‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9: Ryan Hurst Joins The Cast As A New Whisperers Character Is Announced

As Season 9 of AMC’s The Walking Dead approaches, news is starting to filter in about what will unfold. While many comic book fans have been predicting the arrival of the Whisperers in the upcoming season, a new cast announcement confirms this.

SPOILER ALERT: This article speculates on Season 9 of AMC’s The Walking Dead based on events in the comic book series. Please proceed with caution if you wish to avoid potential spoilers from either platforms.

The Whisperers is a group in The Walking Dead comics who cover themselves in the preserved flesh of the undead in order to walk among them. It is used as a tactic to not only allow themselves to hide from the undead by appearing like them, but also as a cloaking device from other humans.

Now, The Wrap has confirmed that Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy) will be joining the Season 9 cast line up for The Walking Dead. He will play a Whisperers character.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Hurst “will be a recurring guest star.” His character is called Beta, who is “the second in command of the Whisperers, a new group from the comics that is set to be introduced.”

This is not the first casting announcement for the Whisperers group either. Samantha Morton (Fantastic Beasts) will play the Whisperers leader, Alpha, and Cassady McClincy (Ozark) is already on board to play Alpha’s daughter, Lydia, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Here's Who's Playing Carl's Whisperer Girlfriend, Lydia, On 'The Walking Dead' https://t.co/HEsvR9194I

— David Kisamfu (@thedextazlab) August 25, 2018

In addition, other characters from the comics who are interlinked with the Whisperers storyline have also been previously announced as new characters in Season 9 of The Walking Dead. The Wrap states that Nadia Hilker (The 100) will play Magna, who is “the leader of another group arriving next season.” This additional new group also includes the comic book characters of Connie and Yumiko. Connie will be played by Broadway actress Lauren Ridloff. Eleanor Matsuura (Wonder Woman) will play Yumiko.

So what will the addition of Beta and the Whisperers mean for the main group in Season 9 of The Walking Dead?

As a previous Inquistir article states, the Whisperers could spell disaster for some main characters in The Walking Dead if the comic storylines are followed closely — especially for Michonne.

In the comic book series, Rick Grimes and Michonne don’t end up together. In fact, Rick ends up in a relationship with Andrea. However, in the TV series, since Andrea is long dead, Michonne has stepped in to fill Andrea’s comic book role. However, with the advent of the Whisperers, it seals the fate of Andrea in the comics and she ends up dying. So, if Michonne has replaced Andrea in the TV series, many fans are now speculating that the arrival of the Whisperers could also signify the departure of the much-loved Michonne.

However, fans will just have to tune into Season 9 of The Walking Dead to discover how closely AMC will follow this comic book storyline.

Season 9 of The Walking Dead will premiere on AMC on Sunday, October 7, at 9/8c.