All the Times Gabriel Santiago Stole Scenes and Our Hearts on The 100

There's a reason Gabriel Santiago arrived and stole our hearts in the process, and only a little of that came from how mysterious he turned out to be. 

One of the biggest highlights of The 100 Season 6 was getting to meet exciting new characters, and Chuku Modu managed to make both of his characters stand out individually. It was all in the way that Xavier and Gabriel kept us intrigued, while not knowing what to expect next from him. 

Now that Chuku Modu got a very well deserved upgrade to series regular, it only seems fair to highlight some of his greatest hits before we prepare for more on The 100 Season 7.

Gabriel Introducing His Ex-Girlfriend To New Friends

It is not always easy to introduce your new friends to your ex-girlfriend, especially when there were years of body-snatching between them. But Gabriel handled it like a pro, giving us equal feelings from his past and excitement about his involvement with our favorite main characters. 

It is also interesting when an awkward moment comes together with a heavy action plot point and a backbone for various characters who don't usually spend time together somehow ending up in one place.

Obviously, this is all thanks to Gabriel though because he just always makes everything better on The 100.

Gabriel's Cardigan Fever Dreams

There is just something about Gabriel's cardigan style that makes you want to see more of it. Maybe it is because of how he stands out against everyone in Sanctum, or maybe it is the way that he converted Bellamy Blake into that cardigan life as well.

Regardless, it continues to solidify for fans that Gabriel can be trusted like no other new character in Sanctum.

Now the least he could do is become best friends with Bellamy and keep sharing his clothes with him. Just saying. 

At the very least, always trust a guy with a soft-looking cardigan.

Gabriel Making Sanctum Battles Fascinating 

Once you hang around on The 100, battles are a predictable part of any new season. Which is why the characters might have to be the ones to shake things up, a job Gabriel was perfect for.

His knowledge of subjects that not all of us may care about and his good chaotic energy lit up the screen. 

The question then becomes, did Gabriel's involvement steal our screens or our hearts?

Gabriel Santiago: Secret Anomaly Agent 

There was a time when Gabriel wasn't Gabriel, which is a fascinating thing to go back and watch again. It is almost like two great characters in one, getting to enjoy Xavier and then having that enhanced by Gabriel's existence. 

Whether fans started to get invested in Xavier or Gabriel, that scene-stealing presence was what made it easy to get invested regardless. The story was unpredictable when it came to Xavier!Gabriel and it made that just fascinating enough to keep driving the story and our interest. 

But then again, Gabriel seems like a character with stories to tell. We are just lucky that we get to hear them.

Gabriel's Funny Dialogue Reveals 

With a show like The 100, there is sometimes nothing but darkness for episodes at a time, which is why comedic relief is always so refreshing.

In theory, there would be nothing funny about Murphy and Emori turning on their friends for the chance to live forever, and yet Gabriel squared up and proved us wrong.

It is all about those little things and how they manage to make a scene funny instead of just stressful. 

Gabriel Channeling The Inner Bellarke Shipper Inside of Him

Can you imagine getting a front-row seat to the Bellarke Misinterpretation Tour? Gabriel can relate. 

There are plenty of things on the show that don't seem to mean anything, but at the same time, there is no explanation for this closeup. Gabriel spent enough time with Bellamy and Clarke to realize how special that moment between them was.

So it isn't that shocking to see him watching their goodbye, and maybe he also thought they would kiss before Clarke headed out. Or maybe that was just me.

Gabriel and Bellamy Sitting In A Tree, F I G H T I N G

This bromance is going to be your next big obsession, but first, every relationship needs some angst.

Bellamy and Gabriel came from two sides of one war, so it is fair to say that they don't always approach a situation the same way. That doesn't mean that there isn't room for progress though, especially after that epic cardigan sharing. 

Gabriel's definition of his people might be different than Bellamy's, and so is their understanding of who is worth sacrificing. At the same time though, the result that they are looking for is the same, and now the Anomaly has got them both invested.

Now, all we need is for these two friends to raid each other's closet, an idea from Chuku Modo himself, and their Season 7 adventure can really begin.

Gabriel Santiago Setting The Scene

Gabriel deserves a thank you for predicting the storm that was heading their way.

Some may call it stating the obvious, but we call it predicting the future because Gabriel is that kind of magic right now. 

Gabriel Inspiring Bellamy To Save Clarke's Day 

Let's all dedicate a moment to the ending of The 100 Season 6 Episode 10. 

And now, we can actually talk about how memorable that scene sequence was for all the characters involved. It was also a major reminder of how exactly The 100 continues to be Bellamy and Clarke's story.

But sometimes their story needs the inspiration of other people, like Gabriel telling Bellamy there is nothing he can do. It is like he knew that Bellamy was not going to hear that he can't save Clarke one more time.

And just like that Bellamy saved the day while Gabriel got introduced to Bellarke and their legacy. 

Now You See Him, Now You Don't 

There is no one else fans would like to play Hide and Seek when Gabriel is the best option.

It actually became a scene-stealing moment in the trailer for the season, the first introduction to Xavier in away. Yet once the scene played out, it felt more like Xavier was coming after our hearts with his sense of adventure. 

Sanctum Sponsored Sarcasm 

Gabriel is a constant mood, and only some of it is because of how he handles an intense situation. This scene was all about stealing our hearts, and it did exactly that.

How is it possible that Gabriel is so entertaining and a consistent favorite only one season in? His power must be that strong. 

Gabriel Being The Best Person Ever 

We love a character who cares about his people on a post-apocalyptic show.

The way that he manages to always look out for everyone he meets, if they have good intentions, even when that may come at the risk of a cult, is wonderful. There has never been anyone as caring as him and with the show ending; obviously there never will be. 

The 100 is lucky to have a character as invested as Gabriel Santiago is. 

Gabriel Making All The Season 6 Points 

In a way, this was about Murphy and his Season 6 plot, but in another way, it was about the season as a whole.

Yes, it was frustrating that Murphy turned on his friends at the drop of a hat, especially after it was solidified that the space group was some kind of family that would never betray one another. Somehow that didn't translate into Season 6, and the family fell apart as soon as they got to Sanctum.

Part of that ended with characters choosing different philosophies, so it was precious the way that Gabriel observed and vocalized that.

Yet even more so this was a scene-stealing moment because it showed how well aware and well-spoken Gabriel was, identifying with the audience in the best possible way.

Gabriel "Xavier" Santiago Creating The Second Plot Story 

It wasn't obvious right away when Octavia and Diyoza removed themselves from the main group in Sanctum what was going to come their way.

Enter Gabriel Santiago, a villain who isn't a villain sharing scenes with characters who were out in the woods because of the roles that were assigned to them as well.

An eloquent newcomer with engaging interactions and endless opportunities to keep stealing scenes is always interesting in our opinion. 

The 100 Prequel We All Deserve To Experience

In case you didn't hear, there is officially a The 100 prequel being created during the upcoming final season of the show. While it is focused on the Grounders as the apocalypse begins, what if it wasn't?

If there is anything Season 6 of The 100 taught us, it is that there is something magical happening on this new planet. We spoke with Sara Thompson about the possibilities for a spin-off focused on her version of Josephine, and now it is time to pitch an updated version.

There is no plausible way to make a show that focuses on Sara Thompson's Josephine and Chuku Modu's Gabriel Santiago, but when has The 100 been about making sure everything made sense?

There is a love story that has so much potential, and it deserves to get told. 

Gabriel Sharing The Prime Knowledge With The Audience (and Russell)

At a time when The 100 usually falls into its doom and gloom, Gabriel was there to save the day with his wonderful insight. As someone who lived longer than most of the people in Sanctum, Gabriel was a breath of fresh air compared to the other Primes looking to live forever.

His insight brought it all full circle, highlighting what people like Russell couldn't seem to grasp. It was also a nice lesson for newcomers like Murphy, a guy who just joined the living forever bandwagon and maybe needed to hear an outside opinion on all the ways that is not a good idea. 

Gabriel Making New Friends Before The End of the World

Gabriel and Diyoza could be the best sarcastic friends of all time! 

Not only was she able to call out his identity before anyone else, but they also seemed to understand each other when it came to the villain role that they were pushed into. The possibilities are endless, but more importantly, Gabriel stole our hearts by creating these ideas.

Once Diyoza gets out of the Anomaly safe and sound because we all know she is alive, the friendship energy is going to be all kinds of strong.

The Child of Gabriel

A literal take on a wolf in sheep's clothing couldn't have been anymore epic. Gabriel was intriguing before we even knew who he was, especially when he was able to blend in so well with his "children."

There is that obvious interest in that journey alone, bringing up how Gabriel was able to blend in the way that he did and how that looked like.

That might not have stolen everyone's heart, but it stole mine with all its storytelling potential. 

Are there any Gabriel scenes that were your absolute favorite? When was it that the character stole your heart? What do you wish you saw more of when it came to Gabriel's scenes?

What do you wish you saw less often? Who are you most excited to see Gabriel share scenes with during the upcoming season? What kind of ending are you hoping Gabriel will get as the series starts to wrap up? Did Gabriel steal scenes for you or did he steal your heart?

Let us know what you think below!

Stick around TV Fanatic for more interviews, features, slideshows, episode previews, and reviews of the upcoming season, and watch The 100 online right here on TV Fanatic.

Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.