Juan Javier Cardenas joins The Walking Dead in season 10 as Dante

The Walking Dead made a new weekly reveal on Twitter which announced the official casting of Juan Javier Cardenas as Dante! What could we expect from him during season 10?

Last Thursday we were given the news of a brand new character named Virgil played by Kevin Carroll. This week we are given news that Kevin’s fellow Snowfall castmate Juan Javier Cardenas will also be joining him in The Walking Dead! Juan Javier Cardenas is a very talented actor and aside from starring in Snowfall, he is also in S.W.A.T and Damnation.

A tweet from the official Twitter account of the AMC show gives some small details about the type of character Dante will be.

Here is that tweet:

The description we are given of “Rogue, and fast-talking,” sounds very similar to the Dante we have gotten to know The Walking Dead comic series. However, the fact he is going to play a large role in Alexandria is vastly different from his comic book counterpart. In the comic series, Dante plays a huge role at Hilltop and even starts a relationship with Maggie.

Beyond the change of communities, there is a change of when he is entering the tv show. In the comic series, Dante is an important character and key when it comes to the arc with the Whisperers. He is introduced in issue 131 which is very shortly after the time jump that we more commonly know as “A New Beginning.” He is a very strong survivor and is one of Maggie’s right hands.

Dante is actively involved in some very important events involving the Whisperers which have already occurred in the tv show. His story begins with a rescue mission to find Ken, during which he discovers a walker who is a human in a mask. Dante was the one held at gunpoint by Alpha during her introduction to the series and was abducted by the whisperers. He was traded back to Hilltop in exchange for Lydia. Dante was also present when all of the heads were discovered on pikes.

Dante’s character is very complex, he has a very sarcastic sense of humor, and overall if that aspect of his character is kept true to the comic then I believe he will become a new fan favorite! However, with him just now entering the story I am left wondering what his story will be like. While Dante is much more than just Maggie’s boyfriend in the comic I do find this to be a very large difference.

When Glenn tragically met his fate, Maggie gained massive character growth. She became a leader and more hardened. Dante and how he responds to situations was a perfect counter to that. I believe he opened her character back up. So for him to play a bigger part in Alexandria is a huge question mark to me. He just seems so incredibly important to Hilltop. Now with no Maggie, Enid, Jesus or Tara, I feel he would be someone who would take over that leadership role nicely or at the very least he would be perfect for a council there.

In the very small clip of him that we see in the season 10 trailer we see him aiding someone sitting against a tree while fire is burning in the background. Since he is with Alexandria this makes sense as we see many clips and photos of Michonne with fire as well. If he will still have a more important role, it would make sense if he was now Michonne’s right-hand man or on the council they have.

Either way, it is exciting to see Juan Javier Cardenas bring Dante to life in season 10 and I hope he has a similar personality!

Are you excited for Dante in season 10 of The Walking Dead? Tweet me @mamadeadhead to tell me your thoughts!