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When it comes to actual terror on The Walking Dead, there’s plenty to go around. But the show hasn’t seen anything quite like The Wolves yet, the group that made their way into Alexandria with the brutality of a Mongol horde. Unlike the folks from Woodbury and Terminus, The Wolves seem to exist on the fringe of humanity and desire to be rid of the old world as opposed to protecting it. That might explain their motives and their lack of hesitation when it comes to murder.
But who are they in terms of the source material? There is no group known as The Wolves in the comic, making their existence in the show another deviation. But there may be two candidates for inspiration from Robert Kirkman’s original story: The Scavengers and The Saviors.
The Scavengers don’t have a huge effect on the overall story, but they do carry a few similarities to The Wolves (including that off-hand reference to The Big Bad Wolf by their leader, Derek). Their encounter with Alexandria in the comics ends with their demise, but attracts countless walkers to the Safe Zone, similar to the outcome in the show.
On the other hand, there are The Saviors and they do hold some major sway over Rick and his group of survivors. With rumors that mega baddie Negan is set to appear in the series, it might make sense that The Scavenger storyline has been blended with The Saviors in order to create a larger antagonist — think The Governor, but far more brutal. Negan and The Saviors would bring about some major changes for the group dynamic and not all of our favorite characters will make it out alive.
If The Wolves were meant as a one-off villain, they were effective. But the return of the member that encountered Morgan in the woods and his capture within Alexandria points to a larger role or at least an introduction to the surrounding area of Washington D.C. and Virginia. What do you think the outcome will be?
