The Walking Dead Universe Civilizations Revealed in TWD: World Beyond

The Walking Dead: World Beyond opens up the Walking Dead Universe by revealing “the Alliance of the Three,” a pact between a triumvirate of never-before-seen civilizations in the zombie apocalypse. This alliance involves the Campus Colony in Omaha, Nebraska — the initial setting of World Beyond — an unnamed community located in Portland, Oregon, and a third mysterious setting that is home to the Civic Republic and its shadowy military force. All three are bound by the three-circle symbol that has surfaced in both The Walking Dead and spinoff Fear the Walking Dead, appearing most famously on the helicopter that abducted Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).

In the series premiere of World Beyond, “Brave,” we learn the exact location of the Civic Republic is a highly-guarded secret. Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Kublek (Julia Ormond) of the Civic Republic Military reaches Omaha by helicopter as the sole representative of the Civic Republic, who would have been accompanied by government officials were it not for the interference of Major General Beale.

A notebook drawing sketched by Campus Colony resident Iris (Aliyah Royale), sister of the suspicious Hope (Alexa Mansour), approximates the location of the Civic Republic is somewhere in the Southwestern United States.

Wherever the Civic Republic is based, their control is far-reaching: the Civic Republic operates a research facility in New York state, where Iris’ father, Dr. Leo Bennett (Joe Holt), is said to be seeking a cure for the zombie virus that has plagued the world for a decade.

The as-yet-revealed third location could be Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as hinted by a teaser trailer for the in-development Walking Dead feature film, where audiences will learn what happened to Rick after he disappeared from The Walking Dead. Rick and Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh) have been missing since their shared ride aboard a CRM helicopter, which flew away from the mothership series seven years ago in show-time.

As World Beyond progresses, audiences will learn more about Rick’s captors. Series co-creator Scott Gimple has long confirmed CRM is involved in the feature film side of the franchise, as well.

Last year, Gimple clarified CRM is not the same as the Commonwealth, a network of Ohio-based settlements from the comic book.

The television show shifted the Commonwealth to Charleston, West Virginia, and that group is the focus of the eleventh and final season of The Walking Dead. Sunday’s Season 10 finale, “A Certain Doom,” ended with the introduction of the Commonwealth Army.

New episodes of The Walking Dead: World Beyond premiere Sundays at 10/9c on AMC. For all things TWD, follow the author @CameronBonomolo on Twitter.