Among the new batch of post-apocalyptic characters from The Walking Dead: World Beyond, it's safe to say that Nicolas Cantu's Elton Ortiz is the most eclectic. The fifteen-year-old is the most analytical of the teenaged quartet that leaves their haven at Campus Colony on a rescue mission. And Elton's thinking is as unique as his style, as he's spent the show's second episode quaintly discussing the end of humanity and nature's ability to evolve.

Cantu spoke with CBR about Elton's views on nature and humanity, the mission he's carrying out for his late parents and why World Beyond is so unique in both the world of The Walking Dead and television at large.

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CBR: What makes World Beyond different from other Walking Dead series that come before it?

Nicolas Cantu: I think the most striking difference between our show and the others is the new perspective. The entire show is through the lens of these teenagers that have grown up in the safety of a fortified college campus, unaware of the dangers beyond the walls. So when we head out on our adventure, you’re seeing everything from the eyes of teenagers. The world of the apocalypse is scary. But also beautiful in a strange way. The walkers are more of a threat, and every encounter could be life or death.

Elton says he wants to be "complete, aware, and not to be afraid ever again in the series premiere." How does that inform who he is as a character?

Elton is a 14-year-old orphan of the apocalypse whose prime intellect informs his every decision. He doesn’t want to be afraid because he believes fear clouds the mind from carrying out its important processes. But he’s going to have to learn that fear and other unfavorable emotions are part of life. His journey is very much about discovery. Spending his whole life learning about the world behind walls, he might discover everything he knows is wrong when he escapes to experience it for himself.

Elton's main credo is "The wind always wins," indicating that nature decides what happens to humanity. What does that perspective bring into The Walking Dead universe?

In the world of The Walking Dead, “the wind always wins” rings very true. With the dead now roaming the Earth, Mother Nature has reclaimed its spot as the controller, not the controlled. When humans were selfishly taking everything from nature, the world responded by revoking control from the people. Massive cities have been reclaimed by vines and trees, showing that nature is taking back what is rightfully theirs.

With the walkers on our show, which we call "empties," we can see how nature has affected them as well. Plants grow around empties, tethering them to the ground in some instances, and in others, wasps use the decaying body of an empty to build nests inside them. It was always nature's world; we just didn't see it until after our reign ended.

Elton is the character most focused on the past and the future. How does the idea of generations play into his character and the show at large?

Elton’s parents were both people of science, teaching him everything they knew. Before the outbreak, Elton’s mom was working on a manuscript about Mother Nature and its many systems. Before she died on "The Night the Sky Fell," she gave Elton the manuscript. With it being 10 years since he was separated from his mother, he’s taken it upon himself to finish the manuscript. He feels like the next generation of scientist in his family, and he makes it his duty to carry on with his parents' teachings.

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What role does Elton play amongst the group that travels into the outside world?

Elton is the most important member of the team because he is awesome and cool and has big muscles to kill all the walkers. [Laughs.] I wish! In reality, he’s more of the brains of the operation, providing reason to the group’s plans for overcoming the difficult obstacles of the world they traverse. He’s the center point of morality and problem solving, everybody comes to him with questions, and he tries his best to provide answers.

Why do you think World Beyond works in the context of the reality we currently live in?

While it would be obvious to draw parallels from the virus in the show to the pandemic we’re experiencing right now, I feel the big reason it works in our world’s context is the theme of nature. Us people have been taking from the world for our own gain, and while that's important for the progression of humans as a species, our methods of doing so are selfish.

Now I’m not saying you’re going to turn into a zombie if you don't recycle. But our show poses the question, what if? [Laughs.] I’m joking. Really, I feel our show gives a look into a world where nature becomes our direct opposition and seeing how our characters handle it is the main reason I hope people tune in.

Created by Scott Gimple, Robert Kirkman and Matt Negrete, The Walking Dead: World Beyond stars Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Annet Mahendru, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston and Nico Tortorella. The series airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.

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