Who is the hungry stranger in the season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead?
By Adam Carlson
A new character was introduced during the season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead and fans should be paying attention to who the hungry survivor is.
During the break between season 7 and season 8 of The Walking Dead, it was announced that Avi Nash would be joining the show’s cast. However, nearly no information was given about what his role would be on the program.
Then, the season 8 premiere aired and the character played by Avi Nash was revealed. Even though he was only on the screen for a small amount of time, he did make a bit of an impact on viewers.
The unknown character tried to talk with Carl from a distance, with the stranger saying that he hasn’t eaten in two days and is very hungry. Carl was approaching him and he didn’t feel that the individual was any threat to him. However, Rick chases him off and tells Carl not to be so trusting of people.
"“Hey. I’m okay. I mean, I’m not, but…I’ve been shot at. Someone threw a microwave at me. So I’m just gonna say something my mom used to say and hope for the best here. Whatever you have of good, spend on the traveler. My mom said that helping the traveler, the person without a home, that’s everything. I’m sure you’ve seen things, been through things, that you don’t trust people. I get it. I get it. I don’t either. I’ve been through things too. My mom, she also said that may my mercy prevail over my wrath. It’s not all my mom. That one, that’s from the Quran. I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t even know you, but I haven’t eaten in a few days, and you might not even be real. . . . Listen, I’m gone. It’s cool. I just wanted some, even just some food.”"
Carl returns later with a couple of cans of food and a note apologizing for what happened. The character watched from the woods but didn’t approach Carl in fear of what happened before.
***WARNING: COMIC BOOK SPOILERS BELOW***
Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly is very connected with The Walking Dead and he recently confirmed on Twitter that the character’s name is Siddiq. Fans of the comic book series, as well as the video game series by Telltale Games, will be very familiar with the name since it is a prominent one.
More from Undead Walking
- Walking Dead alum Jayson Warner Smith promotes new film, Chipper, watch it now
- Walking Dead actor Chandler Riggs filming new movie in Tampa Bay
- Why is there no season 12 of The Walking Dead?
- Will Morgan Jones find Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live spinoff?
- Watch Tales of TWD actress Jillian Bell in Prime Video’s Candy Cane Lane
This is a different debut for Siddiq from the comics. In that version of the story, Siddiq came across Oceanside while fishing as a member of Pete’s crew and met Michonne before meeting the people of Alexandria.
Interesting enough, Siddiq isn’t introduced in the comics until issue #127. For him to be featured on the show right now is a bit early, considering the first issue of All Out War is #115. Still, having him meet the survivors now doesn’t mean that they won’t have another meeting later in the show.
If the character played by Avi Nash follows along with the version in the comics, Siddiq will be a very valuable part of the survivors. His fishing skills, as well as knowledge of construction, would help a lot going forward.
Next: The good and bad things from TWD 801
What do you think is going on with Siddiq? Do you think we’ll see him again in upcoming episodes or will he not reappear for a little while now? And do you feel he will be a bigger character on The Walking Dead‘s television show in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.