As The Walking Dead rockets towards its 11th and final season, the long-running show will need to cover a significant amount of ground in order to capture all of the major moments remaining in the comic. Even though the show has often radically departed from its printed source material, its core has always been a spiritually faithful adaptation of nearly every significant moment produced by Robert Kirkman in the monochromatic serial.
Gone are the days of the walkers serving as the primary and most enduring threat of the series. Here to stay are the survivors, carefully crafted with their own unique foibles and iniquities, and even though man has already proven it can cause vastly more destruction than the zombie menace that served as the inspiration for the series, fans know the most horrifying is yet to come. With all of the highs and lows in the comic still left to be retold, take a gander at ten villains that AMC's The Walking Dead needs to introduce before curtains fall on the long-running series.
9 Sherry
Although her path in the AMC franchise has seen her enter into the world of Fear the Walking Dead, Sherry's role in the comics saw a resurgence in the Saviors' fortune and a final confrontation with Rick Grimes.
Even though the story of the Saviors seems to be well and truly told in the television series, there is very much a distinct possibility that Sherry could return from her extended vacation on Fear and come after the legacy of Rick Grimes for the perceived fate of Dwight at the hands of the Alexandrians. A specter from the past, Sherry's television path may break wildly with the comics that came before, but that doesn't mean she can't find her way home for one last bloody confrontation.
8 Dwight
Like Sherry, Dwight's path on the television series is far from the same journey as Sherry's in the comics, but a return to Alexandria could allow Dwight to seize upon the motivations of his comics counterpart.
Dwight desired to lead Alexandria in the comics, and witnessing the carnage of the Whisperers, it could be a distinct possibility that Dwight would view himself as the only choice left among a decimated community hungry for leadership. Once again, a specter of the past could return and reclaim their comic book storyline for themselves.
7 Derick
Derick exists in the comics as fodder to fuel the journey of Negan after he leaves Alexandria. Even though Negan's character in the television series has already diverged from the path of his comics origins, there is still a necessity for closure, and witnessing the choices Negan makes after his departure from the the mainline comic in Negan Lives gives readers a sense of the evolution of the character into a murderous Punisher-like vigilante on the untamed roads of a post-apocalyptic America, a role that Rick may have foreseen as an eventuality.
As the producers of The Walking Dead look to size up their resources as they push on into an anthology series, they may consider giving Negan this tap on the shoulder, setting him up for future stories in the world of the walkers.
6 Pamela Milton
As society has progressed in The Walking Dead, its rustic rebirth has been met with challenges of survival and clearly articulated antagonists. But the menace that will serve as the design of the future is a menace born out of clashing ideologies. Much in the way that political parties often have dueling ideologies, the communities that would make up the Commonwealth would develop different philosophical differences in how to manage the burgeoning network of communities outside of Washington, D.C.
Pamela's role in the story served as a less-physical antagonist, a more cerebral rival for Rick and his allies. This direction would be something new for the traditionally action-oriented television series - but the show wouldn't be bereft of its trademark shock and violence.
5 Lance Hornsby
The Commonwealth is an uneasy presence upon its introduction in the comics, and part of that unease is created by Lance Hornsby, a prideful and vain character that gives a voice to the Commonwealth in its early appearances. Lance's function seems to be in assessing outsiders that infringe upon the land of the Commonwealth, but as the story progresses, he becomes a clear lackey to Pamela Milton.
The Walking Dead on AMC often likes to prepare viewers for a new major adversary by teasing the audience with their underlings or lieutenants, and Lance would fit the bill in a slow burn reveal of the Commonwealth.
4 Stephanie
Depending on the direction the TV series takes, Stephanie, a character introduced briefly in the show as a radio contact for Eugene, could be positioned as someone simply trying to lure Eugene and his friends into a trap or ambush.
Similarly to the opening episodes of Fear the Walking Dead, a radio relationship turned into an in-person nightmare may not be the best course of action to take with the AMC franchise, but Stephanie's presence in the comics is markedly different in tone and direction. However, trying to pack thirty issues of the comic into a single season of the series might mean that major creative liberties are taken.
3 Kentucky Outlaws
The significance of these unnamed ruffians is singular: they allow Michonne to be reintroduced to her long-missing daughter late in the comic series. A tense reunion filled with bitter recriminations, the AMC series could use a rescue from brutal criminals as the perfect catalyst for this reunion, reminding viewers of Michonne's courage and skill in preparation for what might likely be the final major introduction of the series.
Despite Michonne's departure, a single-episode return could give fans the right sort of emotional closure with the character. These sorts of reunions are often some of the more heartwarming moments of the series, but inserting the threat of palpable danger into the final season might give that reunion a sense of true relief upon its revelation.
2 The Commonwealth Army
A very distinct possibility in leading up to the final episodes of The Walking Dead is to eschew the comics entirely and have the Commonwealth, initially introduced as resource-rich trained soldiers, remain exactly that.
The Commonwealth has the manpower and the machinery necessary to defeat the Alexandrians should tensions rise, and armor-clad boogeymen certainly would be a departure from the Whisperers' reign of terror in the previous two seasons. Much like stormtroopers in Star Wars, these militiamen could very well be just what AMC demands as its flagship series continues to march towards its finale.
1 Sebastian Milton
In the comic series, Sebastian Milton pulled the trigger on curtains for The Walking Dead's traditional star character, effectively ending the series. Sebastian is a departure from the normal insanity that characterizes the title's standard antagonists. Instead, Sebastian's malevolence is born out of self-entitlement, laziness and jealousy. As the world redevelops, the crimes of a once-modern society begin to rise anew, and with those crimes come the motivations of an old world.
The series' final shocking deaths originate from the same emotions as many crimes in the world today. A civilized world, one that the survivors of The Walking Dead have always yearned to reclaim. With that good comes the insidious evil that still lurks within the hearts of men, and Sebastian exemplifies that. Even though the show cannot faithfully recreate Sebastian's stunning moment of betrayal the way it was meant, there is still room for the tale to be re-spun in a different direction.