The Whisperers: Details of 'The Walking Dead's New Villains

The Whisperers are primed for a full entry to The Walking Dead, meaning the most ruthless and [...]

The Whisperers are primed for a full entry to The Walking Dead, meaning the most ruthless and barbaric villains are not far.

For fans of the AMC series, the Whisperers might be a topic with which they are completely unfamiliar. However, fans of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comics know the Whisperers and their victims all too well. As they are set to arrive in live-action, this is the time to get educated on what to expect should the show follow the comics but, be warned, spoilers from the source material follow!

The Whisperers first appeared in The Walking Dead comics in issue #130. The issue was the fourth to follow the All Out War story, which saw a massive time jump carried out between issues #126 and #127. The group was first overheard whispering about members of Rick's group they had encountered, leading survivors to think they were either going crazy or that the walkers were evolving and starting to talk.

The walkers are not talking, however. The Whisperers wear the skin of the dead and walk among them, keeping their voices to a whisper as a means to blend in. This allows them to move freely through the world without fear of threat from the undead but also allows them to use the undead as weapons.

The group is lead by Alpha, a bald woman whose true name is never revealed. Ruthless in ways, Alpha insists any member of her group leave any signs of civilization behind. Nearly anything goes when it comes to survival among the Whisperers. Alpha's daughter, Lydia, becomes a problem when she develops a relationship with Carl Grimes. This story will be remixed with other characters on the AMC series.

Alpha will be played by Samantha Morten and Lydia will be played by Cassady McClincy. Neither of the characters or actors will be revealed in 2018's episodes of The Walking Dead.

Second in command for the Whisperers is Beta, a former professional athlete who followed Alpha's every command and posed a daunting threat to Rick's groups. On the TV series, Beta will be played by Sons of Anarchy and Remember the Titans star Ryan Hurst.

The Whisperers are best known for their infiltration of the fair which took place among the Alexandria, Hilltop, and Kingdom communities. After the group became what Alpha deemed a threat, she kidnapped several survivors including a pregnant Rosita and King Ezekiel, beheading them and placing their reanimated heads on spikes. These spikes would mark their territory and serve as a warning to Rick which claimed he and his people are not to step into Whisperer-land.

Eventually, a war would be carried out, and several characters would play key roles such as Negan when he began his apparent redemption arc (a story which is still playing out). Others would lose their lives brutally, such as Father Gabriel, as the Whisperer had a solid and shocking death toll.

How The Walking Dead TV series adapts the Whisperer War arc with certain key characters having bowed out already is to be seen. In any case, the new villains are going to be terrorizing Michonne, Daryl, Eugene, Rosita, Carol, Ezekiel, Judith, and the other survivors with their arrival imminent.

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.

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