Our first extended look at The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 4 is finally here, and it revealed a new threat to Daryl and Carol.
For IGN Fan Fest 2026, AMC shared a new clip from Daryl Dixon season 4, which premieres on AMC and AMC+ sometime in February 2027. In the three-minute teaser, Daryl and Carol are walking a remote path somewhere in Spain when they hear something behind them.
A variant walker that is notably faster than most of the walkers we've seen in The Walking Dead and Daryl Dixon so far jumps out of the bushes and attacks them. Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) shoot and kill the walker, but then, the greater threat emerges.
They hear a rumble and look to the distance to find clouds of dirt. Something big is coming their way, so they make a run for it. They find their companions and a broken-down car. With no time to escape, the group hides just in time as a giant horde of super-fast walkers runs by.
Daryl and the gang make a break for it before they're overrun and get into a small shack on the side of the road. The clip comes to an end with Daryl slamming the door to the shack.
The terrifying new threat that stands in the way of Daryl and Carol's journey home
The new Daryl Dixon season 4 clip is not the first time we've seen super zombies like this, but I believe this is the first time we've seen this many super zombies running together in a horde like this. I don't know exactly where this story is going, but there's reason to believe that many of the settlements and places Daryl and Carol have spent time recently will no longer be as safe as they were with these new zombies running around.
With Daryl and Carol trying to head home in the new season, this also puts a damper on their plans. The road is no longer safe. Daryl and Carol basically had no warning before dozens of zombies had quickly overtaken them. We haven't seen anything quite like this in the show before, and it's scary to think of where this story is headed in its final season.
Obviously, this is a welcome addition to the series, though, too. I'll be the first to admit that some of the antics with the zombies and their lack of development as a true threat to these characters have been a big sticking point for me and this series. When the humans became worse and scarier than the zombies season after season, I did grow a bit tired of those stories.
This development could last beyond Daryl Dixon season 4, too. It would add a very interesting wrinkle for the future of the franchise. We don't know where the franchise will go beyond Daryl Dixon season 4. At the moment, Dead City has not been renewed for season 4, but there are discussions about a very special reunion project that could reunite Daryl with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the other survivors.
I would love to see Rick and co. have to take on these variant zombies, but Daryl needs to make it back to America for all that to happen.
That's all to be decided later, though. For now, I just have to say that I'm more excited about this series than I have been in a very long time after seeing this horde and what Daryl and Carol will be facing in the final season. It's been a long, hard road so far, and it looks like things are about to get even more challenging.
We'll share more news about Daryl Dixon season 4 and the future of The Walking Dead as we find out! Watch Daryl Dixon season 4 beginning in February 2027 on AMC and AMC+.
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