Over 193 issues, Rick Grimes and the survivors of The Walking Dead encountered the worst of humanity. From villains like The Governor, Negan, and Alpha, to enemy groups like the Hunters, the Scavengers, the Saviors, and the Whisperers, series creator Robert Kirkman filled the pages of his zombie comic with the real threat of the walker apocalypse: the living. But in this week’s The Walking Dead Deluxe #104 — a colorized version of the 2012 issue — Kirkman’s original notes revealed plans for a villain named “The Contractor.”
“That, ladies and gentlemen, is an unrealized villain for the series,” Kirkman wrote in the “Cutting Room Floor” section of the issue. “I don’t recall details on this particular villain. Cool name.”
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“Kind of [a] shame it never made it into the book,” Kirkman added. “Some day I’ll have to tell everyone about ‘The Gardener.’”
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Kirkman explained his plotting process in the letters column of the 2012 edition, writing he had “a solid plot through issue 200 and general ideas that could continue after that.” (The series concluded with The Walking Dead #193 in 2019.)
“I’m at a point with the series where I plot in 24 issue chunks, loosely,” Kirkman wrote, “and then flesh things out as I write. I try to have at least four of those chunks planned, but there are times when a new chunk of issues is dropped in and things get pushed back. That’s why I have such far-reaching plans.”
Those plans often changed. In The Walking Dead Deluxe #98, Kirkman revealed that the issue’s major death was a “last-minute change” from how he originally plotted the issue.
“I like having as much track laid ahead of me as possible. So I’m always plotting ‘ifs’,” he wrote. “‘If I get to issue No. 30, maybe this,’ and ‘if I get to issue No. 50, maybe this.’ I leave myself options, so I always have some plans I can build to. But I’m careful to always leave myself room to just shoot from the hip and do whatever I want month to month, no matter how crazy the issue. [#98] was one of those issues.”
Issue #104 takes place during Volume 18: What Comes After, when the Alexandrians are forced to be subservient to Negan and the Saviors. As Jesus of the Hilltop follows Dwight to the Sanctuary, a young Carl Grimes stows away on a Saviors caravan and opens fire on Negan and his men to avenge Glenn (who was beaten to death by Negan issues earlier in #100).
The Walking Dead Deluxe #104 is on sale now from Image Comics.
