The Walking Dead: Who is Dante in the Comics?

The Walking Dead has a history of remixing characters of the TV series by comparison to their comic book counterparts. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comics has laid the groundwork for the AMC zombie series but some characters inherit stories from others who are no longer a part of the show while other characters are made up entirely. In the case of Dante, a character introduced in Season 10 played by Juan Javier Cardenas, the AMC show seems to be using a comic book character by name only as the TV-version of the character is quite different from the comics.

Dante first appeared in The Walking Dead issue #131. Aside from the name, the character also has some personality traits in common with Cardenas’ portrayal. Comic Dante has a history of being a bit crude and forward with his dialogue, also sporting quite a bit of confidence in himself. In the books, Dante lives at the Hilltop, unlike the TV Dante who serves as a doctor in the Alexandria community.

In fact, the source material offers up a storyline which sees Dante serving as a love interest for Maggie at the Hilltop. As Maggie deals with the death of Glenn in the years which followed Negan’s introduction. During that time, Dante is persistent about Maggie giving him a chance romantically and eventually she kisses him issue #174 and opens up to the idea of a relationship after Glenn.

Dante is last seen in the books helping Siddiq on a mission to the Commonwealth, before Kirkman abruptly ended the book and did not include the character in the final issue which took place about 15-20 years after the penultimate issue.

With Maggie returning to The Walking Dead later in Season 10, a journey to the Commonwelalth has already been carried out. It seems unlikely that Dante will become a love interest for her, with his story possibly being given to Peter Zimmerman’s Eduardo who showrunner Angela Kang confirmed is still alive. Given that he has not been seen at the Hilltop, it’s possible Eduardo will be the Hilltopper filling in for Dante’s comic book story on the TV series.

What do you think of the changes made to Dante on The Walking Dead? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram and Twitter!

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC.