| This article is about the Dead City character. For other pages with the same name, see: Benjamin |
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Benjamin Pierce is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead: Dead City. He is a resident of the New Babylon Federation.
Overview
Benjamin is a timid, awkward, and helpful person. He is not shown to be combat-proficient or effective against violence, mainly doing his job as the historian for the New Babylon Federation. He seems to be socially awkward around others, but also seems to be impulsive, blurting out in front of everyone about the Dama's rocky history as a theater critic. Despite this, Benjamin is shown to be helpful and caring, offering to take care of a sick Ginny on his own initiative. Benjamin admits to Negan that he doesn't have much experience and doesn't remember anything about the world before the Trials due to his young age at the time. While he doesn't personally remember the world as it once was, Benjamin finds it nice to remember it through his work as a historian.
Benjamin's idealism about and loyalty to New Babylon's cause appear to have been blunted by his experiences in Manhattan, as Benjamin didn't look very happy as he led the New Babylonians to the methane.
Pre-Apocalypse
Location Unknown
Benjamin Pierce was born in 2000 and was in elementary school before the outbreak began. Due to how young he was and the lack of experience he had, he couldn't remember the world or other people from before.
Post-Apocalypse
Location Unknown
Benjamin was ten years old when the Trials started.
New Babylon, Virginia
At some point after the outbreak, Benjamin came into contact with the New Babylon Federation, which he subsequently joined and became a historian in the federation.
Season 2
"Power Equals Power"
As a convoy from the New Babylon Federation arrives at the Bricks, Benjamin rides in the back of one of the trucks, taking notes of his observations as they drive into town.
Maggie, Hershel, and Ginny go hunting again, with Maggie noticing a moth again. Hearing the sound of engines nearby, the three rush back to the Bricks as a convoy from the New Babylon Federation arrives, one man being tied to a truck and forced to run behind it. As Charlie and Perlie give speeches, Benjamin takes notes in the back.
Inside a communal dining hall, Benjamin Pierce describes what Manhattan used to be like to people passing by in an attempt to get them to sign up. Hershel calls it all bullshit, and Benjamin tells him that he's spent years poring over old textbooks, maps, and periodicals, which is the source of Benjamin's claims. Hershel reveals that he's actually been to the city, and it's full of more walkers than you've ever seen before, and all of the museums and churches have been looted or blown up. Hershel draws a picture of a destroyed bridge that had gotten caught between the buildings and calls Manhattan "better now than it ever was." Intrigued, Benjamin asks Hershel if he can keep the drawing for his records.
At dinner, Benjamin tells Lucia that he read that Manhattan's power grid was run underground after the Blizzard of 1888, meaning that it probably survived the destruction of the city. Lucia rudely brushes off Benjamin, but Charlie tells him that she's just jealous because the history that Benjamin is recording, the tales of discovery and glory, will be their biggest victory of all. Charlie presents a box of cigars, which are only to be smoked in celebration when they get what they're after. Lucia and General Houseman each take one, but Lucia stops Benjamin from doing so as well.
That night, Benjamin witnesses Maggie and Ginny perform a trial to prove their worthiness of joining the army in place of twenty Bricks townspeople. Maggie and Ginny are successful in clearing out a set of walkers in a pen, impressing Benjamin. At the conclusion of the trial, Benjamin and the New Babylon convoy leave the town to continue their journey to Manhattan.
"Another Shitty Lesson"
In a command tent, Charlie Byrd tells General Houseman, Major Lucia Narvaez, Benjamin, and Perlie Armstrong that the Constable Hook in Bayonne, NJ, will take them into the Hudson River towards Manhattan, and they will dock at Pier 25 at Hudson River Park. Lucia states that Governor's Island can serve as cover in case of an engagement. Perlie points out that it's supposed to be an exploratory mission, but Charlie simply tells him that you never know. Maggie enters and ignores Lucia's orders to return to her unit, so Perlie decides to handle it.
At night, the Liberty Queen makes its way across the Hudson. Perlie passes by Houseman and Benjamin Pierce, the latter of whom is excited that they're traveling to Manhattan the same way that hundreds of thousands of laborers did each day. The rough seas cause Benjamin to become sea sick and he vomits over the side of the boat, much to Houseman's amusement. Perlie joins Charlie and Lucia in the pilot house as the fog clears to reveal their first view of Manhattan. The ferry passes the Statue of Liberty as it heads for the island.
On the rooftop, the Burazi release walkers one by one from a cage, put them down, and pump them up with methane before taping and gluing the walkers' mouths, noses, eyes, and ears shut to keep the methane inside. The walkers are loaded into the cannons and fired as walker bombs at the Liberty Queen on Negan's order. An explosion flings Houseman and two others overboard on fire, while Benjamin falls backwards overboard, avoiding another.
At the church the next day, the Dama prepares a bottle of champagne to celebrate and notes that while it was only their first battle, it was quite the resounding and explosive rout. Cole and another Burazi bring in a captive Benjamin who had washed up near Pier 45. Benjamin introduces himself, stating that he's just a writer and a historian and not a part of the army. The Dama takes Benjamin's notes and tells him that she looks forward to reading his history as soon as it's legible. Seeming to recognize the Dama, Benjamin asks if they've met before, but she very much doubts it. The Dama decides to let Benjamin visit with them for now, in case she has any more questions.
Before they celebrate, the Dama wants to know who Negan was trying to spare when he hesitated. Victor joins them, having been summoned by the Croat, and Negan tells the Dama to take whatever she's planning out on him, not Victor. The Dama is impressed that Victor has made quite the impression on Negan and cracked his shell, which is no easy task. As Victor takes a seat, Negan notices the Croat pulling Lucille to him, thus leaving Negan unarmed. The Dama asks about Victor's violin playing, which has been discovered because a violin was found at Victor's station outside of Negan's cell. The Dama guesses that Victor is very talented, which would certainly make an impression on her, and the last thing that the Dama would ever do is rob the world of what little is left of the artists and the visionaries. The Dama asks Benjamin if he's a fan of classical music, which he nervously confirms.
With Negan's agreement, Victor plays Bach's "Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor." Negan finally admits that he was stalling because there was a kid on the ferry, claiming that it was some random kid who didn't deserve to die. Cole and the other Burazi restrain Negan in his chair as the performance continues. Once Victor's done, the Dama applauds him, telling Victor that it brought her back to the old days, the old city. Bach was the best of his time, the culmination of everything that had come before him. "Or another way to say it, he was the best of what everyone else had been doing for a time. A long time. He didn't change the world. He didn't imagine something new. He wasn't a revolutionary. He just perfected what come before. Instead of pushing us forward, he chose to take us back. I am not interested in going back." Suddenly, the Dama stabs Victor in the side of the neck and slits his throat, killing him, as Negan yells in protest and anger. The Dama sticks her blade in Benjamin's pocket and kisses the Croat on the head, telling him that he did very, very good. As the Dama pops the champagne, Negan glares at the Croat.
"Feisty Friendly"
The Burazi release Benjamin Pierce from the trunk of the Croat's car while Negan wanders over to a tow truck with a walker in the front seat. The Dama notes that it takes a lot to faze Negan, unlike the Croat, who is too emotional and volatile. Things have to remain amicable today, and Negan needs to make sure that the Croat doesn't mess things up. The Dama guesses that Negan's family must be crossing the Appalachian Mountains by now, a very treacherous pass, and she promises to pay for them. The Burazi approach the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is now Bruegel's base.
At the museum, Bruegel asks about Benjamin, whom the Dama identifies as a historian and a recent immigrant to the island, whom she has brought along to record all of the history that they'll be making today. Bruegel would love to read it when it's done, but the Dama tells him that it's mostly meant for posterity. Bruegel calls it an inspirational tale like the Battle of Thermopylae and apologizes for making the Dama come all of this way, but she tells him that it was the least that she could do after Bruegel sent her the Goya painting. The Dama accepts the offer of a tour of the museum, but neither Negan nor the Croat is happy to have to listen to him talk as they do so.
While sitting at a table, quickly changing the subject, the Dama asks Benjamin about the drawing that he had been showing her of a fallen skybridge. Recognizing the work, the Dama guesses that it was a boy named Hershel that the New Babylonians had picked up on their way to the island. The Dama reveals that she knew that it was Hershel the second when he sent the smoke signal alerting the Burazi to the approach of the New Babylonians. Bruegel continues to mimic the Croat's accent as he talks. Initially frustrated and annoyed, the Croat suddenly grows interested as he notices something while watching the match.
At the end of the walker match, Benjamin is put back into the trunk of the Croat's car, and the Burazi leader tells the historian somewhat ominously that the Dama wants to find him a more permanent home. The Dama congratulates Negan on his surprising achievement, telling Negan that his family would be proud and they will be proud. The Dama invites a hesitant Negan to join her in sitting in the back of the Croat's car as the Burazi leave.
"Bridge Partners Are Hard to Come by These Days"
Benjamin will appear in this episode.
"Novi Dan, Novi Početak"
In his old cell at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Negan worriedly tends to Ginny, who is unconscious from her infected wound. Negan briefly sees Lucille in Ginny's place before waking up, having fallen asleep while looking after the girl. Benjamin Pierce brings Negan a crate containing what supplies he could find, including a bucket of water and a rag to cool Ginny down. As the girl is still breathing okay, Benjamin figures her body is still fighting the infection, and he gives Negan a toy dog that he found for Ginny in an old donation box. Negan, who intends to send Ginny home once she's better, thanks the young man for his help.
Negan tells Benjamin how his first wife, Lucille, had cancer, and he was basically her stay-at-home nurse, waking her up every morning, getting her cleaned up and dressed. Towards the end of Lucille's life, Negan had to run machines and monitors, including a ventilator, which he had to figure out how to operate. While Benjamin thinks that Lucille was lucky to have him, Negan admits, "No, see, I was a selfish piece of shit. I failed her. But God, man, he, um... gave me a second chance, you know? With a smart, sexy, take-no-shit, grab-you-by-the-balls kind of gal. You know what I mean? Annie. You know, we had a little boy. Biggest, brightest, mischievous grin you've ever seen. And when he laughs, oh my God, he could wake the... I failed her. I failed them both. But God, he, uh... he keeps giving me second chances. And I got no fucking idea why." Negan's interest is suddenly drawn by some burn ointment amongst the medical supplies that Benjamin had brought him, a rare commodity so many years into the Trials.
Upstairs, Negan questions the Buraz from whom Benjamin got the cream. The man shows Negan a bag of medical supplies that he has, but Negan is only interested in any medicine that he might've found. The Buraz explains that he got all of it at a hospital while he was looking for pills. There's a story that has been going around for a while that, when everything was getting bombed out and things were kind of crazy, a hospital nurse was going around gathering up all of the meds that she could find and stashed them in the third-floor operating room. This includes antibiotics, which, although they would be old, "old shit's better than no shit." It's supposedly at Bellevue Hospital, but while a lot of people have gone looking, no one has ever come back out again.
Negan prepares to go to the hospital to search for the meds, instructing Benjamin to check Ginny's lungs and vitals while he's gone. Negan warns the young man that if Ginny wakes up, she won't know where she is or who Benjamin and she may kick his ass a little. Negan wonders why the young man is helping them, and Benjamin explains that he doesn't have a lot of experience with the world and other people. Benjamin was only 10 when the world ended, and he has no memory of anything or anyone from his previous life. While he doesn't remember anything, it's still nice to remember the world as it once was through his work as a historian. Leaving the toy dog with Ginny, Negan promises her that he will be right back. Negan hears that Ginny's breathing has become labored, a bad sign for how her infection is doing, and quickly departs to find the medicine that Ginny needs.
Negan sits at Ginny's bedside, having hooked the girl up to the ventilator in the hopes that life support will allow her body to beat the infection on its own. Benjamin covers Ginny in a priest's robe that he found, and Negan warns the young man that people will be coming soon to kill everyone in the church. However, Negan and Ginny can't leave, as this is the girl's best chance for recovery. "It's okay. I know how to protect her now. I know where I got it wrong before. Back in the day when... when I built the Sanctuary to protect my people... I showed mercy. But now... Now, I'm just gonna line 'em all up. And I'm gonna kill 'em all. Get the Burazi ready. We got work to do."
"If History Were a Conflagration"
Benjamin informs Negan that the Burazi are asking for him and, recognizing that things are about to kick off, Negan tells the young man that he can leave if Benjamin doesn't have the stomach for what's to come. Having nowhere else to go, Benjamin assures Negan that he's with him all of the way, although the young man concedes that he could be with Negan in spirit rather than physically. Negan is too distracted by Ginny's dire condition to engage with Benjamin who leaves.
On the rooftop with the Burazi's cannons, Benjamin examines a walker corpse that was in the process of being set up to act as a bomb like the ones that had destroyed the Liberty Queen. The Burazi lookout with him is confused by his interest in the cannons, but Benjamin points out that they were the reason that the Burazi had defeated New Babylon on the water. "If history were a conflagration, then these cannons would be the embers --" begins Benjamin before he's interrupted by the Buraz, who mocks him, suggesting that Benjamin is really on the rooftop because he's too scared to be at the church when everything goes down.
The two suddenly notice a boat anchored offshore in the Hudson River that wasn't there before, as well as a large number of empty canoes on the shoreline with a few men walking away from them. A New Babylon soldier suddenly bursts through the doors and kills the Buraz with a sawed-off shotgun when she charges at him. After Benjamin identifies himself as being with New Babylon, the soldier lowers his gun.
Benjamin leads the New Babylonians to the power plant in the church, allowing them to seize the methane. However, Benjamin doesn't look entirely happy to have gone backwards and returned to his past. From a nearby rooftop, Hershel and the Dama watch the New Babylonians taking control of the church.
Season 3
Benjamin will appear in this season.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Benjamin has killed:
- Numerous counts of zombies and possibly unnamed people
Relationships
Allies
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Enemies
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Appearances
Dead City Characters
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|---|---|
| The Bricks | Maggie • Hershel • Nina • Mr. Aizawa • Wesley • Tim • Victoria • Gretchen |
| New Babylon Federation | Negan • Perlie • Benjamin • Ginny • Lucia • Larry • Yadi • Houseman • Charlie • Jason • Jano • Jones • Gritz |
| Manhattan Tribespeople | Tommaso • Amaia • Rizza • Luther • Esther |
| The Burazi | Dama • Croat • Cole • Waylen • Victor |
| Manhattan | Dan • Joel |
| The Scragglers | Dre |
| Silk Stockings | Bruegel • Tony |
| Blood Shirts | Mila • Christos |
| The Foragers | Roksana • Joan |
| Miscellaneous Survivors | Annie • Joshua • Renata • Dillard • Luis • Simon • Beth • Hershel • Patricia • Annette • Shawn • Otis • Josephine • Kata • Lucille |
| Animals | Bobbie |
| Alive characters appear in green. Dead characters appear in red and italics. Unknown characters appear in blue. Undead characters appear in gray and italics. | |