Samson (28 Days Later)

Samson
28 Days Later character
Chi Lewis-Parry as Samson in 28 Years Later
First appearance	28 Years Later (2025)
Last appearance	28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026)
Created by	Alex Garland Danny Boyle
Portrayed by	Chi Lewis-Parry
Status	Alive
In-universe information
Species	Human (formerly) Infected (partially treated)
Gender	Male
Nationality	British

Samson is a fictional character in the 28 Days Later film series, created by Alex Garland and Danny Boyle and portrayed by English actor and stuntman Chi Lewis-Parry. He is introduced in 28 Years Later (2025) as an unusually large and highly aggressive variant of the infected, classified in the film as an "Alpha". Samson later returns as a central character in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026), where his evolving condition becomes significant to the story's exploration of the rage virus and the possibility of treatment.

Character biography

Background

Little is known about Samson's life prior to infection. In 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple establishes that he was infected as a child during the original Rage Virus outbreak and survived for decades as an Alpha, a rare class of Infected that has grown larger and more physically dominant over time.^[1]

The name "Samson" is given to him by Dr. Ian Kelson, who associates the Alpha's immense size and strength with the Biblical figure of the same name.^[1] Kelson administers a mix of drugs to Samson, gradually relieving the symptoms he has carried since being infected as a child during the original outbreak.^[2]

28 Years Later

Further information: 28 Years Later

Samson is a colossal Infected^[3] carrying a mutated form of the rage virus that grants him abnormal strength and durability. Unlike most Infected, he is capable of leading hunting groups and shows limited awareness. He is named by Dr. Ian Kelson due to his size and physical power.

After the sinking of the NATO patrol ship HMS Öresund, Swedish soldiers are driven ashore in Northumberland, where most are killed by Infected. Samson personally kills two of them, while Erik Sundqvist escapes. Samson later catches up to Sundqvist while he is helping Isla and Spike and kills him aboard a train.^[4] He then pursues Isla and Spike but is subdued with a morphine dart fired by Kelson.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Further information: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

After one of his hunts, Samson returns to the area near the Bone Temple. His actions are not immediately violent. Kelson sedates him with morphine, leaving him in a subdued state. Over time, Kelson observes changes in Samson's behavior. He later takes morphine himself in an attempt to understand its effects. When Samson regains consciousness, he leaves the temple without attacking Kelson. This causes Kelson to believe that the rage virus may not be permanent.

In the weeks that follow, Samson repeatedly allows Kelson to sedate him. He appears drawn to the calm produced by the drug. As Kelson's supply of morphine diminishes, he tells Samson that he intends to euthanize him to prevent further suffering. Before this occurs, Samson speaks the word "moon". Kelson interprets this as a sign that Samson's cognitive abilities are returning.

Samson later shows additional behavioral changes. He later wears clothing and shows signs of memory recall. At times, he wanders and is followed by other Infected. In one scene, Samson sits inside a train carriage and speaks about not having a ticket, referencing a memory from childhood.^[5] This behavior provokes the other Infected, who attack him. Samson kills them in self-defense.

Samson eventually returns to the Bone Temple and finds Kelson dying from a stab wound inflicted by Jimmy Crystal, a cult leader of the 'Jimmies' or the 'Fingers'. Crystal has been restrained and crucified upside down by Spike and the last surviving Finger. Samson arrives at the Bone Temple, says "thank you" to Kelson after being cured,^[6] and then carries his body away. In his delirium, Crystal hallucinates Samson as the Devil.

Concept and creation

Samson is portrayed by English actor and stuntman Chi Lewis-Parry.^[7] Lewis-Parry was cast by director Danny Boyle to physically embody what the filmmakers described as the "king of the infected", with Boyle instructing the actor to focus on intimidation and physical presence rather than words,^[8] as Samson speaks only with grunts and screams while running around naked and decapitating anyone who crosses his path.^[9]

Boyle confirmed that Lewis-Parry wore a prosthetic between his legs, just like the other Infected characters.^[10] The role required extensive full-body prosthetics, including silicone components that were applied over several hours each filming day. Lewis-Parry stated that the prosthetic suit was typically single-use for full-body shots due to wear and loss of realism after removal.^[11][12] In an interview with Variety, intimacy coordinator Vanessa Coffey explained that she became involved with the film well before the concept of naked Infected was introduced. She described the chaotic infected birth scene as "raw and very realistic" and emphasized the importance of Lewis-Parry, even while wearing his prosthetic, keeping his robe securely closed while moving around off-set.^[13] Lewis-Parry described the performance as largely non-verbal, requiring him to communicate emotion, intent, and shifting consciousness through posture, movement, and eye contact, particularly in scenes opposite of actor Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian Kelson.^[14]

According to Lewis‑Parry, some scenes shared with Fiennes were developed spontaneously on set rather than strictly from the script, and those improvisations were retained in the final cut of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Lewis-Parry has stated that he views Samson as a tragic figure rather than a monster, interpreting the character as someone seeking help and responding to Kelson's kindness as a means of survival beyond violence.^[15]

Director Nia DaCosta did not go into detail about what will happen in future installments but called Samson's situation "so interesting". She suggested that whether Samson's recovery is permanent or only partial could be important for the direction of a potential third film.^[16]

Reception

Samantha Nelson of Polygon described the character as one of the standout characters of 28 Years Later, describing the "monstrously hung zombie".^[17] Clay Pitman of ComicBook.com wrote that Samson's partial cure and the developments in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple may have made him "the most memorable zombie in movie history", standing out even among the franchise's other infected.^[18] Dennis Moiseyev of Phrasemaker praised Samson's storyline, highlighting his journey of being treated and ultimately cured by Kelson. He said the most engaging part was Samson's story with Kelson, showing how he was treated and eventually cured, which made the sequence memorable and also added more background to the series.^[19]

References

1. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Film). Columbia Pictures. 2026.
2. Scott, Ryan (2026-01-19). "28 Years Later 3 Needs To Bring Back One Character – Their Story's Not Done Yet". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
3. babrams (2025-09-03). "Ralph Fiennes' Dr. Kelson and Samson the Alpha Return in "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" Trailer". Motion Picture Association. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
4. King, Jack (2025-06-24). "28 Years Later's hung zombie: "That big swinging dong just happened to be a byproduct of Samson"". GQ. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
5. Basu, Devanshi (2026-01-21). "What Really Happened to Samson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple's Ending?". SuperHeroHype. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
6. George, Joe (2026-01-20). "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Director Explains What That Ending Means for the Franchise's Future". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
7. T, Amber (2025-07-30). "Meet Samson The Alpha In Exclusive 28 YEARS LATER BTS Clip". Fangoria. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
8. Ritman, Alex (2026-01-05). "The Alpha Zombie Returns: Chi Lewis-Parry on Adding Depth to Samson in '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' and Why Dancing With Ralph Fiennes Was 'The Most Fun I've Had Naked'". Variety. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
9. Hart, Aimee (2025-09-02). "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is bringing back its giant naked zombie". Polygon. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
10. "28 YEARS LATER Director Danny Boyle On NSFW Alpha Infected Samson's Distractingly Large... Prosthetic". ComicBook.com. 2025-06-25. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
11. Mack, David (2026-01-19). "An Interview With 28 Years Later's Prosthetics Artists About Making the Penis That Shook the World". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
12. Collin, Robbie (2026-01-20). "28 Years Later's 'biggest' star on the X-rated prosthetic that made him famous". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
13. Ritman, Alex (2025-07-01). "'28 Years Later' Intimacy Coordinator on Covering Up Samson's Huge Prosthetic Between Takes, Fake Butts and That Infected Birth Scene". Variety. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
14. "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - Chi Lewis-Parry on Becoming Samson". Bleeding Cool. 2026-01-14. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
15. Navarro, Meagan (2026-01-09). "Ralph Fiennes and Chi Lewis-Parry on Their Characters' Unique Connection in '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
16. Nopany, Kanak (2026-01-21). "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Director Addresses if Chi Lewis-Parry's Infected Samson Has Fully Recovered". IGN. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
17. Nelson, Samantha (2026-01-30). "Full frontal male nudity is having a major mainstream media moment". Polygon. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
18. Pitman, Clay (2026-01-17). "28 Years Later Makes Samson the Most Memorable Zombie in Movie History (And Not Just Because of THAT)". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
19. Moiseyev, Dennis (2026-01-27). "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Review – The Misadventures Of Kelson And Samson And Spike And The Jimmies". Phrasemaker. Retrieved 2026-02-01.