Walking Dead: Acheron: Part 1 Mercer makes his entrance 2 years ago

The Walking Dead series premiered its eleven and final season on AMC two years ago today. This was a bittersweet moment for members of the fandom. They knew this was the last season premiere for the series. One new character introduced in the premiere episode “Acheron: Part 1” was Mercer, general of the Commonwealth Military.

This episode begins with a mission to find food at Fort Conners military base. It is an intense scene where the group, led by Daryl (Norman Reedus), comes upon a large horde of dormant walkers. They must act quickly and quietly as they maneuver around the prone bodies of the undead. After some tense moments, they do make it out with a few MREs but nothing close to what they need for the residents of Alexandria.

This would lead to Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) plan to head to her former community, Meridian, overrun by a group called The Reapers, where supplies are abundant. Forced to use the subway tunnels of Washington D.C., the group heads underground to see what awaits them there. The tension between Maggie and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) plays a vital role in this episode as it leads to a significant cliffhanger where his feelings are revealed as he leaves her hanging from a subway car, begging for his help.

The Walking Dead – Michael Mercer

Fans with impressive investigative skills discovered that Michael James Shaw was cast as Michael Mercer ahead of the AMC announcement. Shaw posted an image of himself with a beard on social media, and fans knew it was happening.

Fans would finally see Mercer on screen in the premiere episode of season 11 of The Walking Dead. He and the auditors, Clark (Carrie Genzel) and Evans (Matthew Cornwell) would be part of the Commonwealth group charged with intake interviews of their latest captives, Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), and Princess (Paola Lázaro).

In his first appearance, Mercer looked as if he stepped off the comic pages, resplendent in sherbert orange.

AMC featured the promo below ahead of the season 11 premiere.

The Walking Dead ended its eleven-season run on November 22, 2022. The fandom lives on with several spinoff series, with more yet to come.

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