Who are The Whisperers on The Walking Dead and why are they so scary?

The newest villains have arrived on The Walking Dead and the survivors have never seen anything like them before.

The Whisperers have finally arrived on The Walking Dead. Comic fans have been anxiously awaiting The Whisperers to see how the show would bring these ghoulish villains to the screen and they were not disappointed. The Whisperers are terrifying. But who are they? And what are they?

In the comics, the Whisperers are a nomadic group of survivors. They do have a base camp but they travel throughout a territory that they have decided is theirs killing intruders and sometimes attacking settlements if the settlers get too close. They don’t kill walkers. Instead, they travel among the walkers by wearing the skins of dead walkers. They wear masks and full body suits entirely made of dead walker skin. The smell helps them blend in among the walkers. They walk in the shuffling and ragged way that walkers walk and speak to each other in guttural “whispers” that mimic the snarls of the walkers.

The comic book version of The Whisperers don’t believe in society, civilization, or humanity. They think that the apocalypse was nature correcting itself and see themselves as the next evolution of humans. They operate on instinct and have no use for emotion, sentiment, or empathy. They have adopted a pack like structure with a leader who has proven that they are the strongest one of the pack. That leader is Alpha.

Alpha

In the comic Alpha is a chilling personage who keeps her position at the head of the pack only because her second in command, Beta, doesn’t challenge her and keeps others from challenging her. She has a daughter, Lydia. But because The Whisperers have no emotion the fact that Lydia is her daughter doesn’t influence her decisions or actions. She doesn’t protect Lydia or seem to care if anything happens to Lydia. Lydia, like all of The Whisperers, is supposed to be strong enough to defend herself. In the show actress Samantha Morton has been cast to play Alpha and early reports of her performance say that she is terrifying in the role.

Beta

Beta is Alpha’s second in command. The Whisperers don’t believe in names because they don’t believe in humanity or personal identity. Alpha and Beta are titles that are used by the leader and the second in command, no matter who they are. The others are nameless. Beta is probably strong enough to best Alpha but he won’t challenge her. Ryan Hurst has been confirmed to be playing the role of Beta on The Walking Dead show.

Lydia

Lydia is Alpha’s 16-year-old daughter who doesn’t want to be one of The Whisperers. In the comic, she befriends Carl and eventually begs to be allowed to join one of the communities because she is suffering rape and abuse by the members of The Whisperers. Her mother would not protect her from this physical and emotional harm. The Walking Dead show will have to change this story arc from the comic since Carl is now dead. It’s been speculated that Henry will take over Carl’s story arc with Lydia but it’s also possible that Enid could befriend Lydia. On The Walking Dead, Lydia will be played by Cassady McClincy.

A Massive Army Of The Dead

One thing is for sure though. The survivors have never encountered a threat like The Whisperers. The Whisperers don’t just operate within the herds of walkers. They also steer them. Because The Whisperers are able to get deep into the herds they can steer the herds, merge two or more herds, and direct herds where they want them to go. That means The Whisperers have an army of the dead that they can unleash anytime they want. This might be one threat that survivors from the communities can’t defeat.

The Walking Dead Midseason Premiere

Now that fans have gotten to see the creepy and horrifying Whisperers it’s been speculated that Alpha, Beta, and Lydia will be seen in The Walking Dead season 9B premiere. But The Whisperers are great at blending in with walkers so it’s possible that fans have seen one or more of them already and just don’t know it yet. Think you have spotted Alpha, Beta, or Lydia already? Tweet us and tell us where you saw them @UndeadWalkingFS.