The Walking Dead Teases More Guest Stars in New Season 10 Episodes

The Walking Dead Universe is getting bigger. AMC Networks on Thursday confirmed three guest stars to appear in The Walking Dead's extended season 10, made up of six new bonus episodes to begin airing in February 2021, as characters who could return in the eleventh and final season starting late next year. New additions for the six-episode season 10C are Robert Patrick as Mays, a "rough-looking survivor" who challenges Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) over his faith, Hilarie Burton Morgan as Lucille, the terminally-ill wife of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and Okea Eme-Akwari as Elijah, the masked fighter accompanying Maggie (Lauren Cohan) in "A Certain Doom."

An AMC press release confirming the three featured guest stars noted Patrick, Burton Morgan, and Eme-Akwari join the cast "among others," hinting at as-yet-revealed cast members appearing when The Walking Dead season 10 returns in February.

One familiar face who could return this season is Virgil (Kevin Carroll), the lone survivor who encountered Michonne (Danai Gurira) at the height of the Whisperer War. After he decided to stay behind on Bloodsworth Island when Michonne left to find Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Virgil returned to Oceanside before coming across the missing Connie (Lauren Ridloff) in October's "A Certain Doom."

A batch of official synopses for the episodes reveals Carol (Melissa McBride) will face challenges when she separates from Daryl (Norman Reedus) during a trip into the woods, where she might confront trauma caused by Alpha (Samantha Morton). The Whisperer leader was murdered by Negan in episode 1012, "Walk With Us," but Morton reappeared in "Look at the Flowers" when Alpha's memory manifested as a taunting figment of Carol's imagination.

The episodes will shed light on Maggie's time away from The Walking Dead, revealing what happened after she left Hilltop with son Hershel during the six-year time skip in season 9. Siddiq (Avi Nash) was the first to explain that Maggie traveled "someplace far" with Georgie (Jayne Atkinson), helping the Hilltop benefactor with a new community.

This revelation could mark the return of Georgie, as well as her traveling companions, stoic twins Hilda (Kim Ormiston) and Midge (Misty Ormiston). The trio has so far appeared only once in season 8 episode "The Key."

The Walking Dead would add another cast member if Maggie and Glenn's (Steven Yeun) now eight-year-old son Hershel appears in these episodes. More than seven years have passed in-universe since Baby Hershel last appeared in season 9 episode "The Obliged."

"Now that she is back, we're going to find out more about what was happening in that time that she was away," showrunner Angela Kang said about Maggie's years away in an October interview. "She has seen some dark things on the road, and obviously, like when she comes in, she's with this man in like a metal mask, and who is this fellow, what adventures have they been on? That's all part of the story going forward, and it's going to drive one of the major missions that we'll start to see unfold."

Kang added, "It will lead us to meet some other interesting characters that will cross into some of the other major storylines of our series going forward."

The Walking Dead returns with new episodes on February 28, 2021, on AMC. Follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter for all things TWD.