Over the eleven seasons of The Walking Dead, there have been many villains and villainous groups. The Terminites, the Governor, the Whisperers, the Claimers, and we can’t forget that at one time, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his Saviors were the big bad of the series. In season 10c, a new group, the Reapers, were introduced and would become quite a threat at the beginning of season 11.
With Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) return in season 10, many new faces also appeared. She had most recently been a part of a group called the Warden’s who resided at Meridian. Cole (James Devoti) and Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari) are the first members of this group introduced in the series. They are very loyal and protective of Maggie. Other group members came along, but all were killed during the first altercation with the lone Reaper in the woods during “Home Sweet Home.”
In “Acheron: Part I,” additional Wardens, Frost (Glenn Stanton), Agatha (Laurie Fortier), and Duncan (Marcus Lewis), arrive at Alexandria. All of the Wardens were vital during the mission to get to Merdian. Sadly, all but Elijah were killed along the way.
The Walking Dead – Reapers
The first time we saw any member of the Reapers was in “Home Sweet Home.” This assailant, played by Mike Whinnet, was a hulking mass of a man who picked off several Wardens in a matter of minutes. He also set fire to the hideout where Maggie left many of her group, including her son Hershel Kien Michael Spiller), who thankfully escaped.
This assailant tried to kill Maggie and Daryl (Norman Reedus). Our survivors then surrounded him, and his actions revealed that this group is very militant by not revealing anything about himself. The only words he spoke were “Pope marked you” before blowing himself up with a grenade.
This brought up the question, who the heck is Pope? Viewers would soon find out.
Prior to the outbreak, the members of the Reapers served in the military in Afghanistan. After returning home, many had trouble acclimating to civilian life and chose to become mercenaries. Due to serving together, this is a tight-knit group that is very loyal to one another and especially to their leader Pope (Ritchie Coster).
Pope is a spiritual man with his own interpretation of Christianity. After the group survived a fire from the napalm bombing that left the church they took shelter in unharmed, he decided God blessed them. He formed the Reapears and began targeting vulnerable communities, slaughtering innocent survivors, and taking their supplies.
The Reapers had taken over Maggie’s former community of Meridian and killed many of the group. When the subject of food and other resources came up, as Alexandria was in dire need, Maggie knew they had to go to Meridian to retrieve the food stores at this location. Although this was her motive for seeking out the Reapers, it was apparent she also wanted revenge on this group.
It would be discovered that Leah (Lynn Collins), Daryl’s old flame, was a member of this group. She killed Pope, blamed Daryl, and ordered the hwacha to be fired into a horde of walkers containing Maggie, Daryl, Negan, Elijah, and Gabriel. Luckily they made it out alive, and in season 11B, the remaining Reapers would be slaughtered by Maggie.
The Reaper’s storyline was much too short, and it would have been interesting to see more about them. It would be exciting to see a Tales of the Walking Dead episode to learn more about the Reapers. This episode could show the church scene that spawned Pope to set out on his mission and the group’s journey through the apocalypse.
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