiotics are exactly what Gabriel needs to combat his infection. Having administered antibiotics to Gabriel, Carson performs another diagnosis, finding that his fever has gone down but his vision remains impaired. He shows concern that Gabriel does not seem too fazed by his predicament. Gabriel instead remains true to his faith in God's plans for the two of them. As he explains his feelings, he accidentally knocks over a piggy bank he found earlier, revealing a set of car keys and a map of the area. Carson reads the map, finding that they are in fact not too far off from their destination.

Gabriel and Carson head outside of the cabin in search of a car. As Gabriel passes the swinging metal sheet, he manages to make out a message written on one side - a warning of traps in the area. He is too late to warn Carson, as he is crippled by a bear trap. Walkers begin to swarm towards the sound of his cries. Gabriel scrambles towards Carson as he fends off the small horde. He barely survives when Gabriel finds a revolver and manages to hit the final walker with a lucky shot.

Gabriel helps Carson into a truck. Carson thanks Gabriel for his help, but their moment is interrupted by the presence of the Saviors, who were drawn by Carson's gunfire, and the two are recaptured. Gabriel again remains faithful that God has a way for them. Carson agrees, before making an attempt on the Saviors by unholstering one of their weapons. He is too late to fire, as he is shot down by another Savior. Disappointed that they have lost another doctor, the Saviors retreat back to the Sanctuary, leaving his body behind, while a mortified Gabriel sobs, having failed his mission to bring Carson to Maggie.

At the Sanctuary, Negan busts in the room with Gabriel, who is covering for Eugene. He says Gabriel can help make bullets despite his vision. Eugene deflects it and suggests launching the dead their enemy via catapults. Negan then leaves Gabriel in charge of arranging Eugene's bullet casings. Eugene approaches Gabriel, who is still traumatized by Carson's death. He laments that he believed he had found his purpose. Eugene brushes this off and shoves a tray toward Gabriel, demanding he begin sorting casings.

"Worth"
Gabriel continues helping at Eugene's outpost helping to make bullets. Though Gabriel is recovering from his illness, he is still mostly blind and is forced to wear a mask to prevent others from getting sick. Eugene discovers that Gabriel has been tampering with the bullets which will cause them to backfire and harm the users. Gabriel explains that he only intended to make them ineffective so that no one would get hurt and is forced to sit to the side by Eugene.

Following Eugene's brief capture by Rosita and Daryl, he returns filled with new determination and puts Gabriel back on the bullet-making line. Eugene warns Gabriel that he can either follow directions this time "or you can cry and die."

"Wrath"
Gabriel is brought back to the Sanctuary with Eugene where Negan decides to take Gabriel along with him for another "confession." Negan confesses that he is luring the Militia into a trap and intends to slaughter them all, outlining the details to Gabriel who is confused as in the past, Negan seemed to not want to kill everyone. Seizing his chance when Laura is forced to swerve by a walker in the middle of the road, Gabriel tries to escape, but is nearly killed by another walker. Saved by Laura, Gabriel is recaptured by Eugene who berates Gabriel for his lack of faith. Negan hits Gabriel in the stomach with Lucille, bring him to his knees. Negan looms over him with Lucille before ordering Gabriel to be put back in the car.

During the Savior ambush of the Militia, Negan holds Gabriel at gunpoint as he prepares to kill everyone with the intention to kill Gabriel himself. After reaching the end of the countdown, Negan fires, only to have his gun explode in his hand along with all the rest of the Savior weapons. As Negan tries to attack Eugene, Gabriel attacks him followed by Dwight, causing Negan to run away. In the aftermath, Eugene explains to Rosita that after briefly being captured by Rosita, Eugene changed his mind and decided to help by sabotaging the Savior bullets, taking inspiration from Gabriel's failed attempt at sabotage.

After the end of the war, Gabriel, still mostly blind but recovered from his illness, returns to Alexandria. Now using a walking stick to help get around, Gabriel enters the burned-out ruins of his church and prays and weeps with gratitude, finally understanding the purpose God had for him in the war.

"A New Beginning"
Gabriel will appear in this episode.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Gabriel has killed:
 * Several members of his congregation (Caused)
 * Older Savior
 * Red Haired Savior (Caused, Zombified)
 * Harlan Carson (Indirectly Caused)
 * 1 unnamed man (Out of Mercy)
 * Numerous counts of zombies

Relationships
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Rick Grimes
"I will not fail you."

- Gabriel to Rick about protecting Alexandria

Rick and Gabriel initially have a poor relationship. Rick is skeptical of Gabriel when they first meet. 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 and threatens to kill him if his secret hurts his family in any way and becomes violent towards him when he accuses Gabriel of being responsible for Bob's, Daryl's and Carol's disappearances. Despite this, Rick protects him on several occasions. However, despite being saved by Rick's group multiple times, Gabriel betrays Rick by telling Deanna Monroe that they cannot be trusted, showing the dislike Gabriel expresses towards Rick and his group. It is unknown how Rick learned of Gabriel's betrayal, but it was most likely through Maggie. When Rick was looking for volunteers to help him, Gabriel chose to volunteer, but Rick coldly denies his request, showing his dislike of him.

It is shown that Rick greatly despises Gabriel for his betrayal of his group as shown when he rips down notice papers for a prayer service being held by Gabriel by the solar panels at 1:00, though Gabriel quickly puts up new ones.

However in "Start to Finish", Gabriel assists Rick in trying to prevent the Walkers from entering Jessie's house and tells him that he will not give up and run away once outside to which Rick responds "I know".

In "No Way Out", when Rick changes his mind and tells that they need to go to their vehicles to lure the walkers away back to the quarry, Gabriel volunteers to take Judith back to his church. Rick thanks Gabriel for his help, strengthening their relationship. When Rick and the others are engaging the horde, Gabriel takes his machete and tells the Alexandrians inside the church that they can fight the walkers because God has given them courage to do so. Later on, Gabriel is seen fighting against the horde all throughout the night alongside Rick and the others.

In "Knots Untie" Rick says that Judith will be given to Gabriel to be looked after while he and the others are away showing that he trusts him enough to look after his daughter. This shows that he and Gabriel are now on good terms.

In "Not Tomorrow Yet", both of them have a friendly conversation before searching for Gregory's "head", with Rick giving a pat to Gabriel's shoulder after a joke, consolidating their friendship.

In "Last Day on Earth", Rick entrusts Gabriel to lead the defense of Alexandria in case of an attack by the Saviors. In return, Gabriel promises Rick that his first priority is Judith's safety.

When Gabriel went missing in "New Best Friends", Rick quickly defends him believing he didn't betray him and the group and is later pleased to see that he is alive and well and didn't abandon the group. Gabriel also reveals during the confrontation withe Scavengers that he has full faith in Rick's leadership.

Carl Grimes
"Thanks for this."

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

Gabriel and Carl have a friendly relationship. 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.

In "JSS" it is revealed that Carl knows that Gabriel betrayed his group to Deanna and seems angry at him. Gabriel offers apology to him, claiming that the warning was about him, not Carl's group. He also claims he is ready to learn how to fight against the Walkers and Carl tells him to come to his place by 3 in order to teach him. It is unknown if Carl forgave Gabriel however.

In "Heads Up" it is shown that Carl is not pleased seeing his father rip down notice papers placed up by Gabriel for a prayer service, possibly showing that he has forgiven Gabriel.

In "Start to Finish", they both work together alongside Rick, Michonne, Jessie and Ron to fend off the walkers.

His reaction to Carl's death is yet to be seen.

Judith Grimes
"I'll take her."

- Gabriel to Rick and the others on taking Judith to safety.

Gabriel appears to care deeply for Judith as following the Walker invasion of the Alexandria Safe-Zone he volunteers to take her to his church where she will be safe, which he is granted by Rick and carries out without any problems. It seems Rick has given Gabriel the role of her protector as he says in "Knots Unite" that she will be left with Gabriel to be taken care if while he is away.

Michonne
Michonne is shown to be wary of Gabriel but initially 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

As of "No Way Out", Gabriel and Michonne seem to be on good terms although she does still seem to lack trust in him as she questions him if he is sure he can take care of baby Judith.

Sasha Williams
"Why wouldn't you want to die? You don't deserve to be here. What you did can never be undone. The dead don't choose, but the choices you made, how you sacrifice your own-- (...) Bob was mutilated. Consumed. Destroyed because of your sins. (...) Your brother felt he was apart from it. He was a part of it. He didn't deserve to be here. You don't!."

- Gabriel to 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.

In Conquer, their relationship becomes stained when Gabriel accuses her of killing even when she had no reason to or it wasn't in self-defense, and aggressively throws guilt on her shoulders. Not wanting to believe this, she shouts repetitively, "STOP! STOP!", before the two have a brief fight. Sasha ultimately wins this fight and points her weapon at Gabriel, who is lying on the floor with Sasha keeping him down with her foot. Maggie walks in and defuses this situation, and the three of them are later seen in a circle in the chapel, praying. Gabriel was most likely extremely saddened by Sasha's death.

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.

Maggie Greene
"Please stop. (...) You never even met them (...) You don't know shit. You had a job. You were there to save your flock, right? But you didn't. You hid. Don't act like that didn't happen."

- Maggie rejecting Gabriel's consolation and reminding him of his cowardliness Maggie and Gabriel initially have a fairly poor relationship. Like the others she appeared suspicious of Gabriel upon meeting him. After Gareth and his group are brutally massacred in his church, Gabriel tells them they committed brutality in a house of God but she simply tells him that it's just four walls and a roof. Later after Beth's death Gabriel tries to council Maggie but she coldly rejects it, reveals she is no longer religious and reminds him that he abandoned his congregation, but appeared surprised when Gabriel chose to burn his priest collar. However when Maggie overhears Gabriel talking to Deanna, telling her that Rick is "Satan" and that his group are not good people, Maggie appears engulfed with anger towards Gabriel (given that he himself has caused atrocities as well). However despite her anger towards Gabriel's betrayal, in "Conquer", Maggie saves him from being killed by Sasha and appears to forgive him for his actions and is seen holding hands with both Gabriel and Sasha apparently praying, possibly signifying that Maggie has retained some religious faith. After the deaths of Abraham and Maggie's husband, Glenn, Gabriel devises a plan to fake Maggie's death to protect her and the group from Negan, showing that Gabriel cares for her. Maggie is shown to also care for Gabriel as seen in "Monsters" when she questions Gregory of where Gabriel is after he arrives in the vehicle that he stole from him. Gabriel, after being taken prisoner by the Saviors tells Eugene they must get Dr. Carson to the Hilltop as Maggie needs him due to her pregnancy, further demonstrating his care for her.

Daryl Dixon
"Maybe I'm leading you into a trap so I can steal all your squirrels."

- Gabriel to Daryl and the group about trust.

Gabriel and Daryl rarely interact. Daryl like the others did not appear to trust Gabriel when they met him and seemed to be highly suspicious of him and was visibly not pleased when Gabriel jokingly threatened to lead them to a trap and steal Daryl's squirrels. It is unknown if Daryl learned of Gabriel's betrayal of his group to Deanna and whether he was angered or not. It is unknown if Daryl trusts Gabriel now however, though he likely does.

Deanna Monroe
"You were wrong...."

- Deanna to Gabriel regarding Rick's group Gabriel and Deanna seemed to have a good relationship. Gabriel was extremely grateful for Deanna allowing him into her community but warned her she made a mistake letting Rick and his group in, claiming they were dangerous people who would eventually destroy everything she worked so hard to build. Deanna seemed to believe him for a short time, however after her husbands death at the hands of Pete, Deanna told Gabriel he was wrong about Rick and his people. Gabriel was most likely extremely saddened by Deanna's death.

Carol Peletier
"Leave him!"

- Carol to Morgan while Gabriel is being attacked by a Wolf Carol and Gabriel are rarely shown interacting with each other. It is possible that Carol initially didn't care much for Gabriel as during the attack on the safe-zone by the Wolves she tells Morgan to leave Gabriel to die as he is being attacked by a Wolf although Morgan does not listen and saves his life. It is likely Carol knew of Gabriel's betrayal of her group to Deanna and this is the reason why she told Morgan to leave him. She does however hand him a weapon to defend himself after she kills the Wolf that attacked him. The two have not interacted much after this though it is likely the two are on good terms.

Morgan Jones
Gabriel and Morgan rarely interact although they seem to be on good terms. Morgan saves Gabriel's life during the Wolves attack on the safe-zone even after Carol told him to leave Gabriel to die. Both also subdue the Wolf that attacked Gabriel and do not want to kill him although he is shot dead by Carol, shocking both men.

Tara Chambler
Tara and Gabriel are shown to be on good terms. It is unknown if Tara was distrustful of Gabriel when they first encountered him and whether or not she was angered of his betrayal to Deanna. In "Not Tomorrow Yet" Tara asks Gabriel if he is still a priest, which Gabriel replies yes, Tara tells him about Denise and that she told her that she loved her. Gabriel asks if she loved Denise, to which Tara says yes. Tara was shocked when Gabriel when missing believing he changed, although she seems pleased to learn that he did not abandon the group.

Spencer Monroe
"What you're saying doesn't make you a sinner, but it does make you a tremendous shit."

- Gabriel to Spencer about not liking Rick Spencer and Gabriel have a stable friendship. The two aren't seen together very often. When the two go to get supplies for the Saviors, the two share a conversation about Rick. Gabriel tells Spencer that he now believes in Rick, while Spencer doesn't. Spencer goes on to say how he thinks if Rick dies it would be better. Gabriel then gets out, calling Spencer a "tremendous shit", though Gabriel says that Spencer's hatred towards Rick doesn't need to be terminal. Gabriel is horrified when he witnesses Spencer get disembowelled by Negan.

Eugene Porter
The two have a neutral relationship, Eugene believes that Gabriel's beliefs are absurd. Gabriel's confession about his past, hits Eugene hard and he thinks about it. Possibly seeing himself in Gabriel, this may have played a part in Eugene confessing about his past.

When Gabriel is caught by the Saviors, Eugene is concern about Gabriel and takes him to Carson. Gabriel has no hard feelings about Eugene joining the Saviors. He tries to convince Eugene to leave and help him return Carson to the Hilltop.

When Eugene, Gabriel, and the Saviors start making bullets and Gabriel refuses, not wanting to contribute in hurting his friends. This angers Eugene. He then gives him a choice to make bullets or die. Gabriel reluctantly chooses to make bullets.

Rosita Espinosa
"Anything is possible until your heart stops beating."

- Gabriel giving Rosita advice in his church

Rosita and Gabriel are initially shown to have a good relationship. It is unknown if Rosita was distrustful of Gabriel upon first encountering him or if she was angered upon learning of his betrayal. In "Heart's Still Beating", the two share a personal conversation and Rosita reveals of her plans to sacrifice herself to kill Negan. While Gabriel agrees with killing Negan, he clearly does not want Rosita to sacrifice herself. When Rosita says that she should have been killed rather than Glenn or Abraham, Gabriel immediately denies this and claims no one should have died. This shows that Gabriel cares deeply for Rosita. When Gabriel went missing Rosita is quick to demean him believing he betrayed them. In "Say Yes" she is angry at Gabriel for dissuading her from killing Negan and blames him for her failure, though Gabriel calmly defends himself.

Negan
Gabriel and Negan first met when Negan first arrived at Alexandria. He lies to Negan and tells him Maggie died, while she is hiding at the Hilltop. After the first battle of Alexandria, Gabriel helps Rick assaulting the Sanctuary. Gabriel hides in a building after saving Gregory and being left behind. Negan is at the same building and Gabriel convinces Negan to tell about his past wife. While the two escape, Gabriel trips, but Negan saves him, showing he cares about Gabriel. Gabriel is later a hostage at the Sanctuary. Gabriel however likely despises Negan for the atrocities he has committed and likely wants him dead.

Gregory
Though the two have rarely interacted, Gabriel is shown to at least care for Gregory's well-being as following the Militia's first attack on the Sanctuary he went back to rescue Gregory from the approaching herd. Gregory, however, simply stole Gabriel's car and left him behind to die, showing that he doesn't care about him and later lied to Maggie about how he got the car.

Harlan Carson
The two have a good friendship. Carson is concern that Gabriel might go blind because of his sickness.Carson is annoyed about Gabriel belief, but ends up starts believing a little. Gabriel may concern was getting Carson to the Hilltop for Maggie. Carson's death hits Gabriel hard, where Gabriel starts having disbelief and his beliefs. }}

Appearances
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Season 5

 * "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"

Season 6

 * "First Time Again" (Flashback)
 * "JSS"
 * "Heads Up" (No Lines)
 * "Start to Finish"
 * "No Way Out"
 * "Not Tomorrow Yet"
 * "The Same Boat" (No Lines)
 * "Twice as Far" (No Lines)
 * "Last Day on Earth"

Season 7

 * "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" (Dream, No Lines)
 * "Service"
 * "Sing Me a Song"
 * "Hearts Still Beating"
 * "Rock in the Road"
 * "New Best Friends"
 * "Say Yes"
 * "Something They Need"
 * "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" (No Lines)

Season 8

 * "Mercy"
 * "The Big Scary U"
 * "Time for After"
 * "How It's Gotta Be"
 * "Dead or Alive Or"
 * "Worth"
 * "Wrath"

Season 9
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 * "A New Beginning"

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.
 * As of "Hearts Still Beating", Gabriel, Aaron and Enid are the only remaining main characters introduced in Season 5.
 * Promotional images for Season 9 revealed that following the timeskip, Gabriel's infection rendered him partially blind and that he can no longer see through his right eye.
 * This may be inspired by John from the comic series.