The Wasted Potential of Variant Walkers In The Walking Dead

The Wasted Potential of Variant Walkers In The Walking Dead

[@jamesm2078]

I totally agree. Why would they tease variants just to do nothing with them? There’s two climbers at the end of the main show and a giant one in Dead City, that’s it.

[@mikecabrera7393]

There are variants to mix up the situations a bit but it wasn't meant to be this huge overhaul of the walkers and how they are a threat. They still are. Its just annoying to me how people are hyperfocusing on this subject when its never been the focus of the show.

[@NKWTI]

Because fans don't know what the fuck they're talking about. They aren't "variants." These walkers are typically ones that are closer to their time alive than they are being dead for a long period of time and thus, more agile. Even when they did Negan's origin story, the variant he encountered that turned RIGHT AFTER the start of the breakout was faster, stronger, and more aggressive. I'm pretty sure they gave enough clues to show us that "younger" zombies are what you guys are calling "variants."

[@mikecabrera7393]

@@NKWTI Exactly. Its so fucking annoying how this is a criticism. WTF are people expecting? lol Like its been 12 years, dude.

[@commodorezero]

@@NKWTI I agree. The lionshare of the human population died in the first months and years after the apocalypse. The walkers are supposed to get weaker and their quantitys were supposed to get smaller. However this video is referring to variants which were accidently created in a lab and teased at the end of an unpopular spinoff.

[@el_Capitan_Dorado]

​@@NKWTIthat's fake

[@HeisenbergFam]

"keep your expectations low and you will never be disappointed" -Kratos

[@mikecabrera7393]

I don't get why people hyped up about variant walkers so much lol why is everyone so worked up about this? It's never been about whatever crazy walkers they can come up with. Robert Kirkman never intended that to be a thing in the first place so why should it be a problem now?

[@urosbjelos8415]

@@mikecabrera7393 because a few walkers carried knives and climbed fences. The way it was introduced was stupid af as well. They obviously made a big thing about these walkers, because they behave differently. Everything we knew about walkers as they are is a lie. It's a big thing, but obviously so unimportant that no one mentions this in shows. If you see one day a human with 4 arms, you wouldn't just say 'What the fuck?' and then move on with your life. That's not how foreshadowing works, that's not how people work either.

[@iamfriendly6483]

@@mikecabrera7393 because variant walkers is a huge update to the universe and it is alot more exciting to see the protagonist fight these

[@DexterDerpia]

@@mikecabrera7393 Robert Kirkman never intended Daryl to be a character at all, yet he ran the show in the end.

[@hellmira3763]

“I expect nothing and I’m still disappointed” - Dewey from Malcolm in the middle

[@emeraldashtree]

though i do love the idea of variant walkers, i feel like they made wayyy more sense in the earlier seasons. since they decayed more as the shows progressed, their bodies would become more unstable. i mean, you could probably take their arms off with your bare hands, so climbing seems almost off limits. they also have very little muscle left, so their bones must be strong af.

[@esothetics]

@@werewolfroad More then a decade into the apocalypse? I doubt it. If people are dying - it's not going to be in droves like the first few months, and they aren't getting chomped on anymore. Only the best of the best have survived thus far; though this show's universe does have some funky characters that could be showcased in a Final Destination Zombie Edition film.

[@emeraldashtree]

@@werewolfroad correct; however, drastic amount of the population turned at the start of the apocalypse, so the amount of people being turned every day has definitely plateaued.

[@panspermiapancakes]

The walkers' altered physiology and the presence of the virus that causes reanimation play a role in preserving their bodies to some extent. The virus may slow down or alter the usual decomposition process, keeping the walkers in a relatively intact state for an extended period. While the writers are not always consistent with it's lore and rules of the universe and contradict itself quite often, the reanimated corpses have an ongoing metabolism that allows them to sustain their basic bodily functions, such as movement and the need for sustenance. They would have to have an ongoing metabolism to function in the manner that they do. They walk, they eat. Everything else is dead, although we do know something in the brain turns on at the moment of death, so the brain is obviously required as well. Either way, in order to have the desire to walk and eat, they would have to have some form of metabolism. Walkers may not actually achieve sustenance in a way a human would, but a well-fed walker does seem to last a lot longer than the ones who starve and decompose quicker. It's not like we can rely on an exact science for any type of explanation on a fiction monster in fictional world, but considering there is still hoards of thousands of walkers in later seasons, they have to have survived that long from eating often, even if its not humans. Lurkers in the walking dead seem to preserve themselves by walking less and mostly just laying around, waiting for its food to stumble across them. It's less work involved, and they seem to go into some preserved state of hibernation, reawakening usually due to noise. There is a lot of things to suggest that they are adapting as time progresses.

[@emeraldashtree]

@@panspermiapancakes good points! i was more making a point of how strange it is that walkers are only really starting to come back out so late into the apocalypse. if hordes have to eat, they are almost definitely underfed. one human isn't enough for all of the horde, and animals can only last so long. the muscle on their body most likely has to be sustained by these nutrients and being underfed would probably start to atrophy or totally decay the walkers. that being said, i would almost expect for there to be skeletal walkers in the shows. i understand CGI and SFX only go so far, but i think the point still stands. (sorry if this is incomprehensible lol, just wrote a college app essay and my brain is fried.)

[@panspermiapancakes]

@@emeraldashtree Yeah, i agree with you that they likely would have entirely decayed and only gotten weaker with time. Plus there just isn't enough humans to keep creating massive hoards. The story seems to defy* most laws of logic. lol But for the sake of the story and keeping intrigue, the walkers need to be around and there needs to be plenty of them. The Variant episode where they introduce intelligent walkers likely does have an explanation, though. There is a theory that the CRM, while doing experiments on both the living and the dead, have created a hybrid form of the virus either on purpose or entirely by mistake. But they have utilized them as weapons of war. There is some hints towards this in TWD World Beyond. While that show gets shit on, it was actually serving as a bridge to connect the entire TWD universe together as we slowly start getting closer to a conclusion of the series. A lot of these questions remained unanswered at the moment for the sake of story and continued interest.

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

Definitely a missed opportunity, The writers weren't creative with the walkers

[@nikosbadis]

The show isn’t about walkers, g

[@jonah.donohue]

Not creative? Whaaa

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

@@jonah.donohue They weren't, The group moves to a hideout, it gets overrun by walkers and they move somewhere else and repeat.

[@theworst9423]

@@nikosbadis "The zombie show isnt about zombies"

[@mikecabrera7393]

@@TihetrisWeathersby What are you talking about? They literally established a community in season 5 that hasn't fallen to walkers. They haven't moved elsewhere so much as the characters have which is why the spin offs are taking place in different locations. Sounds like you don't even watch the show and are just parroting critiques that aren't even solid critiques of the series to begin with.

[@joshuacampbell289]

What’s unbelievable about it is the hundreds of thousands of walkers that have been around our main characters herds, whisperers, singles, etc. and none have been encountered until the last season.

[@TerminallyChill85]

Was very curious if variants would detect Whisperers. How would they interact?

[@Lazulii33]

They were present in s1

[@DRAYARETURN]

@@Lazulii33 yea but after that they just disapeared for like 10 years somehow

[@Lazulii33]

@@DRAYARETURN because they're location based, there were none around Alexandria etc, but once they moved to the commonwealth they saw them. Also it's implied they were placed there by other nations.

[@rafaelferreira7408]

The variants who will show up in the Daryl show are not these ones, they can run and have way more strength(at least the fresh ones), like we saw in the end of World Beyond.

[@BeanyBeans]

Interesting idea: So, in the walking dead, before the outbreak of the wildfire virus, it's confirmed that the disease spread between everybody, but only sat dormant, which explains how literally EVERYBODY had it, and could fall to it even by not being bitten, since the walkers had an active strain of it to transmit, while the survivors still only had the dormant strain. Personally, I think that the disease just kept mutating and spreading between walkers, since they often walk in close groups or hordes, and eventually, a mutated strain started activating that would allow some walkers better motor functions or higher intelligence. This would make sense, since it's been over a decade and the disease would naturally evolve and change to better serve itself and its hosts, and we can compare this to real life things such as the coronavirus and its variants that have emerged over the last few years. TLDR; the wildfire virus is really good at staying dormant until activating would lead to possibly an even better spread. Billions infected at the beginning, now it's going for the survivors.

[@supersnow17]

This reminds me of the original Dead Rising. All of the zombies were basically the same, but some could move faster than others, some even slightly "running" towards you. Made you constantly alert because you never knew which ones would be charging at you next. Season 1 walkers felt this way, and it made me really sad they basically dropped all of that after season 1 for the most part.

[@qsministries]

The producer was replaced

[@itsdabees]

You're half right, but what you're referencing is the effect nighttime has on the undead in the game, which effect their speed by a not insignificant amount and there's a chance for them to spawn in as "fast shamblers" at night. they get more aggressive around a queen bee as well, and that's how you find the bug. There's also a random cance any random zombie can activate a short "sprint" if you could call it that

[@sensacionsombria5125]

I love zombie lore from season 1. Single walkers were slow but in groups they become more feral and dangerous. Also in season 1 Morgan and Lori mentioned that walkers became faster during night time!

[@supersnow17]

@@sensacionsombria5125 So much for all that in the later seasons huh.

[@HCSRBLX]

There was actually a stealthy walker in the clothing shop in dead city, it snuck up on the deputy and maggie. Not sure if that is counted as a variant though but it seemed to intentionally make itself quiet to sneak.

[@RRM693]

I want walkers to be an actual threat again like smashing glass with rocks, climbing and running. Only times when they are scary now is in close quarters or some weird way an enemy will use em like catapults

[@Joseph-cr8wg]

Variant Walkers were a big thing in S1 of TWD. You had runners, climbers, smart ones that retained memories like opening doors, others using rocks to break open doors. I think the s1 director had it on point and from there it went down pretty fast. I only see them doing this as a way to keep the show interesting this late into it.

[@ChrisAtheist]

I agree,and the explanation of the Variants was just plain lazy writing Because they already existed in Season 1 from the beginning

[@MattrickBT]

They weren't variants in the first season. That was just how Darabont chose to present the zombies. In the 2nd season they changed it so they couldn't carry objects or try to open doors.

[@ChrisAtheist]

@@MattrickBT they we're basically variants otherwise it's just really lazy writing

[@MattrickBT]

@@ChrisAtheist In retrospect we can call them variants. We can retcon those 1st season zombies as variants to remove an inconsistency. But that doesn't mean they were intended to be variants. There's nothing lazy about it either way.

[@vmvlev]

yea sure thats why the original director hated the variant idea

[@TheGrimjackfromCPT]

The only theory I have that could make sense is that the variant walkers are either people who died and had rare genetics which caused them to be superior to other walkers or because of how long the people survived before turning the dormant virus that they already had mutated and had a different effect after turning

[@rippy4973]

They set the Variants up for the spin-off shows. It was pretty obvious why they showed them in the last episodes of the series. I’m sure they will appear in the Daryl show and in the future WD projects

[@peytonyoung4209]

Robert Kirkman said that they’ve had variance to the entire show in season one when they broke the glass also season one it was chasing Glenn right before he stole the Dodge Challenger. It jumped the fence.

[@MrRedMustache]

I thought that the variants where a plot hole fix for season 1 and 2 walkers, then they were able to climb and run and also you saw a walker using a rock to break the glass in ep2 s1. In one of the last episodes of s11 the exact same thing happens where a walker uses a rock to break a glass window

[@rosson6580]

You know what’s crazy is I didn’t see many obese or even that big walkers. Especially in fear since it’s Texas and everything is bigger in Texas

[@shamallamajc2255]

Dead City is dangerous cause of the quantity of walkers, Daryl show will be dangerous cause of the quality of walkers

[@concernedandequal1928]

I mean.... in season 1 there was already walkers who used rocks to break glass, walkers who broke into a jog, and walkers who CLIMBED fences. Let's not forget Morgan's wife would twist the knob on the door to the house. So yeah....

[@Hall_Mason23]

More variety of walkers could really help with the connection with characters and build up more intense episodes in TWD but from the variations we have already have gotta I think they do fix the problem of how interesting those variants are

[@nikosbadis]

True that in 21 of July we’ll get a TWD panel about the spinoffs and most importantly Richonne? Can’t wait to see a teaser and the end of DEAD CITY 🥳

[@jaygrizzley]

putting the business before realism has ALWAYS been TWD’s issue. It’s why when characters don’t have good exit points from the story they drop 50IQ to get bit by walkers, like Carl.

[@Dragonfist12185]

I think another reason we don't see walker variants in the series, is because many post-apocalyptic governments like the Civic Republic, may have either theorized or discovered this happening and took steps to keep the numbers as low as possible. The Civic Republic Military black ops may actually know more about the variants and are keeping the existence classified.

[@B-zk9bt]

I absolutely love the idea of evolving zombies, George Romero did it so right with zombies learning and using their remaining intelligence to overcome obstacles. i.e: Bub using a gun, and the scene where Big Daddy leads the group through the lake, and where he teaches Cheerleader how to use an assault weapon. It’s such an interesting concept, and I think The Walking Dead could’ve done it a lot better. I think they should’ve introduced Variants earlier on, around a year or two after the outbreak and letting them evolve on their own. For example, very early on it’s shown that recently turned walkers retain *some* amount of intelligence, Morgan’s Wife recognising and retaining knowledge of how to use a door, and the ever so infamous scene where a walker used a rock(?) (I may be misremembering, but I remember one using a power drill, as I said I may be misremembering or mixing it up with another zombie show) to smash open the storefront, and it does make sense why recently turned walkers would retain basic knowledge, their brains haven’t deteriorated much yet. But, having the walkers learn on their own and learn to adapt to the survivor’s strategies and techniques would’ve been amazing.

[@bryant7542]

New York would be the dumbest place to go in a zombie apocalypse. I think the writing got so haphazard and screwed up later on. Characters are randomly in France, New York, Daryl's doing some random shit. None of it is held together well in terms of continuity. Also, there were walkers running and climbing in season 1 Atlanta. One zombie also used a stone to break the shop glass. JDM is basically deadlifting every episode, keeping it above ground.

[@hdguy5]

A friend and fellow brother of the Dead of mine spoke about this extensively near the end of the parent show, and couldn’t believe it wasn’t something the writers followed up on. Here’s hoping we get more in DD show or even The Ones Who Live

[@seantastic9216]

Variants are only shown briefly because, they may have been infected with a different strain of the parasite or bacteria or whatever, because in France at the beginning when walkers showed up, things were worse, walkers were showing the same traits as the ones that started climbing walls. Someone who might have been in France and was infected may have fled to the United States to get away from the chaos. Then when they got infected they spread the walker virus even more, but this time it was a different strain that gave the walkers that ability. Then when Daryl is in France he awakens the sleeping beast (The different strain of walker virus) then everyone alive in France gets infected with the new strain, then they die and things get bad in France and Daryl is gonna struggle to stay alive as the walkers might run and climb.

[@WowSuchGaming]

Hey man do you mind if i use 5 seconds of footage from this video to elaborate a point on an upcoming video of mine? Ill credit you on screen!

[@davidjoeseph2646]

More importantly, the swine flu walkers were an entire story line that they just stopped with no ending or explanation

[@GrimesEdits77]

Yes this is so true I wish that they would’ve gotten more scenes to make it harder for the Main characters to Defend from walkers. The Variety of wasted potential is Huge.

[@Joker96624]

Mutant walkers would have also been fun to have randomly thrown in, like what was in Dead City. While the walkers are awesome, having random mutants, runners, climbers, etc. occasionally included just adds more variety, fear and threats. The mutants, climbers or runners shouldn't take over as the main threat, just have the small threat of them occasionally sprinkled into the show.

[@NormalGuy580]

We need the older walkers to have a mutation too

[@reneduplain1102]

this video helped me understand variant walkers so much!

[@The_Local_Goose]

Always a good day when clashed pr uploads a long form video

[@michaelmccr3294]

You gotta remember people with new types of walkers showing up at the worst times does create panicking and fear into the living as these walkers are starting to regain there intelligence and who they were once with certain skill sets. Variant walkers are the beginning to them from being mindless flesh eaters to being smart, tactical and aggressive walkers that will kill and may not need to eat you at all

[@masongodofgames8544]

yeah i agree with you so far in the spinoffs like dead we have seen some of the walkers walking faster and a mutated walker but the scene where they were in the ring was a waste of a variant opportunity like the variants are what makes walkers more of a threat besides them in a mega horde but i hope the Daryl show will have the runner variant and also some variants in the rick show as well! :)

[@David_Walt09]

How do you download the episodes and get them into your video editing software?

[@jazz2262]

hopefully they introduce them in Daryl Dixon and R&M Spinoff

[@thisisdra5ticc]

They have to have them in daryl show. They hinted it in world beyond ending in France

[@Nameless.Hermit]

1 thing to go back and see is that in the ep where Shane goes to the school in s2 a walker actually breaks the glass with a tool, but again they never expand on why/how and just forget about it.

[@stivothemenace559]

It's even more disappointing when you remember that the walkers in Seasons 1 and 2 of the main show could also run and use tools, like when that zombie used a rock to break the glass in the department store in Atlanta. The whole point of the show at first was to have zombies that were smarter than the zombies people were getting used to in other media, and once the original showrunner was booted after Season 1, the zombies were dumbed down to be the shambling messes we are all used to.

[@VIDEOSHUBBR2H]

www.youtube.com/@PAHELIFANBASE Zombie ki paheli ka answer de kr btao comments m

[@ferrievanvliet8043]

Variants should only apply to ''fresh'' walkers, someone that /just/ turned. THAT would make sense. Not have them appear more often now, out of the blue. If anything, I think that'd make less sense.

[@dranzerjetli5126]

Funnily they existed in season 1 and 2

[@ellis3320]

I think the fresh variants should be faster, smarter and more aggressive, but as time progresses they break down into walkers, then if they’re exposed to certain things in the environment or certain mutations they become different types

[@Jake_lovely]

Walker drinking water in episode 1 "hold my cup"

[@biosyn-ab4261]

Man I hope we do see the variants in other spin offs. Zombies need to be dangerous again. Hope to see them in the Rick and Michone series as well.

[@xdjamesboond9351]

I agree but dead city is doing their own variant walkers, Dead City has the Walker King. Also it would be cool if Fear had it's own Variant Walkers. I think each Show should have their own Variants.

[@jac0bspl]

yea but she just stabbed one walker and it died. I think it was just hallucinating by that gas in the sewers

[@HighLordUberDude]

The creator of dead city said the walker king was his idea of what if a walker steped over another walker etc etc. so thats not a variant thats just several walkers that were left to rot for several years in the tight spaces of the sewers.

[@xdjamesboond9351]

@@jac0bspl No it was real but yea it was so lame the Walker King Dead almost instantly. I think we will definitely see more Walker Kings tho

[@auroa9854]

these mfs need to chill we still have 2 more shows to watch

[@CH-hn2rj]

@@xdjamesboond9351 Because it wasn't a variant. Get over it

[@AnatolyName]

I would love to see a 3 hour long video of you listing every episode of the walking dead. Gildus(a GOT youtuber) Made a tier list of the episodes too!

[@timofteandrada1672]

Keep up the work!!! Respect❤

[@ivannowskii8603]

That’s why I loved Z Nation While there was not the most “serious” series, there was something new and fun every episode.

[@turtletoaster4875]

i wonder if theres actually a way to cure walker bites I remember listening to someone's analysis a few years ago that bites dont kill you but the extreme amounts of bacteria entering your body is what kills you because of the infection so i wonder if stuff like hydrogen peroxide or something else like that can cure walker bites just by applying it to the wound if its been a few hours then i guess theres no saving but if its fresh then i feel like there would be a chance this could be a cool video idea i think

[@CannaBanana]

dead city did have a walker varient tho, well sorta, the walker that had multiple walker heads and arms attached to it could be defined as a varient seeing as they all moved and operated as one walker but you need to take out all the heads in order to kill it

[@DaroXs2]

amazing video

[@maximalsakerhet7930]

Episode 5 of the Daryl spinoff finally incorporates the variants in an exciting way

[@jthemegaviru8681]

And guess what? That's the last time you're gonna see them. Besides the last episode of Daryl Dixon.

[@walkersandwhitewalkers7753]

I think since New York City’s bridges were cut that wouldn’t allow variant walkers to get to the city so only old walkers were there

[@SimonandAden-iy5km]

Remember when the first verdant that was using a rock

[@Ghost_-nz5dy]

I still think will probably see some eventually in dead city definitely in the Rick and Michonne spin off considering that’s mainly dealing with the CRM and if anyone planted French variants in the United States it had to of been them

[@pandahsykes602]

*The writers really signed off after season 5. I’m saddened to see the golden age of television die (2010-2015). Maybe Hollyweird will wake up and become great again*

[@captainamerica6525]

Walkers like storms, floods and tornadoes are like a force of nature. They can't all be eliminated but they can be dealt with.

[@BatmanBurritos93]

They were teased in the world beyond spin-off. I think they showed them in the main show for more of a tease for the Rick and michonne show

[@qsministries]

Newly beaten zombies should be able to run, push doors, break house windows (not with stones like the first season), as they decay those abilities should lessen

[@woomino1246]

my headcannon is that variants are a rare occurence, that's why they barely appear

[@gonktwd]

I think the way they are handling variant walkers is really stupid, if they are saving them for the Daryl Dixon series, that’s even more stupid, it completely breaks, emersion, and some what ruins the realism of the show for me personally, it’s not that big of a deal though. 😊

[@ClashedPR]

Exactly, I don't mind much either but many people have been pointing out how they just disappeared

[@ultradeathboy]

Only OGs will remember that entire horde that ran after rick and his horse in episode 1 season 1

[@NixDeGraves8888]

And then when it gets dark, the REALLY nasty zombies come out. BUT you can keep them at bat with a UV light.

[@Commander6727]

To me the thoughts of variants is an amazing idea the thought of No were being safe when Walkers show up brought me back to season 1 Walkers where they were using stuff to break window, kind of running and climbing gates it was incredible. Even when we see the one opening a door climbing up a latter grabbing weapons and even the walls of the Common Weath it fixed an issues I had with the show and how the dead were put on the back burner and were just forgotten until Alpha and Beta were introduced. Variants could have been and interesting idea scattered around here and there but sad they don’t make an appearance but are rumored just for Normans show. I just feel them being underutilized is just a failure in my eyes you don’t need them every episode just sprinkle on in once in a while to keep you on your toes.

[@kiillabytez]

Ummm..., it's spelled Commonwealth?

[@ellis3320]

@@kiillabytezbruh 💀

[@justsomeguywithmustachio5369]

Fun fact: French variant walker holds a baguette

[@CallMeNxmbYT]

The CRM made the variant and burners

[@sphelps31]

I agree, it would have been better if this were a Universe wide phenomenon. I think HUGE missed opportunity would have been to introduce the Variant in The Tales of the Walking Dead specifically the episode with the scientist and nature documentarian who's been observing TWD for a decade on an island. If anyone would pick up on a change in the dead it would have been that dude.

[@eqmcctool5456]

Are you going to do a breakdown of the new trailers

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

I like the idea that spreading smart walker brains on slow biters spreads the variants, making your gun a weapon that kills an individual but spreads the danger

[@RpgPlays1]

Agreed they should have released them earlier to make them way scarier bc the walkers aren’t that scary anymore the main of twd is now Country wars or smth like that and I’m glad that we will see more variants in the Daryl Dixon spin-off

[@digitaal_boog]

There’s two types of variants. Natural and caused. Caused being like armoured walkers, modified ones like the junkyard spiked one, metal heads etc. natural variants I feel should have been better revealed. Maybe a couple of people in a settlement die and retain some mental function. Remember things they did a lot of. Perhaps they might pick of a tool or something, or climb, or open doors. Things they would have done a lot of to survive. That would take survivors by surprise, and they die and may become variants as well. This could lead to an overrun of the settlement due to the panic of trying to combat something new, and then that could make variants still work without breaking lore or making plot holes. Their sudden disappearance and return could be explained by perhaps all the variant infected lost their capacity to think quickly after the brain begins to rot. They then became normal walkers. If they had use fresh walkers for the reveal it would have make more sense

[@damontorsten9344]

Ironic, they added the walker king to dead city right after this came out...

[@andrewcampbell4498]

Remember in the first season when they would practically run? Why don't some of them still do that? I understand that the people who have been walkers for years have decayed but shouldn't someone who just died yesterday and hasn't rotted at all be able to run?

[@MoonDog991]

In one of the first episodes of TWD there was a walker holding a rock and smashing a glass window.

[@-_.-..-]

Didn’t know they had Walking Dead in Nebraska

[@theautisticcreative2619]

In the US variants are a slow emergence, where as in UK/Europe, they're more common. It could be down to virus agression being less aggressive than in the UK/EU. How this happens could have many reasons, one being that whoever created the virus also created servral strains. These strains were released in pre chosen countries, which creates variants, I suspect certain strains were released in certain countries to try and do two things: 1. Depopulate a country 2. Subjugate counties seen harder to gain control over by taking charge to kill these variants as a show of strength and force. If the US is seeing a rise in variants then the virus has mutated over the 13 years, which can happen. It's like the apocalypse was used as a way to test a biological weapon.

[@lukeisapanini]

I thought I saw one in the latest dead city, not the big boy. I saw a walker that looked like it had the variants eyes when Negan and the Marshal were on the run

[@vitaliyred622]

It was literally wasted like 6 seasons before. Like, imagine one just one of freshly infected start RUNNING?! That could be insane.

[@SICPARVISMAGNA3018]

We could definitely do with scarier and more dangerous walkers and that giant merged walker Maggie fought in dead city is proof of how dangerous a walker could become if given enough time

[@Monst3rCaptain]

The weird thing is that some walkers did grab/climbed on S1. I think they changed it when the showrunner got fired or if he quit, I dont remember.

[@Daron7181]

They fired Frank Darabont is why.

[@neon09]

Back when a normal zombie is a literal threat lmao

[@yory5000]

back in season 1 and 2 zombies could pretty much run and were actually a threat , then they just became comically slow but can teleport off-screen to kill side characters and ofc every characters can kill 50 zombies with 0 issues i mean walkers became so ridiculous that they had to introduce roaming herds as early as season 2

[@cohen8817]

They just shoved them in at the end so spin-offs can use it(probs Daryl show)

[@avic-]

This aged beautifully

[@rondoedwards5421]

my theory is that the same people who took rick is the same people who created the new variant walkers while trying to find a cure for the virus and that the test went out of control and the variants got out

[@ryenis]

whats funny is we got a hint of this in episode 1 for like 1 minute, the first with the little girl picking up a a teddy bear and the second morgan's wife trying to open the door. It went over my head before, but after rewatching this year i thought it was funny the story writers just for got about that zombie element

[@adampalmer8573]

I mean there’s a reason why they’re all doing spin offs, it’s because no doubt they will do 1 last season of the actual walking dead to bring everything together

[@DanielSaez_]

So are we not gonna talk about the walkers in the city of twd season 1 that run, climb and break glass 💀

[@justinclark397]

I think the idea of Variant Walkers should be something that appears in all the shows because one: it makes sense that the Walkers would evolve in every country not just France, and two: it connects the shows and makes it feel like one connected world where characters and concepts crossover to influence each other.

[@nissutobor9078]

I'm nitpicking, but it wouldn't be the walkers that are evolving. It would be the virus. Which ABSOLUTELY would have mutated several times over the course of a decade IRL

[@JimGains]

Option 3 is they were introduced as far back as season 1 and we're forgotten about and then reintroduced later after the viewer base has been tanking

[@SUAVE_AMIGO-X]

George Romero the Creator of the modern day zombies said in interviews that a zombie can't move fast or run on the count of rigamortis which stiffness your body after death just saying from the Creator and Master point of view.

[@hankjesse3410]

I think that they are localizing types of variants. You’ve got the runners in France, the climbers and tool users in the Commonwealth Area, and the monstrosities in New York. Maybe Fear didn’t show one because they’re aren’t any variants in the location. They were in the swamp, so maybe smarter ones would avoid that area.

[@TTyronE_]

I think that Variants themselves will "in the general scheme of things" be rare for TWD - with exception to France. Although I don't believe anything is confirmed, with the "LES MORTS SONT NES ICI" writing it is believed that the virus originated in France and eventually made its way around the world. We don't have much of an origin for the virus, but let's just go off of that. The first, most concentrated strain of the infected started in France so I think it makes sense that most of the variants are found there, with the World Beyond post credit scene the woman reanimates almost instantly and starts sprinting to the door - this shows that at least this variant may have heightened senses and/or some recollection of memory (and similarly to the one shown in the clip at 4:18 having seemingly ) - maybe this is limited to variants that originated in France (infected before turning) and the subsequent infected are all a lesser/weaker strain of the same infection (Summary: Ground-Zero infected are stronger than the average 'simple' walker). As others in the comments mentioned, fresh walkers are generally stronger than long-standing (or walking-heh) walkers simply due to the body decaying. The variants featured in the main show and Dead City could have been from that stronger strain of the virus, they could have been Ground Zero who were infected before making their way to the states, or perhaps the stronger strain can only be transmit between humans/infected with specific genetics. All-in-all, we likely won't get a perfect answer to this other than "It started in France" because it's a whole lot of explaining for something so minor. They're just going to pull out a variant when they believe it could be used for some quick storytelling or for shock factor (There was the bloated Walker in S2, Climbers & Rat King in S11 & Dead City, Runners & Acid Walkers in Daryl Dixon - though the bloater, rat king, and acid walkers are a product of their environment, I'll still classify them as variants, and there are others like the 'methodical' walkers/sprinters that were shown in earlier seasons).

[@fernandoferraz3527]

Variants will show up in Daryl's show

[@robertflood3007]

Their introduction would only be too late if they don’t end up taking it somewhere. Which is exactly what their doing. Their arc has yet to blossom but it’s on the way

[@digitaal_boog]

My head canon is that the variant walkers came to the us by accident. Daryl made it to France, what if someone from Europe made it to the US? Might have died or been killed on the journey or after landing, and because a variant walker?

[@gior20]

i need to see more variants!!!

[@raejspihor6337]

What program do you edit the videos you send to shorts?

[@birds7589]

LETS GO NEW CLASHED PR VID!!!

[@mussimbigrace3469]

They could’ve made those variants run fast

[@whitechocolate029]

What doesn't make walking dead good anymore is the fact the dead are still able to stand after all this time.

[@sadik_3]

Do Merle next

[@daesplays8737]

And yet... nothing in Daryl's show so far. Yes, there were the acid blood walkers in the first few scenes of the first episode... but the characters just kindda shrugged it off and so far we've had nothing else about them.