We’re still knee-deep in Rick and his allies’ war with Negan and the Saviors, but The Walking Dead might already be teasing the identity of the next big threat waiting out there for the Alexandrians to face.
As readers of the comic books will know, once Negan is dispatched, the next major antagonists are the Whisperers. These twisted human beings have turned psychotic in the wake of the zombie apocalypse and are known for skinning the faces of walkers and wearing them like masks.
In this past Sunday’s episode, TWD might have given its fans the first concrete proof that the Whisperers are on the way. When Rick ventured into the Sanctuary’s yard, he noticed the body of a Savior sniper hanging from the water tower. This heavily resembles the death of Father Gabriel in the comics, when he was murdered by the Whisperers.
Not only that, but the key bit of evidence here is that this unlucky corpse had no face, with only a bloodied mass where his features should be. Sure, this could have been eaten off by the three Walkers nearby, but zombies typically munch on limbs and other more substantial parts. It’s possible, then, that there’s a Whisperer out there wearing this guy’s face.
It’s also worth a mention that this is the second callback to a famous comic book death this season. As well as Gabriel’s fate in the source material being referenced, an earlier episode had Ezekiel threatened by a Savior who said he’d put the king’s head on a pike. Which was a nod to exactly what the Whisperers did to the Kingdom’s chief in the comics.
Whether either Gabriel or Ezekiel will meet these fates is not yet known, but it’s looking more and more likely that the Whisperers are coming to The Walking Dead sooner rather than later, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
