The Walking Dead Showrunner Sheds Light on Thora Birch’s “Special” Whisperer Gamma

The Walking Dead Season 10 will introduce Whisperer Gamma (Thora Birch), who is special enough to be one of just a handful of Whisperers to be given a name after clan leader Alpha (Samantha Morton) and protective number two Beta (Ryan Hurst).

“I’ll say that Gamma is another Whisperer. We find out some interesting story about who Gamma is, and who she’s close to in the camp,” showrunner Angela Kang divulged at San Diego Comic-Con.

“Definitely Beta is not used to anybody else having a quote unquote name, since they don’t usually name themselves. Thora Birch is a wonderful addition to the cast this season. So many of us are such fans of her body of work, and so it’s been really great seeing her kind of rise into this very strange new role.”

Hurst added of Birch, “She’s great, she’s wonderful. We’ve just had a little bit of work together so far, and she’s phenomenal.”

Because the usually nameless Whisperers lack any kind of personal identity, “It’s a very special thing to be the Alpha, the Beta, or now, the Gamma,” Kang added.

“Some of them, obviously, they all had names before the apocalypse, some of them might sneak around and still refer to each other by each other’s names, but in general, no names.”

Further details surrounding the character are sparse, but executive producer Gale Anne Hurd at Comic-Con described Gamma as a “committed believer in the Whisperer way of life” who is “fiercely protective” of Alpha.

These hints might indicate Gamma is Alpha’s newly adopted daughter, a replacement for defector Lydia (Cassady McClincy). The reluctant Whisperer broke free from her abusive mother’s grasp in Season 9 and fell in with Daryl (Norman Reedus) and his tight-knit band of survivors.

Season 10 will also introduce comic book character Dante (David Shae) and newly created character Virgil (Kevin Carroll), the latter described as a “resourceful” survivor who is “desperate to get home.”

The Walking Dead Season 10 premieres Sunday, October 6 on AMC.