‘The Walking Dead’ Showrunner Details “X” Marks On Michonne And Daryl

The Walking Dead slapped a couple of “X” scars on Michonne and Daryl, providing the show’s biggest mystery at the moment, which will be detailed in the back half of Season Nine as details of the six year time jump are explored.

In Episode 9×06, Michonne was revealed to have a mysterious new “X” scar stamped on her back. One week later in Episode 9×07, Daryl Dixon was revealed to have the same “X” scar and more. Neither characters seem fond of discussing their stories. Speaking to ComicBook.com, The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang opened up about what those “X” marks might mean and when fans can expect to learn more.

“So the X marks, that’s one of the sort of mysteries that we have this season,” Kang said. “It’s a story that we will tell in the second half of the season. Clearly something has happened during the time jump, and one of the things… We kind of just wanted to seed in is the idea that six years have passed, a lot of story has happened off-screen that we didn’t see.”

For perspective, all of Season Seven and Season Eight combined for an estimated three weeks of time. Since the end of Season Eight and half way through Season Nine, about seven years have passed.

“In any one of these seasons there’s so much that happened, and a lot of times we’re only covering a couple of weeks of time, so imagine how much stuff they’ve been through in six years,” Kang said. “And so, one of the things we started talking about is like, ‘What are some big things that might’ve happened that have affected Alexandria particularly, who are some people that might’ve been involved in this story?’ And so we kind of came to a story pretty early on that is part of the backstory for these characters now that the audience will learn more about as the season goes on.”

While another one of those stories pertains to the falling out between Michonne and Maggie and their respective Alexandria and Hilltop communities, the “X” scars are not at the root of that beef. “I will say that it does not directly have to do with that,” Kang said.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET. Fear the Walking Dead will return for its fifth season in 2019. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and watch ComicBook.com’s After The Dead each Sunday night following new episodes.