'The Walking Dead' Season 9 To Introduce Comic-Based and Completely New Characters

The Walking Dead Season Nine will introduce new characters from Robert Kirkman's comics and faces unique to the AMC series.

The AMC show is in production on its ninth season right now in and around Atlanta, Georgia. With some cast members poised to make an exit, some new names will be added to the roster according to Skybound's weekly Mail Bag. "We can shed more light on this," Skybound's Johnny O'Dell wrote. "You will see characters from the comics as well as new characters unique to the show."

Immediately, fans of the comics will think of Magna and her group's first appearance. The characters popped into The Walking Dead comics in the first issue which followed the All Out War story. The group still has not turned into a major factor for the series but some of its members play supporting roles in overarching narratives. Among the group arriving with Magna is Yumiko, a character who goes on to become her girlfriend later on, and travels to the Commonwealth community with her in more recent issues.

Other newcomers could be Ken, Marco, and Dante, each of whom play roles in the introduction of the Whisperers. Whether or not the Whisperers and their two leaders, Alpha and Beta, will make an appearance in Season Nine is still unknown. However, the group was certainly teased to an extent in the Season Eight finale.

As for the newcomers who are unique to the TV series, there is no way to predict who they will be. However, often times on The Walking Dead, when a character is introduced as one who does not exist in the comics, they often borrow storylines or traits from those seen on the pages. With Skybound's O'Dell promising new names unique to the TV series, it's a safe bet that they will in some way reflect comic book counterparts.

For example, Daryl Dixon does not exist in the comics but has borrowed stories from others who do exist on the pages. Meanwhile, Pollyanna McIntosh's Jadis (now known to be Anne) was never in the books and her story and group were completely unique for the TV series. With the future of the AMC show's roster, anything can happen.

The Walking Dead will return for its ninth season in the fall. Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.