Summary
- Two Walking Dead characters, Paul "Jesus" Monroe and Douglas Monroe share a surname, but were not related in the comic series – something that creator Robert Kirkman admitted was a simple oversight.
- Kirkman joked that there are " a lot of Monroes in the Washington area, " while noting that he could have "fixed" the mistake, but that it ultimately was not urgent.
- Jesus Monroe and Douglas Monroe never overlapped as characters, and Jesus' surname was used minimally throughout the series following his introduction, making the fact that they share a last name ultimately a moot point.
The Walking Dead contains two important characters who share a surname, but are not related – something that series' creator was a "goof" on his part. Though Kirkman invoked the legendary Stan Lee to suggest how he could have patched over his "mistake," the author noted that it was ultimately not important to him at the time, and likely wouldn't be for readers either.
The Walking Dead Deluxe #92 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – introduced Paul "Jesus" Monroe, who was of no relation to the former leader of the Alexandria community Douglas Monroe, a character that had been dispatched just nine issues earlier.
"There's a lot of Monroes in the Washington area," Kirkman joked in his annotations to the Deluxe reprint of the issue, acknowledging that the coincidence was not a big deal, and in fact, was far from the biggest inconsistency, or "plot hole" in the series.
The Walking Dead Deluxe is an ongoing reissue of the iconic zombie series, featuring fully-colorized reprints of the black-and-white original comic; additionally, each issue features annotations from creator Robert Kirkman, as he revisits the series five years after its conclusion, and over twenty years after it first debuted.
Walking Dead Creator Admits He Used The Surname "Monroe" Twice Completely By Accident
The Walking Dead Deluxe #92 – Written By Robert Kirkman; Art By Charlie Adlard; Color By Dave McCaig; Lettering By Rus Wooten
The repeated use of the last name "Monroe" was just a creative accident, one that didn't lead anywhere.
The leader of Alexandria up until his death, Douglas Monroe had a relatively brief, but incredibly important, tenure in The Walking Dead comic series. Of course, he is most infamous for his dying act, shooting Carl Grimes through the eye. Upon the introduction of "Jesus" Monroe in The Walking Dead #92, astute readers might have expected a connection between the two characters, but that never proved to be the case. Nor was it intended to be, as Kirkman explained:
Paul "Jesus" Monroe...Now, after introducing Alexandria and Douglas, Regina, and Spencer Monroe, you'd think I must have had some plan. Was Paul a long-lost Monroe brother? No...
Instead, the repeated use of the last name "Monroe" was just a creative accident, one that didn't lead anywhere.
Kirkman elaborated further in his notes to The Walking Dead Deluxe #92, admitting:
Monroe was just a last name that was on my mind, I suppose...so I accidentally just...used it again. I mean, it's a common last name, so in the end I just figured, it's fine.
As the author points out, unrelated people all over the world share surnames – and in the end, Jesus Monroe and Douglas Monroe did not have to coexist in the story together, making it even more of a moot point. Further, as Jesus became integral to The Walking Dead comic series, he was referred to almost exclusively by his nickname, with his full name being largely unimportant moving forward.
Jesus first appeared as a mysterious, masked figure on the final page of The Walking Dead #91, as one of Robert Kirkman's notorious cliffhanger endings . The character would go on to be one of the few who survived until the end of the series, making it through just over one-hundred issues, with his final appearance coming in The Walking Dead #193.
Kirkman Cited Stan Lee's Famous Hulk Fix As One Potential Solution
Ultimately, An Unnecessary "Correction"
[Robert] Kirkman admitted that he could have "fixed" Jesus' surname in The Walking Dead – except that it didn't strike him as a problem, or at least an urgent one.
In his explanation of the "Monroe" double-up, Robert Kirkman noted what is perhaps the most classic example of a naming-mishap in comic book history. He cited Marvel legend Stan Lee and the early history of the Hulk, writing:
Stan Lee, when writing the early issues of The Incredible Hulk , referred to Bruce Banner one issue, and then ROBERT Banner the following issue. So, in a later issue, he established Hulk's alter ego was actually Robert Bruce Banner. Clever, right? Good way to cover up a flub.
With that in mind, however, Kirkman admitted that he could have "fixed" Jesus' surname in The Walking Dead – except that it didn't strike him as a problem, or at least an urgent one. Indeed, few fans have ever faulted the author for the repeated use of Monroe, and even fewer noticed it at all.
Notably, the AMC television adaptation of The Walking Dead did change Jesus' surname to avoid confusion, rechristening him as Paul "Jesus" Rovias.
Kirkman noted:
I could have pulled a Stan Lee and called him Paul "Jesus" Monroe Jones a few issues later but...well...it wasn't that important to me. I mean, I goofed. Oh well.
As it stands, the Jesus Monroe/Paul Monroe non-connection is the definition of "no harm, no foul" – it had no impact on the plot, and is only worth mentioning in retrospect, as Robert Kirkman returns to his iconic zombie series with fresh eyes, in order to elaborate on the behind-the-scenes creative process of the series for The Walking Dead Deluxe. It can be said however, that just given its double use alone, "Monroe" is one of the most prominent surnames in The Walking Dead, second perhaps only to Grimes.
