‘The Walking Dead’ Presents A New Version Of The Scavengers

Any zombie apocalypse can get a little stale without giving the survivors new obstacles and challenges, so it only makes sense that The Walking Dead keeps things fresh by introducing new characters every so often. The most recent wild card to come to the show is presented as the Scavengers, a group of survivors who are introduced into the series as being far more significant than in The Walking Dead comic books. A look at the differences between the Scavengers in the comic book source material and how they have been introduced in the AMC series suggests a longer, more involved story arc.

Who Are The Walking Dead‘s Scavengers?

The first half of this season of The Walking Dead left Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the people of Alexandria beaten and broken, but still eager to bring the fight to Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his Saviors, so, as Bustle shares, Rick sought out help, only to find out that most neighboring communities were fearful of joining the fight. The sense that they were all better off not kicking that particular hornet’s nest left Rick feeling hopelessly alone until he came across the Scavengers, led by Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh).

The idea that Jadis was willing to commit her group of Scavengers to the task of bringing down the Saviors seemed to indicate that Rick and his group had found a new ally, yet there’s still much unknown about the Scavengers. Readers of The Walking Dead comic books aren’t much more prepared in this department, either, because the Scavengers in the comics aren’t very similar to the group presented in the AMC series.

There are differences in the most basic senses with the Scavengers on The Walking Dead television series bearing very different and unique names from their comic book counterparts. Even the leader has changed, going from a male leader named Derek to a female leader named Jadis. The group is larger as well. Last week’s episode introduced the Scavengers as a group of 100 or more people, while the group is significantly smaller and less threatening in the comic books.

Also, the Scavengers have already been more significant in the AMC series than they ever were in The Walking Dead comic books. In the source material, the Scavengers arrived in Alexandria just long enough to create the chaos needed to draw new Walkers toward the city.

Whatever direction this Scavengers story arc may take on AMC’s The Walking Dead, it seems clear they will have a larger impact and may drive the rest of the season even further from The Walking Dead source material.

The Walking Dead‘s Latest Wild Card: Meet Jadis

Pollyanna McIntosh started out as a model, becoming one of Scotland’s most successful fashion celebrities, before turning her attention to acting, reports The Herald. Now, as Pollyanna brings a new character to life on The Walking Dead with the possibility of becoming an even worse villain than Negan, the model and actress opens up about the role that might have gone to a man in her place.

McIntosh reveals that the casting call for Jadis stated that the studio was looking for either a man or a woman and that the character would be developed around whoever was awarded the role. Pollyanna says that fact really attracted her to the role, because it left so many possibilities open.

“It may sound weird, but I also connected really easily with this character,” The Walking Dead actress says. “She’s really clear about what she wants. She enjoys the play of it. It was quite easy to get into.”

McIntosh says she’s intrigued by the idea of taking roles from male actors and that she often tries to read for male parts with the idea of transforming the role in a way not previously conceived. She says that’s what drew her to The Walking Dead, specifically. Within the show, a zombie apocalypse forces people of different races, genders, sexual orientations, and beliefs to unite against a common threat and Pollyanna says that’s the best thing that could happen to the human race.

“It’s not that I’m wishing for the zombie apocalypse, but I’d love to see that kind of egalitarianism,” said The Walking Dead‘s McIntosh.

Pollyanna added that, after getting cast as Jadis, she binge-watched the entire run of The Walking Dead up to the current season and is now an obsessed fan.

The Walking Dead airs tonight on AMC.

[Featured Image by AMC]