Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1
Introduced in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live series premiere, Okafor is directly related to key events in The Walking Dead’s history, including one from the show’s very first season. Played by Craig Tate, Donald Okafor was depicted as a high-ranking member of the Civic Republic Military, making him a prominent figure within the strongest known force in The Walking Dead franchise. However, that’s not to say he’s a true villain in the same vein as his associates and superiors.
Surprisingly, Okafor didn’t survive his Walking Dead debut. The character met an untimely end at the end of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live series premiere when his and Rick’s helicopter was shot down. Despite his death, Okafor is shown to be an important character, as the episode makes him the catalyst for Rick Grimes’ new adventure in the franchise. Not only that, but it turned out in the show that Okafor played a secret hand in The Walking Dead’s story in two different ways.
Okafor Is The Reason Rick Grimes Hasn’t Been Killed By The CRM
As explained by Okafor himself, Rick’s survival up to this point in The Walking Dead timeline is owed to Craig Tate’s character. In his discussion with Rick and Thorne, Okafor provided a thorough explanation for what As and Bs are in the world of The Walking Dead, saying that Rick was an A, someone “willing to die for what they believe in.” Okafor explained that while the CRM abducts Bs, they kill As. Apparently, they view As as threats, believing that they can get people to follow them.
As an A, Rick was someone the CRM would typically want eliminated. Beale acknowledged that Okafor made a “compelling argument” for Rick to be let into the city, even though this normally wouldn’t be allowed. Privately, Okafor was convinced that Rick could help him bring “change” to the CRM. It was for this reason that Okafor – acting behind the scenes – took steps to ensure that Rick wasn’t killed by the CRM.
Okafor using his pull in the CRM to keep Rick alive provides a proper explanation to the mystery of Rick’s survival; since it’s been known since The Walking Dead’s ending that Rick has tried to escape the CRM, there’s been much speculation as to why the CRM hasn’t just killed him. After all, his escape attempts mean he’s been more of a liability than an asset to their cause. All along, it would seem, Rick was a cog in Okafor’s masterplan.
Okafor Was Involved In The Walking Dead’s Atlanta Bombing
In addition to his role in the CRM’s decision not to kill Rick, Okafor was also heavily involved in another major incident in The Walking Dead’s past, the bombing of Atlanta. In season 1, it was revealed the U.S. military dropped bombs on Atlanta. As a part of Operation Cobalt, the plan was to halt the spread of the virus by wiping out everything in the city, even if it meant mass civilian casualties. Okafor admitted that he played a part in what happened that day. As a member of the military, Okafor participated in the bombing of Atlanta, as well as Los Angeles.
Before joining up with Major General Beale and the CRM, Okafor was with the Air Force, and under orders, bombed the two cities, even though – as he said to Rick – he recognized that the people there died “for nothing.” The CRM themselves have expressed disapproval of the Atlanta bombing, with Beale calling the people who did it “monsters.“
Okafor’s CRM History & Rank Explained
Okafor, as an officer in the Air Force, had a great deal of authority prior to his association with the CRM. The authority he held was reflected by the stories told to Rick by both Beale and Okafor. Beale explained that he had the “power” to go against orders and stop the bombing of Philadelphia, one of the cities he was meant to destroy.
He changed course when it came time to bomb Philadelphia. Instead of unleashing pointless destruction on yet another city, Okafor bombed the military instead, killing 4000 Marines. Beale said Okafor “switched sides.” Beale attributed this decision to the preservation of what the CRM has today. This is because, according to Beale, the CRM was originally the Pennsylvanian National Guard, which was in Philadelphia. They wouldn’t have grown into what they are now, or have built their secret base if it wasn’t for what Okafor did.
Based on Okafor’s integral role in the survival of the force that would become the CRM, it’s not surprising that his actions – combined with his military experience – helped him achieve a high rank in the CRM. In the timeframe of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’s first episode, Okafor is a Lieutenant Colonel in the CRM and one of its highest-ranking officials. Major General Beale is the only established CRM member known to have more power than him in The Walking Dead universe.
Okafor Is Trying To Fix The CRM From Inside
Okafor’s authority within the CRM and the strings he’s pulled to keep Rick alive are instrumental to The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’s story, regardless of his fate. As noted above, Okafor is bent on changing the CRM. He may be the reason it exists, but that doesn’t mean he’s accepting of its ways. Okafor disagrees with the modus operandi of the CRM, which he describes as “being the monsters to fight the monsters.” He believes that following this mindset “can’t last.”
Okafor’s opposition to what the CRM currently stands for is why he wants to use Rick to change it. He knows that can never happen with the structure it has in place since it dictates that anyone willing to “die for what they believe in” are killed. Okafor arranged for Rick and Thorne, both As, to survive, in the hopes that they can facilitate this change for him by securing higher positions in the CRM. Specifically, Okafor wants them to be officials in the CRM’s Force Command.
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Okafor’s reasoning makes sense. Beale’s way of doing things allows for only people to completely embrace the CRM’s worldview to enter the organization. This has enabled the CRM to continue on the same course for years. Okafor appears to be the only one with ideals. But if there were other like-minded people working at the top of the CRM, it’s not impossible that it could become a force for good in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Whether or not that will actually happen now that Okafor is dead, though, remains to be seen.
Episode # | Episode Title | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
1 | “Years” | February 25 |
2 | “Gone” | March 3 |
3 | “Bye” | March 10 |
4 | Unknown | March 17 |
5 | Unknown | March 24 |
6 | Unknown | March 31 |
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Created by Scott M. Gimple and Danai Gurira, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is a sequel spin-off series in The Walking Dead television franchise. The series picks up some time after Michonne departs from the original series, as she searches to be reunited with her lover, Rick Grimes. Meanwhile, Rick finds himself amid another war between the living and the dead.
- Release Date
- February 25, 2024
- Cast
- Andrew Lincoln , Danai Gurira , Pollyanna McIntosh , Lesley-Ann Brandt , Terry O’Quinn
- Seasons
- 1
