The Commonwealth Military Drafts Daryl in New Walking Dead Trailer

The return of The Walking Dead does something no season of the zombie drama has done before: draft Daryl Dixon. In an exclusive new teaser trailer for the February 20 premiere of The Walking Dead: The Final Season Part 2, Norman Reedus suits up as a white-armored soldier recruited to the Commonwealth Military. Under the command of General Mercer (Michael James Shaw), sworn to fight the dead and save the living inside the walls of the civilization governed by politician Pamela Milton (Laila Robins), Daryl is a working-class cadet when the Commonwealth welcomes the Alexandrians to start Season 11B. See the new look below. 

The first part of Season 11 saw Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and traveling companions Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), and Princess (Paola Lazaro) granted asylum in the Commonwealth and specially assigned and curated to the job best suited to their skill set. In Part 2 of 3, Daryl and Carol (Melissa McBride) are just two of the assimilating Alexandrians put to work in paying jobs as the newest citizens of the Commonwealth.

“It’s kind of mind-blowing where we’re going. We did the first 10 episodes kind of in one direction, and that involved Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) story mostly and us trying to deal with what’s going on with that as a group. And then all of a sudden, we did a 180, and now it’s kind of like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory all of a sudden,” the Daryl Dixon actor told ComicBook of the upcoming Season 11B. “It’s completely different. We’re all doing The Exorcist right now, all of our heads are spinning in a circle.” 

Reedus added, “Yeah, we’re all Linda Blair right now. I mean, things go from a black and white Western to a technicolor Willy Wonka film like that, and it’s crazy.” 

The Walking Dead returns with many of our heroes fighting imminent hellfire under Reaper attack; while others battle Mother Nature’s torrential wrath in Alexandria. For all, their world is literally crashing down around them. Meanwhile, life in the Commonwealth is not as idyllic as it seems. For some, hope will be renewed. Others will be pushed past the point of no return. One truth holds tight: Lives hang in the balance with each decision drastically changing their future, their chances of survival, and the state of each community.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season returns with new episodes Sunday, February 20 at 9:00 pm ET/8c on AMC. Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter and @NewsOfTheDead for The Walking Dead Universe coverage all season long.