'The Walking Dead' season 10 finale introduced a new mysterious group of soldiers. Here's what to know about the Commonwealth.
- Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead" season 10 finale, "A Certain Doom."
- In the final moments of Sunday's episode, a group of armored militia surrounded Eugene, Ezekiel, Princess, and Yumiko.
- It was a moment straight out of "TWD" comic issues No. 173 and 175.
- Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed to Insider this is the Commonwealth, who are the final major group the survivors encountered before the comic ended unexpectedly in 2019.
- In September, AMC announced "TWD" will end its run with a super-sized season 11.
- Kang said we'll see the Commonwealth again on the bonus six episodes of season 10.
"The Walking Dead" season 10 finale ended with Eugene's quest to meet his radio friend Stephanie coming to an unsavory conclusion.
Instead of a joyous welcome, Eugene, Ezekiel, Princess, and Yumiko found themselves held at gunpoint by a mysterious well-armed militia. Stephanie was nowhere in sight.
Did Eugene get catfished and walk into a trap set by Stephanie? Unlikely. Are these people even with Stephanie? The answer is almost certainly yes. If you're a fan of the comics, you'll recognize the armored military group as elite Commonwealth soldiers.
Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed to Insider the group is part of the Commonwealth story. Here's what to know about the soldiers and forthcoming group as we head into the final 30 episodes of "TWD."
The finale recreated a moment straight out of the comics.
The Commonwealth soldiers are introduced in issues No. 173 and 175 of Robert Kirkman's "TWD" comic.
In the comics, it's a slightly different and larger group who go on a journey with Eugene in search of Stephanie. It's Princess, Magna, Yumiko, Siddiq, and Michonne who join Eugene as they wander through, what they believe to be, an abandoned train yard looking for Stephanie and her group.
Despite the different cast, the final moments on Sunday's finale were a clear nod to the comics.
In both the comic and the show, Eugene's group is asked to drop their weapons as they're surrounded. In the comics, this moment similarly serves as a cliffhanger at the end of issue No. 173.
It's not until two issues later that we get to see the how the Commonwealth soldiers look. After a quick exchange of words, a man begins interrogating Eugene and the group before they bring them back to their community.
Who and what is the Commonwealth?
The Commonwealth is a group of about 50,000 survivors living in Ohio, who have found a way to rebuild civilization. In the comics, they're led by a governor named Pamela Milton and are protected by a large army of trained, armored soldiers.
Previously, some fans — and even actress Jayne Atkinson — thought Georgie may have teased a different version of this character back on season eight.
"I found a character that I thought she might be like in the 'Walking Dead' lore, but this is definitely [then-showrunner] Scott [Gimple's] brainchild and I was told that she might possibly have been a professor," Atkinson told Insider in 2018.
"There's a picture of her [Pamela], my son showed it to me," she added. "She looks a little like I would look on 'House of Cards,' almost presidential or some sort of leadership position. But her name isn't Georgie so that could be just a red herring."
Georgie strikes us as a potential leader of another one of the key communities, which was introduced on spinoff, "Fear TWD."
In the comics, Rick visits the Commonwealth and is stunned to find that the community has basically found a way to function as a small society again within a closed community. But similar to the Governor's Woodbury community, there's a point where things seem too good to be true.
The introduction of the Commonwealth serves as the final arc of "TWD" comic. The comic abruptly ended in July 2019, catching many off guard.
When can we expect to see more of this group? Soon.
When we asked Kang what to expect from the upcoming bonus six episodes of "TWD" season 10, the showrunner gave us a list of characters we can expect to see more of, including the Commonwealth.
"We'll see other characters in there, just getting to really feature some of their stories and we'll check back in with that group — with the Commonwealth," Kang said of the episodes that are set to start filming soon in Atlanta.
The bonus season 10 episodes of "TWD" are expected to bridge the gap between seasons 10 and 11 while explaining where some characters, such as Maggie, have been. They're expected to air on AMC in early 2021.
You can follow along with our "Walking Dead" coverage here.
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