SPOILERS: ‘The Walking Dead’ Kills Off Major Characters In Shocking Episode

The Walking Dead Season 9 AMC- The Calm Before

This article contains major spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 9 episode: “The Calm Before.”

If you’re a reader of The Walking Dead comic book, you no doubt remember the moment in 2015 that came with the release of issue #144. That moment has now been brought to life in the AMC series, albeit with some changes, but still a shocking reveal nonetheless.

The episode, the aptly titled “The Calm Before,” featured the culmination of everything that Rick Grimes had been building towards to honor his son: uniting the communities. With the fair finally beginning at the Kingdom, people from the Kingdom, Oceanside, Alexandria, and the Hilltop came together to catch up, trade, and just have a good time. But in the background of all of this, we still had the ever present threat of Alpha and her Whisperers, always lurking since their introduction to the world of The Walking Dead.

But let’s not bury the lede and beat around the bush. Towards the end of the recent episode of The Walking Dead, Alpha and her Whisperers surround the group of Daryl, Michonne, Carol, and Yumiko. Alpha takes Daryl to a spot where she reveals that she has a massive herd of walkers that she can and will unleash upon the communities if the survivors cross her again. To hammer her point home, she tells Daryl that she’s created a border that his people are to never cross again. Daryl would notice the border when he saw it.

Indeed, he did, as The Walking Dead gets all Game of Thrones on us and gives us its own rendition of the Red Wedding. After the four find Siddiq, he points them to the aforementioned border, which is a series of 10 spikes, all bearing heads of various people from the communities. They are as follows: Ozzy and Alek (two of the new Highwaymen), DJ the former Savior, Frankie, Tammy, Addy, Rodney, Enid, Tara, and Henry.

For comparison’s sake, in the comic, we had 12 deaths, and the gut punches came in the form of finding out that Rosita and Ezekiel were among the dead. The two are alive and well in the show, but the loss of key characters such as Enid, Tara, and Henry are still a shocker, both for viewers and the characters alike. After all, how long had people been thinking that Tara wasn’t long for this world, but she still managed to survive. With her death, though, the Hilltop is again without a leader.

Strangely, though, this death, while shocking, could have easily served as the season finale for The Walking Dead‘s current season. But between Siddiq’s speech to the people — as he was left alive to tell the others what happened — and the arrival of snow, there’s still plenty that can be done as we head into the actual finale next week. It’s a moment that comic readers saw coming, but like the death of Glenn, it doesn’t make it any less impacting.

With that said, what did you think of the reveal on The Walking Dead? Was it shocking to you? Are there any deaths you would have switched or are you fine with the lineup presented? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Season 9 finale of The Walking Dead will air this Sunday at 9PM on AMC.

Top Actors To Replace Ben Affleck In Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’

Ben Affleck is officially out as Batman and it’s a pretty sad day.

Words cannot describe how sad I am to see Ben Affleck announce that he’s no longer Batman. His Batman is why I do what I do. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I fell in love with his comic book-accurate interpretation of the Caped Crusader. It was a breath of fresh air and it felt like we finally had the one true Batman.

Three years have quickly sped by and we’re officially going to receive a new Batman for his next movie. Last night, Ben Affleck announced that he will not return as the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ The Batman and now everyone’s attention has moved towards wanting to know who the next Bruce Wayne will be. Matt Reeves is said to want an actor that’s around 20 years younger than Affleck while Warner Bros. wants someone older. My guess is that Reeves wants a fresh start while the studio wants an older actor for crossover potential.

In this list, I will discuss the actors I think can replace Ben Affleck as Batman using the parameters that Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. want. Hit Next to see our picks to play the Batman.

Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender is an X-Men alum and no stranger to comic book franchises. The actor has shown multiple levels of range and could definitely handle the Batman/Bruce Wayne personality. If they go with the older range for the next Dark Knight, then Fassbender is probably one of the best choices to take over the role.

Ben Barnes

Ben Barnes is out of a job after The Punisher season 2 and he’s one of the best actors in that series. The second season tied up Barnes’ arc on The Punisher and the actor has already told us that that he’d love to play the Caped Crusader. Barnes definitely has the pretty boy look going on for him and I wonder what his take on Bruce Wayne could be.

Ryan Gosling

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Ryan Gosling needs to star in a superhero movie. I’ve always thought Gosling would make a great Batman. Every role that he’s done has shown us his capability and he could crush it as Bruce Wayne.

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm is my top choice for an older Batman. If Warner Bros. wants to cast an older actor for crossover potential, Jon Hamm is the studio’s best bet. He has a similar look to Ben Affleck, and c’mon, the guy’s look just screams Bruce Wayne.

Armie Hammer

Armie Hammer is 32 years old and was cast as the Caped Crusader in George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal. That film will never see the light of day, but that doesn’t mean that Hammer doesn’t deserve a second shot at being the Batman. He’s charming, broody and will probably give his all for this role. Armie Hammer is a great option because he’s young enough for Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. could work in a way for him to crossover with the rest of the DC Extended Universe.

Richard Madden

Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden is my top choice to replace Ben Affleck as Batman. The actor is young, has the look and definitely has the acting chops to play the duality of Batman and Bruce Wayne. Madden just won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television series for the BBC drama Bodyguard, so Warner Bros. may want to quickly snatch him up.

Omari Daniels

Omari Daniels

Guy mostly into journalism and interested in geek culture. So...why not write about it? Get the best of both worlds that way.