'The Walking Dead' season 9 spoilers: Director on The Whisperers

Will “The Walking Dead” season 9 introduce The Whisperers as the new villains? Some fans certainly felt so when they saw a horde of zombies in the episode “Wrath.” The villainous faction from the comics is expected to make an appearance at some point on the show, and Director Greg Nicotero talked about that possibility in a recent interview. The following article contains spoilers.

In the episode “Wrath” Rick (Andrew Lincoln) spotted a large horde of zombies. Such hordes are not new to the TV series, but there were also a series of poles that seems to mark a border of a new faction, something that the Whisperers would do. This yet to be seen villainous faction is a strange group from the comics. They found a unique way of surviving in the post-apocalyptic world.

The Whisperers are living but they have taken on the looks of the zombies. They don’t have a home like Alexandria and wander about, always speaking in whispers. With the Saviors storyline ending the stage is set for the introduction of the Whisperers.

In an interview with EntertainmentWeekly, Nicotero explained that the zombies that Rick saw weren’t the Whisperers. The reference in that scene was to show the heroes that it is pointless to fight amongst themselves especially since there is a big enemy out there. The idea is to make everyone understand that if they keep fighting there will be nothing left to preserve in the face of the army of the dead.

With the Whisperers out of the picture for now, it will be interesting to see what new villain the producers plan to introduce in the next season. More details about the plot of season 9 may be revealed in the coming weeks or at the time when the filming actually begins.