'The Walking Dead' spinoff may have just teased the answer to one of fan's biggest questions about the mysterious helicopter group
- Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," season one, episode four, "The Wrong End of a Telescope."
- A post-credits scene on Sunday's "TWDWB" showed the CRM housing a number of the undead.
- Each one appeared to be labeled with the letter "A."
- The scene may have teased the answer to a long standing mystery in "TWD" universe: What does it mean to be an "A" or a "B"?
- Though never said aloud, those labeled "A" may become test subjects for the CRM to find a potential zombie cure.
- It could be inferred, though not confirmed, that those labeled "B" are allowed to live and work for the CRM in some capacity.
"The Walking Dead: World Beyond" may have just shed light on one of the largest lingering questions in "TWD" universe.
What does it mean to be an "A" versus a "B"?
If you don't recall the great "TWD" mystery, Jadis/Anne was labeling people as one of the two letters before sending them off to a Civic Republic Military (CRM) helicopter. In exchange, she appeared to get food and supplies from the community.
But "TWD" never made it clear what exactly it meant to be an "A" or a "B," though there were some hints.
As Sunday's "TWD: World Beyond" revealed, the CRM are testing a number of the undead (possibly for a cure to the walker virus). Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed the undead test subjects were all marked with the letter "A."
Does that mean people labeled "A" were all test subjects? Maybe.
There's never verbal confirmation given on Sunday's episode about what the labeling of the test subjects means. But if you looked at every single test subject in the large facility shown at the episode's end, every member of the undead appeared to be labeled with the letter "A."
Many of them also appeared to have a bite mark, which is worth noting for reasons we'll come back to later.
If a person labeled "A" is a test subject, what's a "B"?
People labeled "B" could be other test subjects, but it seems more likely they're a CRM worker or soldier.
When Anne flew away on a CRM helicopter with Rick in 2018, she referred to him as a "B." We're betting he's still alive or we wouldn't be getting a Rick Grimes film or films.
What "TWD" history tells us about being labeled an "A" versus a "B"
"TWD" showrunner Angela Kang previously told Insider in 2018 that the labeling of "A" versus "B" was part of the "fun mythology of the movies."
"'A's and 'B's get a different kind of treatment," Kang told Insider. "And you saw that both Rick and Gabriel, and also Negan, were going to get zombie bites applied to them."
All three of them were considered to be an "A" in Anne's book. (Gabriel was originally a "B" and then when he refused to get on the helicopter, she changed her mind. He probably knew too much at that point.)
We previously thought "A" may allude to someone "after" they were turned into a walker or were bit and "B" referred to someone "before" they were turned into one of the undead.
"That is not it, although that's a great theory," Kang told Insider. "What I will say is if fans will remember back to when Rick was taken, the container he was in was marked with an 'A' so Rick is clearly an 'A.'"
Wait a minute. Wasn't Rick a "B"? Anne tried passing him off as a "B," but he's probably really an "A"
At the time, we reminded Kang that the only problem with Rick being an "A" was that Anne later referred to him as a "B."
"So, I will say that that is perhaps a lie," said Kang, regarding what Anne told the helicopter man about Rick. A gravely injured Rick was then flown away to an undisclosed location.
What we really think this whole "A" or "B" labeling means
Based on all of this, it seems like people who are considered an "A" may be troublemakers or people who cannot be controlled and so the CRM turns them into the dead in order to use them for testing. Maybe that's what happened to poor Dr. Spencer seen above on "World Beyond."
People who are considered a "B" may be those who fall in line and are considered loyal to the CRM. They may be given leadership positions within the community to keep others in line.
Ultimately, we're unsure of the exact definition of an "A" or a "B," but it seems like we're getting closer to the actual answer of one of the main "TWD" universe's mysteries. As we're counting down to the end of "TWD" flagship show in 2022, we have to find out the answer eventually, right?
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