‘The Walking Dead’ Comic Book Instagram Account May Have Confirmed Ezekiel And Shiva’s Season 7 Arrival

UPDATE: A rep from Skybound confirmed to International Business Times that the Instagram caption in question was made by a staff member with "no concrete knowledge of Season 7."

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“The Walking Dead” may be getting a little more “wild” in Season 7. Although showrunner Scott Gimple isn’t commenting on the potential arrival of comic book character Ezekiel, the official Instagram account for “The Walking Dead” graphic novels may have confirmed that the character — and his pet tiger — will be making their way onto the hit AMC series.

For National Pet Day on Monday, the Skybound comic book Instagram account shared an image from the graphic novels of Ezekiel and his tiger, Shiva. The picture and caption seem innocent enough, but ComicBook.com speculates that the original caption for the photo may have given away a pretty big spoiler for Season 7.

A screenshot obtained by the outlet reveals that the initial caption for the photo stated: “Don’t worry, #WalkingDead show fans. You’ll get to meet Ezekiel and Shiva next season.”

For those unfamiliar with Robert Kirkman’s comics, Ezekiel is the leader of a community called the Kingdom. Before the zombie apocalypse he was a zookeeper, which is how he got his hands on Shiva. The tiger protects his master from all threats — zombie and human.

Rumors about the introduction of Ezekiel sparked after the Season 6 finale on April 3. Big bad comic book villain Negan finally made his grand appearance and took the life of an unknown main cast member, but there was also another plotline introduced. While Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the others were kneeling before Negan and his beloved weapon Lucille, Morgan (Lennie James) was chasing down Carol (Melissa McBride) after she made the decision to leave Alexandria. The guilt of killing other humans finally got to Carol, and she was ready to pay for her sins. After getting captured by a member of the Saviors, Carol begged for him to kill her. However, Morgan showed up in the nick of time. When the Savior refused to drop his weapon, Morgan shot the man to save Carol.

Carol still suffered from multiple gunshot wounds, but the two caught a break. Far away from Alexandria, and without a doctor, Morgan and Carol encountered two mysterious survivors wearing what appeared to be armor. One of the men extended a hand to Morgan, and offered to provide them with help.

After the finale aired, Gimple told ComicBook.com that the men in armor “may or may not have been from the Kingdom.”

“We may or may not see the Kingdom,” he teased. “If we do see the Kingdom, it’ll be a big reveal and it’ll be a new world to inhabit and explore.”

“The Walking Dead” Season 7 will air on AMC this fall.