How We Find Each Character To Start The Walking Dead Season 7

Less than four weeks away from The Walking Dead's seventh season, AMC has released a batch of new [...]

By Brandon Davis - September 29, 2016 04:20 pm EDT

Less than four weeks away from The Walking Dead's seventh season, AMC has released a batch of new descriptions for each of the key characters on the series.

The last time we saw most of our main players who call the Alexandria Safe-Zone "home," they were lined up on their knees at the mercy of the menacing, terrifying, and villainous Negan. Rick marched Maggie, Glenn, Carl, Glenn, Eugene, Abraham, Sasha, Rosita, Michonna and Daryl into a Saviors trap from which at least one of the characters won't be returning.

That said, the rest of Alexandria isn't exactly in great shape. Father Gabriel sat back to keep an eye on Judith but Tara and Heath look to be encountering some trouble outside of the Safe-Zone's walls while Carol and Morgan have ventured to an all-new community - one with a tiger keeping guard.

Let's take a look at the descriptions of where each of these characters will be when we revisit them on October 23...

Rick

Rick, for the first time in his pre- and post-apocalyptic life, is powerless. He is reevaluating everything he thought to be true in this world. He is terrified for his life, and the lives of his children, and the group. He now knows he is outnumbered and he has lost, regardless. The world is a much bigger, scarier place than he ever imagined.

"I didn't fully take on board how hard it was going to be until the read through, and then it was... We're going to have to do this..." Andrew Lincoln says of The Walking Dead's Season 7 premiere. "We're going to have to do this episode. It's one thing reading a script. Then there's actually having to do it. You get a sense of the summit you have to climb."

"We are seven years in and we are only unleashing now probably the greatest villain of the series. It's a very thrilling and exciting time. It does feel like we are smashing everything and starting over."

Daryl

Daryl finally made Alexandria his home, and the Alexandrians his extended family. Finding forgiveness, he saved Dwight, who in turn took his crossbow and used it to kill Denise – a defining moment for Daryl – and Daryl feels extreme guilt and anger. Now, he faces Dwight, Negan and the Saviors with no hope for the mercy he extended to "D" in the burnt out forest.

"They realize they are not driving the car," Reedus says of the Alexandria group. "There is somebody else who has a lot more territory than they do who is calling the shots. It's super interesting and great that there is a character that is going to put fear into them."

"It looks really bad," Reedus says about the group's future. "It looks like they are about to have a complete change of lifestyle. We know Negan has people, but we don't know the expanse of his tyranny."

Glenn

Glenn has fully "grown up" – he's been through trauma after trauma, and he's come away stronger for it, picking up lessons from the people he's lost along the way. Firmly cemented in his humanism, he's wary of this new, brutal world and his place within it – especially with a child on the way.

"Glenn is fighting his classic battle – pragmatism over compassion," says Steven Yeun. "The one thing that checks his pragmatism is his heart. I don't think Glenn sees any other option that his heart can push in any other direction but to do what Rick has suggested."

"As an actor, you strive for moments like this where you get to feel something, whether it be terrible or good," Yeun says of filming the Season 7 premiere. "We've established quite a story and quite a show. To come to this point is a milestone. This only makes the show better."

Maggie

Maggie, having found leadership and responsibility in Alexandria, now finds herself in a medical crisis, and in the lineup of potential victims. Everything that had led her to this moment was about finding strength in the face of loss. Now, she faces yet another loss – even potentially her own life.

"Little did we know Negan is this complete sadist that takes so much pleasure out of inflicting such great pain on people," Cohan says of the new threat her group is encountering. "To me, Negan feels like this horrible undercurrent that's been there the whole time that we haven't realized, and now it's rearing its head from every doorway you can imagine. It's like how bulls have little flocks of birds that live on their backs. We've been there not knowing we were all sleeping on this giant scary bull. We are upended."

Carl

Last season, the progress Carl made towards innocence and optimism began to erode – the mercy and patience he gave Ron nearly resulted in his own death, and forever scarred and changed him. Was Carl ahead of the others in finding out the brutality of this world cannot be escaped?

"It's fascinating and a whole new dynamic for the show," Riggs says of the new threat. "Negan is a very charming character, but at the same time a psychopath. Negan is by far the most dangerous character we've come across yet. You are going to hate to love him."

"Not only Carl, but the entire group, underestimated Negan's power," Riggs goes on. "They've beaten Terminus and the Governor and a bunch of other groups so they did not think Negan and the Saviors would be that big of a problem – until they are all on their knees."

Michonne

Michonne, having found purpose, growth, healing, and love, was on a trajectory for some kind of happiness. She had finally left behind the identity of the solitary swordsperson, walking the forest with walker pets. And yet, for as far as she's come, she's now forced to sit as Negan decides her and the group's fate, forever altering life as they thought they knew it.

"Now that she has a whole new level of intimacy attached to who she is and how she functions in the world, that is definitely an adjustment for her," says Danai Gurira. "In some ways, it's made her even more aggressive. This is a man, from the beginning, she could respect."

"It is like what Rick said at the end of Season Five – you are messing with the wrong people," Gurira goes on, talking about the encounter with Negan's group. "Well, we just did that. We just messed with the wrong people."

Carol

The events of Carol's past are catching up to her soul – her abusive relationship, losing her daughter, burning lives at the prison, killing Lizzie, fighting off the Wolves and Saviors. She cannot keep on her current path of destruction for community survival. She is not suicidal – she instinctively knows when you love someone you must kill for them. If the choice is to kill to be with the group – or not kill and be alone, and if being alone means you die – in her words to Morgan, "please let me go."

"It's going to be rough," Melisa McBride says of The Walking Dead's Season 7 premiere. There is no way to prepare for what is going to come. You think you know what is going to happen and the way it's going to happen. You are not prepared for what is coming."

Abraham

Abraham is genuinely self-aware and living the post-apocalyptic life he wants, doing what he has to do in order to create that life for himself – even if meant hurting Rosita. Having come through that, having truly found what he wants, he now faces a life ahead full of conflict and compromise – if he even gets to lead it.

"The Season Finale is great because, from the minute it starts, you know it's not going to end well for so many reasons," says Michael Cudlitz of the group's actions late in Season 6. "There is the claustrophobic element of the RV and the ticking time bomb of Maggie getting sicker and sicker, forcing us deeper and deeper into this trap. It starts closing in on us roadblock after roadblock. Everything about this is implying the size of the force that we are dealing with is way larger than what we have and what we have ever encountered. We are not dealing with people who don't know what they are doing. It's terrifying to us."

"It's The Walking Dead, we lose people," Cudlitz teases. "I'm eager to see how the loss changes the group. And there are other groups we still haven't met yet."

Sasha

Sasha struggled with her past traumas, flirting with self-destruction and came out the other side alive. She discovered a kindred spirit in Abraham and both of them found peace as they found each other. They have embraced the idea of living a full life together, beyond surviving. And yet, they sit in a lineup that guarantees that the world isn't done with delivering them pain and loss.

"After the deaths of Bob and Tyreese, Sasha was in a pit of despair and in a pit of walkers," says Sonequa Martin-Green. "She eventually came to the other side, looked across the way to him, and saw he was in a place she just came from. We see the strength in each other and that is what pulls us together more than anything. We are very much partners in war and a love was birthed from that. Abraham is life after survival."

"To have your life in someone else's hands, who will do whatever they want with it, it is a very chilling thing," she goes on. "Without hope, why live? That will be the hardest thing about the future because they are in a seemingly hopeless situation."

Tara

Tara has had bad luck with the deaths she has experienced in the apocalypse. Now she is out on a run with Heath, unaware her girlfriend has been killed and the dire circumstance facing her friends.

"Tara is doing what she can to get back to Denise and her family at Alexandria," says Alanna Masterson, whose character is still unaware of Denise's demise.

"It's pretty uncertain," she says of the group's future. "You think if Rick is leading them, everything is going to be okay and everyone is going to do what they can to keep the group together. This is the first time you are unsure and you don't know if anyone is okay."

Eugene

Eugene found his place within the group. He stepped out of his comfort zone and learned he is not just an intellectual, but also a survivor. He proved he can protect himself, and more importantly, he can protect others. But his newly gained confidence is short-lived once they encounter the Saviors. Eugene suspects he and the group are going to lose this battle, and that he could possibly lose his life.

"This isn't random," Josh McDermitt says of Negan. "They are not one step ahead of us, they are 10 steps ahead of us. This is the ultimate chess match, and we don't realize we are playing chess, and they do."

"It's a pretty sadistic game that Negan is playing using a child's game to kill someone. It's so nonchalant and everyday for him. It lets you know you are not in charge. You are not the ones pulling the strings anymore. This is a scary time for this group."

Rosita

Rosita's world upended in the back half of last season – she lost a relationship that was a cornerstone for her life. And yet, she discovered there was a life beyond that...just as the Saviors came and killed Denise. Consumed with anger, she went after the Saviors – only to discover how powerless her group was against them. Now, sitting in the lineup, she is facing either more loss or her own death.

"It was traumatic and heart-breaking, but the break up was a gift to both of them, especially Rosita," Christian Serratos says of Rosita and Abraham's break-up. "The audience got to see her on her own and that she is a soldier, not just a follower. She's learned it is best she is on her own. She works better that way. She is stronger that way."

"All our characters are very tough, very human, very capable, and very strong," Serratos says of the characters in Season 7. "At times, they may seem invincible. They are not. That is a very powerful message. These people can hurt, can bleed, and can feel fear. They do not have control."

Father Gabriel

Father Gabriel has gone to great lengths to make amends and prove himself trustworthy to the group. Last season, Rick's first words to Father Gabriel were "no," and Rick's last words to Father Gabriel were "yes." Judith is Father Gabriel's priority. He does not have a plan, but he has patience and faith, grounded in the understanding that bad people have to die. Father Gabriel is one-part priest and one-part soldier.

"He's dealing with the duality of man," says Seth Gilliam of Father Gabriel. "He is going to have to be a man of action, not just a man of thought. He is prepared to deal with the consequences of those actions. It's been an incredible journey from hiding and trying to disappear to standing front and center and being able to face whatever challenges are coming."

"Negan introduces calculated brutality. That is a very different dynamic than we've seen in this world."

Aaron

Aaron cares about the people of Alexandria – to keep that place going, he has put himself in danger time and time again, all towards working and fighting for a better tomorrow. That tomorrow has come, and it is darker than anything he could ever imagine. He sits in the lineup with people that have quickly become family to him, crushed and terrified in the knowledge that even if he survives, someone else will not.

"Aaron feels a certain responsibility for this group and feels he screwed up by them getting to this place," says Aaron actor Ross Marquand. "He wants to make sure they can safely get out of this situation because in that moment there is no way out. Every single one of these people in this line up would die for each other.

"Negan has been a pervasive threat for most of last season," Marquand goes on. "Even before he was revealed, there is this notion that he is everywhere. He is this ubiquitous force of negativity and darkness that is very terrifying. Just when they think they have the upper hand, they realize that they have only touched the tip of the iceberg. There is so much beneath what they think they know."

Spencer

The arrival of Rick's group into Alexandria resulted in Spencer losing his brother, then his father, and ultimately his mother, Deanna. He believes if Rick had not led the charge to kill the Saviors at the compound, maybe there could have been a deal to be made instead of bloodshed. Spencer tries to do the right thing, while trying to find the reconciliation between the safety Rick's group brought and the destruction Rick's group brought as well. Always a touch on the opportunistic side, Spencer continues to take the path of least resistance.

"Spencer is walking this line of trying to do the right thing, trying to walk the line with Rick, trying to be true to what he thinks he should do," says Austin Nichols. "I hope he comes off as a very conflicted, interesting, smart guy. It's intense playing Spencer. It's intense being on this show. It's an intense world they live in."

"It's going to be interesting to see the world expand," Nichols says. "That's going to be exciting to see incredible new characters come in, and what that means to the group and to the whole world. I want to see what happens with Negan and the Saviors, and what that does to these characters that we love."

Dwight

Dwight and his wife tried to escape the rule of Negan, and got scared. Scared of dying and scared of living. He betrayed Negan by running away. He betrayed himself by returning. He betrayed Daryl by serving him up to Negan. There are consequences to each of those choices.

"When you first met Dwight last season he has a romanticized vision of what the world should be like," says Austin Amelio. "He's an idealistic guy. He wants the world to go back to how it was. He's not used to the rules and what is going on. Then you see him at the end of the season and he has totally succumbed to this universe. He's fully submersed in what the world is now."

"I'm excited about the private moments you get to see with Dwight. You don't know what he's thinking."

Jesus

While Jesus is a member of the Hilltop Community. he is protective, thoughtful, and resourceful. Most importantly, he understands the larger picture. Last season he quipped to Rick that their world was about to get a whole lot bigger. He knows it is going to get bigger still. His insight and agility could prove him to be a mutually beneficial asset.

"[Jesus] is the scout for the [Hilltop]," says Tom Payne. "He recognizes that a problem shared is a problem solved. He sees value in that for himself and for the community."

Ezekiel

Ezekiel is King. Of the Kingdom. With a tiger. While intellectually curious and majestically grandiose, Ezekiel is not naïve to the violence and atrocities of this world, and truly wants to help others thrive.

"It's like somebody asked me what exactly would you like," says Khary Payton on playing Ezekiel. "I'm just going to check off a list of all of these things. Would you like to be introduced as a badass? Yes, I would. Would you like a large tiger that will do whatever you want? Yes, I would. Would you like to be introduced on the biggest television show in the world? It's stupid what is happening to me. This doesn't happen to everybody and this doesn't happen every day. I don't ever want to forget that."

"It's such a cool thing to work with Lennie James on this show. [Andrew Lincoln] waking up in that hospital, you're hooked from the very beginning. To have that secondary story happening with Morgan and his wife and his son made me feel like I have to watch every bit of this because it is such great work. That is the character and that is the guy I'm working with."

Negan

Negan is a charismatic, totalitarian ruler with an iron fist in the form of a baseball bat named Lucille. He knows exactly how to make an introduction, establish his rule, and widen his scope of control and dominance. There are no hidden secrets – you follow his rules, you live; you don't follow his rules, you die. He is a man of his word.

"The introduction of Negan was hard, but to play this role for me is a dream come true," says Jeffrey Dean Morgan. "It's the most fun I've ever had in my life, and that's horrible for everyone's sake."

"You won't be able to see Negan without thinking of the premiere episode. What he does is so strong and so shocking. The way Negan inflicts damage is so original to Negan that whenever he comes on screen you will not know what to expect."