The Whisperers are one of the most terrifying and intriguing groups of adversaries in "The Walking Dead" universe. They are a mysterious group of hostile survivors who disguise themselves with the skin of the undead to blend in with them and avoid detection. Their name comes from how they communicate, whispering in gruff voices, mimicking the moans of the dead, which keeps them camouflaged.
Here's a comprehensive look into the world of the Whisperers, their origins, their leaders, and their impact on the communities of "The Walking Dead".
Origins of the Whisperers
Nothing is known about the lives of the Whisperers prior to or as the outbreak began, or when and where their group was first formed. The Whisperers were formed sometime in the first three years of the apocalypse by a woman named Hera after she learned that wearing the skin of walkers allowed them to be camouflaged, therefore safe, among the dead. Hera and her people managed to keep their façade by whispering to each other so the dead wouldn't notice. Hera maintained her leadership as a humane and benevolent leader.
Three years after the start of the Trials, Hera rescued a woman named Dee and her young daughter, Lydia. Despite Dee's romantic inclinations towards Hera, the two had opposing views on survival - as Dee was against human emotion and connection, considering it a weakness. Dee and Lydia were either banished or left voluntarily a year later. The two encountered former country musician Half Moon at Second Lives, a rehabilitation center where he once attended. After bonding, Dee recruited him to join her. Not wanting to be reminded of his celebrity and leave his dead friend behind, Dee gave him his friend's face and named him "Beta", and herself "Alpha". Upon returning to the camp, Alpha assumed control after killing Hera with the assistance of Beta. Alpha let her turn and used her face as her mask.
Alpha implemented a new hardened and inhumane system within the Whisperers. All members were forced to shed their previous identities and names, becoming nothing but primitive survivors. They survived off the land, moving from place to place and living as nomads. By herding walkers, the group was able to culminate a large herd, numbering in the thousands to be used as a potential weapon against communities that they perceived as territorial threats. They eventually began religious crusades against communities they saw as shrines to a "long-dead world".
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The Whisperer Philosophy
The Whisperers are a group of over a hundred individuals who have adopted the ideology that, following the fall of society, humanity is meant to return to its most animalistic roots, living nomadically in the wild, surviving predominantly off of the land, and following a societal hierarchy similar to that of wolves, with an "Alpha" as their one true pack leader.
As such, The Whisperers are also fiercely territorial and will kill anyone who treads into any land they see as their own, and view any form of civilized society as a plague that needs to be erased for the good of the natural order.
Key Characters
While there aren’t many “characters” within the Whisperers themselves and that’s by design, here are some of the most important:
- Alpha: Alpha (real name in the TV series universe: Dee) is a fictional character in the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where she was portrayed by Samantha Morton. Alpha is a reserved, yet strong and intimidating woman. She has a badass bald head and is played by Samantha Morton in the show. Alpha is very much in charge and her dialogue frequently reveals why. She has a clear way of articulating the Whisperer’s M.O.
- Beta: Alpha’s second-in-command is the physically imposing Beta, played by Ryan Hurst on the show. Beta is enormous. He’s 7-plus feet of pure muscle. He’s so huge that his death mask doesn’t fully cover his face. He’s also pretty handy with knives (as we saw during his fracas with Daryl). Whisperer society customs dictate that the strongest among them be the leader. Beta is certainly the strongest physically but seems comfortable in his role as Alpha’s bodyguard and confidante. To be leader, he would have to kill Alpha, and he doesn’t want to do that.
- Lydia: Lydia is the only Whisperer who actually gets a name. That’s because she’s not into this whole Whisperer nonsense. Lydia is Alpha’s daughter but family isn’t supposed to matter in Whisperer society. They’re all beasts and only the strongest survive. If Lydia can’t deal with that, she should leave. And in fact, Alpha at one point asks Rick to do her a solid and bring her back to the Hilltop with him. Lydia is played in the series by Cassady McClincy.
First Encounters and Conflicts
Six years after Rick's presumed death, the communities have become fractured and distrusting of one another. Travel between groups is infrequent, and the wider world has transformed. Most technology and infrastructure from the old world have long since stopped working, and the vast areas outside settlements have been taken over by nature. On a mission to set up improved radio communication, Eugene and Rosita move out beyond the safely mapped areas near Alexandria. In the process, they unknowingly crossed into Whisperer territory.
Whilst fleeing from a herd of walkers in the woods upon accidentally catching their attention, the two are relentlessly pursued, unable to lose the undead. Fatigued, they eventually slide down a small ravine on the side of a road and cover themselves with mud to mask their scents from the approaching herd. The two are then horrified to hear what sounds like speaking walkers. One is heard asking "Where are they?", while another replies "They must be close.
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Listen closely to the walker growls. I admit I didn't hear it until like the fifth time I watched it. HOLY S---! The Whisperers are in the trailer, and they aren't whispering, they're communicating through walker growls!
Later that night, Daryl, Jesus, and Aaron locate Eugene hiding in a barn cellar. A terrified Eugene warns them about a herd of walkers hunting for him and that they need to leave immediately. Eugene then reveals to the trio that he and Rosita heard the dead whispering to each other but the others don't believe him. Meanwhile, Aaron, Jesus, and Eugene end up at a foggy cemetery. They quickly get trapped by a locked gate, forcing Jesus and Aaron to fight off the walkers while they hear whispers in the area. Suddenly, Michonne, Magna and Yumiko arrive to help them unlock the gate. Jesus tells Aaron and Eugene to get out while he finishes taking down the walkers. He kills most of them with his sword, but as he goes to finish the last, the "walker" (who is actually the same Whisperer who noticed the trio earlier in the field) dodges and stabs him from behind through his chest, shocking everyone.
Four more Whisperers armed with knives then emerge from the fog and run toward the group, while Daryl quickly kills the Whisperer who stabbed Jesus with his crossbow upon arriving. Michonne, Aaron, Yumiko and Magna enter the cemetery and kill off the remaining attackers. Michonne and Daryl examine one of the assailant's bodies, discovering that it is not a walker at all, but a human survivor wearing a walker mask.
As the Whisperers advance, Michonne's group begins to flee the cemetery, taking the mask of the Whisperer that killed Jesus. As both the Whisperers and the walkers advance, Daryl kills a Whisperer with his crossbow, picking him out of the advancing walkers through the knife in the man's hand. As the herd continues to advance, Michonne stays to cover the escape of the others, killing two more Whisperers with her sword. When another one charges Michonne with a blade raised over their head, Yumiko takes them out with an arrow.
The next day, as Michonne's group moves towards the Hilltop, they spot a band of walkers, unsure if they are Whisperers or not. The group lures the six walkers onto a covered bridge where Daryl tests for people by shooting them in the leg with his crossbow. The second "walker" Daryl shoots proves to be a Whisperer who screams, causing the three actual walkers to turn on the Whisperer and begin tearing him apart. The two surviving Whisperers turn to find Michonne waiting for them at the other end of the bridge. One draws a knife and attacks, but is quickly dispatched by Michonne with her katana.
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As the other survivors begin taking out the walkers, the last Whisperer, Lydia, surrenders and is taken prisoner to Hilltop. Despite intense questioning, Lydia refuses to reveal much about her people, claiming they all died at the cemetery and the bridge. She also states that the Whisperers had already been planning to destroy the communities.
The Pike Massacre
Before she met up with Rick, Alpha infiltrated a massive fair at Alexandria. While there, Alpha somehow managed to kill not one, not two, but TWELVE community members and place their heads on pikes a few miles outside the communities that represents an invisible border between the communities and the Whisperers. The show had quite a different lineup of heads on spikes. In fact, the only common head belonged to that of Tammy Rose (Brett Butler).
The border is then revealed to be marked with pikes containing the reanimated heads of D.J., Ozzy, Alek, Frankie, Adeline, Rodney, Tammy Rose Sutton, Enid, Tara and Henry.
The Whisperer War
Rick spends a few weeks trying to keep his people from engaging in another war but it soon becomes clear there will have to be another armed conflict. The Whisperer forces, led by Beta, meet the Militia forces, led by Dwight, in an open field. Thanks to the tactical brilliance of Negan whooping on people with Lucille (who tragically breaks), the Whisperers suffer heavy losses and are forced to retreat.
The Whisperers ultimately lose “The Whisperer War,” (issues #157-162) but not before pulling a real dick move. Beta’s forces are basically depleted and victory is impossible.
Alexandria is able to repel the first wave of the herd thanks to Rick’s heroism and Negan(!!!). Ultimately, Alexandria survives but at great cost. Gabriel dies early on in the war. That’s unlikely to happen on the show now that Gabriel has taken on a bigger role. Andrea dies while trying to divert the herd as well.
The Walking Dead's Whisperers, Explained
The Fall of Alpha and Beta
Following the death of Alpha and the destruction of much of their horde, the Whisperers briefly cease to be a major threat. Due to Negan killing Alpha, a small group of Whisperers embrace him as their new leader, only to have Negan kill them in order to save Daryl.
With his renewed horde, Beta leads the Whisperers to Alexandria, only to find the community completely abandoned. By this point, the Coalition has finally come up with a plan to destroy the Whisperers' seemingly-unstoppable horde and have retreated to an abandoned hospital that they dub the Tower. Surrounded by the horde, Daryl leads a team using the old walker guts trick through the horde while Coalition archers provide covering fire with the help of Lydia picking out their targets.
With Beta and the Whisperers dead, Lydia is able to lead the horde to a massive cliff, joined by Carol. Together, the two women lure the horde over the cliff's edge, destroying it for good with Lydia tossing off her mother's walker mask as well.
The Aftermath
Upon returning to Alexandria, the residents find out that the Whisperers didn't leave the town untouched, destroying its crops and badly damaging the wall and community. This final act of destruction, combined with the Whisperer horde scaring away all of the animals in the area, puts the community in dire straits, in danger of starvation. In addition, the damaged defensive wall leaves the community open to walker attacks, forcing the residents to consider abandoning Alexandria for good.
During Maggie's mission to Meridian, she adopts Whisperer tactics in order to defeat the Reapers. At Maggie's request, Negan creates walker masks for Maggie, Gabriel and Elijah, having held onto his own after the war. Negan then puts the other three through Whisperer training, teaching them how to move with and control herds. Using this, Maggie, Negan, Gabriel and Elijah lead a herd to Meridian, laying siege to it and the Reapers.
Key Events Involving the Whisperers
The following table summarizes key events in the conflict between our heroes and the Whisperers in The Walking Dead comics:
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| First Encounter | Marco and Ken come across the Whisperers and hear them whispering among the walkers. |
| Lydia's Capture | Jesus's group captures Lydia, a Whisperer, leading to a prisoner exchange. |
| Infiltration of the Fair | Alpha infiltrates the fair at Alexandria and marks a new border. |
| The Pike Massacre | Alpha kills twelve community members and places their heads on pikes. |
| The Whisperer War | A war erupts between the communities and the Whisperers, with heavy losses on both sides. |
| The Final Herd | Alexandria faces a massive herd of walkers controlled by the Whisperers. |
| Alpha's death | Negan kills Alpha and gives her head to Carol. |
| Beta's death | Beta is killed in the final events of the war. |
tags: #walking #dead #skinwalkers