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This article is about the Novel Series character. You may be looking for his Road to Survival counterpart. For other pages with the same name, see: Jeremiah

These poor folks have been through hell, they've seen things that no decent person should ever have to see. One thing the plague has taught all of us---believers and nonbelievers alike---and that's the immutable fact that there are things could happen to a soul that are much, much worse than dying.
―Jeremiah to Lilly about his group.[src]

Jeremiah James Garlitz, also referred to as "The Preacher", is a main character and an antagonist first encountered in The Walking Dead: Descent. He is the leader of the Pentecostal People of God and described as "a man in his forties, maybe younger, a boyish face that’s just beginning to age around the corners. With his lantern jaw, clear blue eyes, and big mop of Kennedy-esque hair just beginning to pepper with gray, he looks like a former child actor maybe fallen on hard times. His suit is well worn, shiny in the seat and shoulders, but the way he carries himself—his clip-on necktie still knotted neatly against his throat despite the flecks of blood and grime on the material—gives off an air of a leader, a man to be reckoned with." He served as the primary antagonist of Descent and Invasion.

Pre-Apocalypse[]

Richmond, Virginia[]

Jeremiah is the son of an abusive army chaplain and later became a Pastor after college, but was later expelled by his Evangelical church for heresy because he believes people's soul would go to Heaven by committing mass suicide in the right place at the right time. In response, he created his own traveling church group to spread his version of Christianity.

Post-Apocalypse[]

At some point, Jeremiah joined/founded the church group, leading them through the apocalypse. Eventually, they stumbled upon the town of Woodbury led by Lilly Caul.

Following the destruction of Woodbury, Jeremiah escaped via SUV and is assumed to have wrecked it. Barely conscious and fatally wounded, Jeremiah drove the car out of the town, along with an unconscious Reese and Stephen. Jeremiah starts to laugh hysterically while driving through the "ocean of walkers" where he begins to abandon his faith in God. Jeremiah now seeks revenge on the few remaining Woodburians. 

Jeremiah appeared in the next novel, Invasion, and seeks vengeance against Lilly and her group. Through the official synopsis, it is revealed that Jeremiah has formulated a plan to kill them.

Death[]

Killed By

Lilly, after catching up with Jeremiah, shoots him into the groin in order to save her life from being strangled to death. Lilly shoots Jeremiah again, this time in to the knee and pectoral. Later on Lilly unintentionally fulfills Jeremiah's last wish: being eaten alive by his undead followers.

Killed Victims[]

This list shows the people Jeremiah has killed:

Appearances[]

Novel Series

Descent

  • "The Labyrinth"
    • "Chapter Ten" (Flashback)
    • "Chapter Twelve"
    • "Chapter Thirteen"
    • "Chapter Fourteen"
    • "Chapter Fifteen"
    • "Chapter Sixteen"
    • "Chapter Seventeen"
    • "Chapter Eighteen"
  • "Last Rites"
    • "Chapter Twenty"
    • "Chapter Twenty-One"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Two"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Three"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Four"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Five"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Six"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Seven"

Invasion

  • "The Behavior of the Sheep"
    • "Chapter One"
    • "Chapter Two"
    • "Chapter Three"
    • "Chapter Four"
    • "Chapter Five"
    • "Chapter Seven"
  • "The End of the Whole Mess"
    • "Chapter Eight"
    • "Chapter Nine"
    • "Chapter Fourteen"
  • "The Great Steel Oblivion"
    • "Chapter Fifteen"
    • "Chapter Sixteen"
    • "Chapter Eighteen"
    • "Chapter Twenty"
    • "Chapter Twenty-One"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Two"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Three"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Four"
    • "Chapter Twenty-Five"

Novels 1 2 3 4 5
Rise of the Governor
The Road to Woodbury
The Fall of the Governor
Descent
Invasion
Search and Destroy
Return to Woodbury
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Trivia[]

  • Jeremiah's weapon of choice is a large crucifix.
    • He uses it as a memento of his fallen friend.
  • Jeremiah knows a lot of car's mechanics, and is able to sabotage it (for example disabling the brakes).
  • Jeremiah is one of the few never seen Novel Series characters to make an appearance in The Walking Dead: Road to Survival. Others being Gavin, Barker, Joshua and Nick.
  • His death is similar to that of "Beta" and Ed; he dies by being happily eaten alive by his "followers" in a Christ-like pose.

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