Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang, teases more variant walkers

Fans of The Walking Dead have seen the trailer for season 11C and what will be the series’ last episodes. One significant shock was hearing Aaron (Ross Marquand) talk about walkers climbing walls and opening doors. This reminded fans of walkers that Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Morgan Jones (Lennie James) encountered in the series’ first season.

In the trailer for the series’ final episodes, Aaron talks about hearing about these walkers but that he “was never sure if they were just stories.” In the trailer, viewers can see walkers scaling the walls. This will only add to the excitement of the upcoming episodes.

During the Talking Dead preview special, host Chris Hardwick asked showrunner Angela Kang if she could elaborate on the variant walkers. She talked about the beginning of season 11 when viewers saw the “lurkers,” which were the walkers who went dormant until they are reawoken. This was in the scene at the military base where they were scavenging for rations.

She also talked about the walkers climbing a fence in the pilot episode and the Teddy Bear walker who picked up her stuffed bunny before Rick killed her. And people remember Morgan’s reanimated wife trying the doorknob of their house. Cooper Andrews, another guest on the special, brought up the walker at the department store who picked up a rock and tried to break the glass door.

The Walking Dead walker variants

Kang explains that walkers in different areas respond to their environments and evolve differently.

In the finale episodes, the Commonwealth is threatened by an enormous walker horde, and it appears that these walkers will be a variant that can at least climb walls and open doors. This will be a massive problem for the Commonwealth as many residents may have never seen a walker let alone put one down.

This will also complicate things for our survivors as they come against the Commonwealth and this horde.

The Walking Dead Daryl spinoff variant walkers

Another variant walker is the type seen in the coda for The Walking Dead: World Beyond series finale. Scott M. Gimple referenced these walkers in conjunction with Daryl’s spinoff in the Talking Dead TWDU preview earlier this year. He stated that this type of walker is something Daryl will have to face.

As the TWDU grows and expands, it only makes sense to see the walkers do the same. It adds to the excitement of the spinoff series as it is evident these stories will be different than those of the flagship series.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, October 2, 2022.

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