As The Walking Dead quickly approaches the conclusion of its sixth season, everyone is waiting with baited breath for the arrival of Negan, the shadowy leader of the Saviors. But there was no sign of him this week. Instead, we were re-introduced to a familiar, now disfigured, face: “D.” or Dwight, a man who had a run-in with Daryl in the sixth episode of this season, “Always Accountable.”
So, who is Dwight and what’s his deal? Let’s take a look at what we know.
Spoiler alert: Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead and certain events that happen in the equivalent portions of the comic books and how they compare to the show will be discussed below.
Dwight Is Played By Up And Comer Austin Amelio
Austin Amelio revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he doesn’t own a TV and wasn’t familiar with The Walking Dead or the character of Dwight before landing the role. It’s the latest big role for him — he’s a memorable part of the ensemble in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some, the spiritual successor to Dazed and Confused that comes out April 1.
We’ll let the show explain the horrific scarring on the left side of Dwight’s face (and if the incident matches up with the comic), but Amelio says it takes an hour for make-up artists to put on his disfigured visage.
Dwight Has Changed A Lot Since We Last Saw Him
Dwight first appeared on The Walking Dead in the season six episode “Always Accountable,” trying to escape from the Saviors through the woods with his wife Honey and her diabetic sister Tina. When Daryl encounters them, Dwight’s face isn’t messed up and he’s far from the evil prick he was last night. Dwight didn’t kill Daryl even when he suspected he was a Savior, and even shared their limited supply of water with him. Dwight claimed he’d never killed a living person.
Dwight’s plan was to recover a fuel truck nicknamed ‘Patty’ to offer up to the Saviors in exchange for their freedom. But when the truck doesn’t turn up and Tina dies, Honey and Dwight doubt Daryl’s people can protect them from the Saviors. They steal his motorcycle and crossbow and ride off into what we have to assume is an unfortunate series of events that scar Dwight and put him back in league with the group he was trying to escape.
Dwight Knows His Way Around A Crossbow
In the show, Dwight steals Daryl’s crossbow and later professes that he is still getting the hang of it. But in the comics, the Daryl character doesn’t exist — he’s unique to the television show. Daryl’s iconic crossbow is actually Dwight’s, and it’s just as badass of a weapon in the comics as it is in the show.
Dwight Kills Abraham Instead Of Denise In The Comics
Continuing the show’s trend of taking moments from the comic book and putting a different spin on them, it was Abraham who was originally shot through the head with a crossbow bolt in this particular encounter with Dwight and the Saviors. And like Denise, he was giving a speech. His was about his feelings for Rosita and wanting her to be happy without him.
Eugene Bit Dwight’s Dick In The Comics, Too
There have been many surprising moments in the history of The Walking Dead, but Eugene saving the day by biting Dwight right in the manhood is up there with the best of them. The only difference between the comic and the television show was Eugene waiting until Dwight and the Saviors were at the gates of Alexandria before putting his “stage two skills” into action.
If the comics are any indication, we’ll be seeing more of Dwight as the Alexandria community and the Saviors continue to battle it out for post-apocalyptic supremacy. There’s only two more episodes left in season six of The Walking Dead, so prepare yourselves for a bloody finale. As this week’s episode proved, not everyone is going to make it out alive.
