WARNING: This post contains spoilers for the comic book and the television show.
Readers of the comic-book series The Walking Dead have always had a leg up when it comes to anticipating what happens next in the TV series. Co-created by writer Robert Kirkman (who also serves as the AMC series’ executive producer) and artist Tony Moore, with Charlie Adlard assuming art duties with the seventh issue, the comic has been giving readers their fix of post-apocalyptic zombie drama since 2003. The TV series isn’t an exact replica of the comic, but while it throws in its own twists and turns it often ends up at the same destinations.
With that in mind, here are a few events that could happen in season six, based on what’s happened in the comic.
500 Walkers Walking 500 Miles To Alexandria
If you’ve seen the trailer for season six, you couldn’t miss the herd of walkers. In the comics, a similar herd followed the sounds of a gunfight between Alexandria and a group called the Scavengers.
The Scavenger Wolves?
There’s a strong possibility that the Scavengers will be replaced by another band, the Wolves. The same group that felt the wrath of Morgan’s mop handle in the woods are also probably the ones carving W’s into the foreheads of walkers.
If that’s the case, the significance of the Scavengers/Wolves could be anywhere from small to massive. Originally, the Scavengers walk up to Alexandria with guns drawn but get dealt with pretty quickly. On the other hand, the Wolves could be a combination of the Scavengers and an even more deadly group called the Saviors — more on them later.
“CAAARRRLLL!” –Rick
This season is the point in the story where something is likely to happen to Carl. In the comics, Carl catches a bullet to the face and somehow survives, albeit without an eye and with a hole in his head the size of a golf ball. A lot of that credit goes to Denise, a doctor who will be introduced this season and played by Nurse Jackie‘s Merrit Wever. AMC has allowed The Walking Dead to get pretty gruesome. We saw Noah get fish-hooked to death with his face pressed against a glass door last season, so the bar is high for what’s permissible. With that said, it seems unlikely we’ll see Carl walking around with a hole in his head in the style of the comic. Maybe he’ll be the one to lose the hand Rick could have lost four seasons ago?
Stepdad Rick To the Rescue… or Not?
In the comics, this is also around the time Jessie and her son, Ron shuffle off this mortal coil after going along with Rick and Carl during a walker ambush. This forces Rick to make a not-so-tough decision. Is that what’s destined to happen on the show? Probably not. Rick and Jessie will likely bond over the death of Pete and fill a void left in each other’s lives. Either way, fingers crossed that Ron re-enacts one of the creepiest moments in the comics:
Rick getting another love interest is also long overdue and that super subtle flirting he does with Michonne probably isn’t going anywhere — sorry shippers. Speaking of which, Morgonne (Morgan + Michonne) is going to be a thing that gets carried over from the book, right? They’re both damaged, can hold their own in combat, and have lost families.
Paul “Jesus” Monroe
Prepare to be in Alexandria for a long while. After standing their ground to fend off hundreds of walkers, the group is going to get a visit from a friendly, long-haired traveler named Paul Monroe, a.k.a. Jesus. This, we know. The comics draw a man who strives to remind whoever’s left alive that there are still humane people left in the world as he invites Alexandria’s residents to join a complex network of communities in the area that work under a barter system. It’s a good situation that quickly turns bad. If the show follows that same blueprint, then we’re about to meet…
A Bad, Bad Man
By the end of season six, barring an unforeseen and serious deviation from the books, we will meet Negan, a barb-wire-wrapped, bat-toting villain who makes every community in the area give up half their goods to him and his band of rogues. Whether he’s the leader of the Wolves, the Saviors, or some other group, there’s sure to be carnage, but the amount of screen time that Negan (and his bat, Lucille) will get during season six (assuming he debuts this season) remains to be seen. And that might be good news for a couple of fan-favorite characters.
It Wouldn’t Be The Walking Dead If People Didn’t Die
People have been speculating about Glenn’s demise for a while now. That’s probably just a defense mechanism so that it doesn’t hurt so much when Negan bashes his head in with Lucille, assuming showrunner Scott Gimple can’t resist the urge to echo the comic. Abraham’s death is more of a maybe, but it remains a possibility. In the comics, Abraham gets a surprising arrow to the back of the head from one of Negan’s flunkies while helping out Eugene. It’s entirely possible that the book’s “All Out War” storyline, which pits Negan against our heroes, won’t take place until next season (if at all) and that Abraham will be spared.
Convinced that some other element from the comics will be brought to life this season? Not buying the idea that Negan will finally rear his head this season? Feel free to speculate and hypothesize on your own in the comments.
