‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Character Portraits Released

AMC has released new character portraits for each of Alexandria’s friendly surviving characters on The Walking Dead.

Along with the photos, seen below, a new synopsis for the upcoming Season Nine has been release.

“Last season brought the culmination of ‘All Out War,’ which pitted Rick Grimes and his group of survivors against the Saviors and their cunning leader, Negan,” the synopsis reads. “With Negan’s life in his hands, Rick had a character-defining choice in front of him. By making the unilateral decision to spare Negan, Rick upheld the values his late son, Carl, championed in order to build for the future, but created conflict within his group.

“Now, we see our survivors a year and a half after the end of the war, rebuilding civilization under Rick’s steadfast leadership. It is a time of relative peace among the communities as they work together, looking to the past to forge the future, but the world they knew is rapidly changing as man-made structures continue to degrade, and nature takes over, changing the landscape and creating new challenges for our survivors.

“As time passes, the communities confront unexpected obstacles, danger, and of course, walkers, but nothing quite prepares them for the formidable force they are about to encounter, which threatens the very idea of civilization that our survivors have worked so hard to build.”

Rick

 

Heading into Season Nine, Rick Grimes seems to be lightening up for his final season. The character will make his exit during an episode in 2018 as Andrew Lincoln heads back to the United Kingdom to spend time with his family.

How will Rick’s story come to an end? Will it end at all or is there going to be room for the leader of the post-apocalyptic world to make a return?

Michonne

With Rick set to make his exit, a lot of Alexandria will turn to Michonne in his absence. Danai Gurira’s fan-favorite character first introduced in the show’s third season will rise into a position of power within the communities.

Of course, she will also be at odds with Maggie and others who wish Rick had killed Negan in the Season Eight finale, to some extent.

Daryl

One of the few remaining Season One characters, Daryl Dixon has taken refuge at the Sanctuary since Negan’s overthrowing. how the Saviors take to his style will be an interesting factor.

With Rick Grimes leaving the AMC show in Season Nine, Daryl might just have a new best friend and this good boy might not be human. 

Carol

Carol is looking to rebuild in Season Nine. After spending time struggling to find her place in Alexandria and with people, she is finally letting her guard down a bit and allowing herself to connect with someone.

In Season Nine, Carol will have cemented an official relationship with…

Ezekiel

The former leader of the Kingdom community will be an integral part of Alexandria and its allies in Season Nine. Having formed a relationship with Melissa McBride’s Carol, Khary Payton’s character will continue to find himself in the wake of a devastating and costly Season Eight. 

Jerry

King Ezekiel isn’t the only character in a relationship in Season Nine. His pal Jerry (played by Cooper Andrews) has also formed something special with Kingdom survivor Nabila. 

“Season Nine, at least for Jerry, is ‘this is what happens after now,’” Andrews said. “I guess that is for everybody. This is what happens after the war. But he’s not holding on to anything. He’s not holding grudges. For Jerry, he’s trying to see what this new world is going to be like and how he can help. And so he’s going to be helping out, I guess a lot, just doing what he can. ‘Do you need me to pick up that extra thing of paper towels? Okay, I’ll be right back.’ I’m that guy.”

Aaron

Ross Marquand’s Aaron continues to grow in Season Nine, eager to take on a leadership role. His appearance, however, has already grown the most. His character portrait reveals a hefty beard has grown in during the off-season time jump.

Enid

In the wake of Carl’s death, Katelyn Nacon’s Enid will continue to look for people to connect with in Season Nine. Residing at the Hilltop, her relationship to Maggie will remain a prominent element for her. 

“I feel like a lot of people have more input into kind of what they want to see what happens with their character,” Nacon said. [New showrunner Angela Kang is] very hands-on and very, I don’t want to say cooperative, but she’s very adamant about hearing what we have to say and our ideas and our opinions on the characters that we have kind of brought to life. She listens very well. She tries to make us feel as comfortable as we can with what we’re doing and where we’re going.”

Jesus

Tom Payne’s Jesus, the man who united Alexandria with the Hilltop, will continue to hone his role within the communities in Season Nine. Serving as Maggie’s right-hand man, his relationship with Rick might just be a bit strained.

“Angela’s been on the show for a while and has written some of the fan-favorite episodes of the show,” Payne said. “I’m pretty sure she wrote my first episode, actually. She’s been a steady hand on the show and everyone feels very happy and comfortable with her. It’s always nice to have a different vibe, like a new person who just brings a different energy. I think at this point on the show, going into the ninth season of this show, it was just a welcome breathe of fresh air. Nothing against Scott [Gimple], it’s just nice to change it up.”

Tara

Tara’s role in recent seasons has not been as prominent as years prior. In Season Nine, Alanna Masterson’s character might see a return to prominence, especially as key characters make exits and allow others to earn their rightful time in the light.

Rosita

With the Whisperer storyline on the horizon, Christian Serratos’ Rosita character might have reason to worry. As the story goes in The Walking Dead comics, Rosita has a bun in the oven when the Whisperers make their first strike against Rick’s communities. Unfortunately, she was one of the many victims. 

Siddiq

Newcomer to the AMC series Siddiq appears to be gaining some notoriety in Season Nine, earning some significant screen time in the official trailer and popping up in several photos from upcoming episodes.

His character portrait, however, does little other than remind us of when Avi Nash first appeared on the show for the scene which got Carl Grimes bit.

Maggie

As Lauren Cohan is primed for an exit from The Walking Dead, Maggie is serving as the leader of the Hilltop community. In the most recent season, she formed a relationship with a woman from a foreign community who might just play a role in Season Nine.

Will Cohan’s exit from The Walking Dead mean Maggie is gone for good or will she have an open-ended departure?

Gabriel

As was revealed in the AMC zombie show’s trailer at San Diego Comic Con in July, new characters are heading to Alexandria to join the community built by Rick Grimes. Upon arrival, they will be greeted and interrogated by none other than Father Gabriel. It’s a moment and role which Gabriel actor Seth Gilliam was happy to detail while talking to ComicBook.com.

“I think having been someone who’s advised people in the past, people have come to over time rely on Father Gabriel’s take on things which would put him in that kind of position in the community, where people would come to him to know what’s going on,” Gilliam said. “Because, I mean, let’s face it, he has survived up to this long.”

Anne

Perhaps the most mysterious character introduced to The Walking Dead so far, Anne (formerly known as Jadis) could play an explosive role in Season Nine. Pollyanna McIntosh’s character has a connection to the mysterious helicopter which is promising a return in the new episodes.

Could Anne end up playing a part in Rick’s exit and the two high-tail out of town by chopper?