Heading towards the release of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, it’s become clear that Samson is the best character in the zombie franchise’s new trilogy. This may surprise some, since he is an infected and definitely has a lot less screen time than other characters in the first 28 Years Later movie, which was released earlier this year.

Even when he does have screen time, Samson mostly just chases after the survivors on the United Kingdom’s infected-filled mainland. However, as Dr. Kelson teaches Spike at the end of 28 Years Later, the infected are not all mindless monsters. This sentiment sets 28 Years Later apart from some of the best zombie movies of all time and proves that this trilogy has something interesting to say about the genre.

Thankfully, the trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple confirms that Samson will return in the sequel, meaning even more could be revealed about his character. He might not immediately come to mind when thinking of the best characters in 28 Years Later, but Samson is a fascinating part of the trilogy and deserves praise.

Why Samson Is The Most Interesting Character In 28 Years Later

Immediately after watching 28 Years Later, several fans went online to talk about Samson. More specifically, they wanted to talk about his large penis, which was a prosthetic worn by actor Chi Lewis-Parry. This obviously caught a lot of people’s attention in theaters and created quite a buzz online, but beyond this, Samson is also a very well-written character.

28 Years Later movie shows how the Rage Virus has evolved in the years since the original two films. The U.K. and its remaining survivors have been completely abandoned by the rest of the world, and there is also a new variant of infected called Alphas. For Alphas, the Rage Virus acts as a steroid, making them much bigger and stronger.

Samson is the most prominent Alpha featured in 28 Years Later. After a group of Swedish soldiers get stranded in the U.K., they are attacked by Samson, who is strong enough to rip someone’s head off. Erik Sundqvist is the only survivor of this attack, but Samson tracks him down and also rips his head off his body later in the movie.

Samson almost kills Spike and Isla, as well, but they are saved by Dr. Kelson, who shoots the Alpha with a morphine-laced dart. However, it doesn’t seem like Samson mindlessly chases after Spike and Isla in 28 Years Later, like some zombie movie fans might ᴀssume. Instead, he was probably chasing after them to save his baby, which Isla was holding.

You see, Isla helps an infected woman deliver a baby right before Samson arrives. This is a shocking moment in 28 Years Later, and reveals that the infected do indeed form relationships and can be intimate with one another. It is heavily implied that Samson is the father of the baby, so he simply wants to protect it from Spike, Isla, and other human characters.

This is why Samson is so angry and attacks Kelson towards the end of 28 Years Later. Rather than acting like a mindless monster, he is simply being a protective father. These actions prove that Samson is intelligent and cares about his son, which is not how a “zombie” would typically be portrayed. Overall, this storyline is very intriguing and makes Samson the best character in 28 Years Later, despite him never uttering a word.

Samson Could Be Even More Important In Future 28 Years Later Movies

At the end of 28 Years Later, Spike brings the baby to Holy Island before returning to the mainland to survive on his own. Since the baby is still alive, Samson will likely continue to have a prominent role in future 28 Years Later movies. The trailer for The Bone Temple confirms that Samson will indeed return and teases that his dynamic with Kelson will be further developed.

In the trailer, Samson and Kelson face off against each other in a field. At first, it seems like they are going to fight, but Kelson ends up gently placing his hand on the Alpha’s shoulder. A close-up of Samson’s eyes suggests that he is sad and mourning the loss of his baby, which could explain why Kelson tries to comfort him.

Kelson likely knows that Spike brought the baby to Holy Island, so there’s a chance that he will help Samson get his son back in either The Bone Temple or the third movie in the trilogy. If this does end up being the case, this storyline would prove that humans and infected can indeed work together, which would completely change the franchise.

Him teaming up and potentially even becoming friends with Samson would prove that Kelson’s philosophies, which he explains to Spike and Isla in 28 Years Later, are right. Even though they were exposed to the Rage Virus, Kelson doesn’t believe people should view the infected as monsters, and giving Samson more time in the spotlight in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple could hammer home this point.