Walking Dead fans demand backstory for iconic walkers

Fans of The Walking Dead have picked out the zombies they want a backstory for, and say they should have had their moments in Tales of the Walking Dead.

There are more zombies than people in The Walking Dead. So much so, that production was hiring around 200 extras per season to play the undead entities known as ‘walkers’. They may not be as speedy or rage-filled as other famous zombies in the genre, but those walkers have become just as famous as the characters trying to outrun them.

Throughout The Walking Dead and its spinoffs, a few walkers manage to steal the spotlight. From the very first little girl Rick Grimes encounters to the monster movie-style ‘Bloated Well Walker’, everyone has a favorite – and, more importantly, one that scares them the most.

But many fans want more from their walkers, and they’ve pointed to a couple in particular that deserved a storyline all their own.

Talking Dead fans name pick walkers that should have had Tales of the Walking Dead episodes

On The Walking Dead subreddit, fans named four zombies that should have had their own Tale of the Walking Dead episodes: Tank Walker, Kevin Bacon Walker, Little Girl Walker, and Lone Walker.

Of course, these are all nicknames affectionately given to otherwise nameless walkers by fans. The first three all appear in the pilot episode of the show, with the Lone Walker appearing in Season 2.

With Tales of the Walking Dead being an anthology series exploring different characters within the universe, it makes sense that fans would have hoped to get some backstory on their top walkers.

AMC

“Tales really should’ve been about unique minor characters,” one comment said. “It would’ve been a nice way to share the stories of minor characters that never got the chance to tell them. Would’ve been much more engaging.”

The most talked-about, however, seems to be Tank Walker. As a dead soldier, the walker appears when Rick finds refuge in a tank at the end of the first episode. Evidently, there was actually a plan in place for his story back in the day.

“Pretty sure there was something initially planned for the tank dude, but at this point don’t expect it to happen,” one comment revealed, with another adding: “The actor is Sam Witwer. He was originally going to have a backstory episode in Season 1 if I remember correctly.”

Indeed, Witwer was supposed to return, in the Season 2 premiere for a special prequel story that would have explained how he got there. This was eventually scrapped when showrunner Frank Darabont was fired after the first season. Perhaps there’s still room on the TWD slate for a walker prequel series!

Learn more about the other Walking Dead spinoffs, or check out how to watch the latest, The Ones Who Live.