The Walking Dead fans have been chewing on a mystery for much of this year, ever since the preview for the long-delayed season 10 finale teased the arrival of a masked man. Even when the episode eventually aired, though, it didn’t provide us any clues as to their identity, other than that they were a good guy and an ally of the newly returned Maggie.
Theories erupted that they were this familiar face or that comic book character, but the answer has finally been revealed, as AMC has unveiled the actor beneath the mask. Okea Eme-Akwari (Cobra Kai, Greenland) has officially joined the cast, following his debut in “A Certain Doom,” as Elijah. Proving all those theories wrong, he’s an original creation for the TV series and we’ll get to know him better in the bonus episodes of season 10 that are on their way, premiering in February next year.
Okea Eme-Akwari (Cobra Kai, Greenland) has been cast as Elijah (aka the masked stranger) in #TheWalkingDead! pic.twitter.com/5tfj66Vumr
— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) November 19, 2020
Elijah first showed up, dressed in a hoodie and a metal mask and armed with kama weapons, when he saved Aaron and Alden from a couple of Whisperers. He later rescued Gabriel, along with Maggie, when he came under attack at the hospital tower. He never said a word to Maggie’s friends, though, suggesting that he’s very guarded and taciturn, even though he appears loyal to the former leader of Hilltop.
Eme-Akwari is one of three actors confirmed to be joining the cast in season 10C. The others are Terminator 2 legend Robert Patrick as new survivor Mays and Hilarie Burton Morgan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s real-life wife who will be playing the role of Negan’s late wife Lucille in flashbacks and will guest star in episode 10×22, the finale of this mini-season, which is titled “Here’s Negan” after the comic book spinoff of the same name. Episode 10×17, meanwhile, will address Maggie’s return to Virginia, so that’s likely when we’ll find out more about Elijah, too.
The Walking Dead resumes on Sunday, February 28th, 2021. In the meantime, you can catch new episodes of Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond weekly on AMC.