For 11 pulse-pounding seasons, the juggernaut post-apocalyptic horror seriesThe Walking Deadcaptivated audiences all around the world with its courageous and resilient characters, as the acclaimed comic book adaptation featured a star-studded cast including Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, and Danai Gurira (to name just a few). Each season of the electrifying hit followed former sheriff’s deputy-turned-zombie killing machine Rick Grimes and his fellow fierce survivors as they take on the undead and attempt to stay alive in an apocalyptic wasteland.
Throughout the course of thepop culture phenomenon, Rick and the gang take on some brutal and downright demented adversaries both alive and dead, with unforgettablevillains like Neganand the Governor wreaking havoc on the close-knit crew. In Season 5, a brand-new threat was introduced to devoted audiences: the mysterious and sociopathic group of scavengers known as the Wolves. Let’s take a closer look at the barbaric survivors who tried to take on Rick, Daryl, Maggie, and the rest of the beloved characters.
The Walking Dead
A Hostile & Brutal Group of Apocalyptic Survivors
Introduced in the explosive fifth season finale of the groundbreaking original hit,the primal and downright barbaric group of survivors known as the Wolves have lost all sense of humanity and each of its members take sadistic pleasure in slaughtering and killing both walkers and humans. The Wolves are demented and borderline insane, targeting and attacking various communities by luring the unassuming survivors into deadly traps that end in their brutal demise, after which the ruthless members steal their supplies and carve the letter “W” into their foreheads as their twisted calling card.
Little is known about the violent group’s origins, except that in the aftermath ofthe zombie outbreakthey began scavenging around the D.C. area, using their mutilated victims as bait and amassing a large collection of walkers for their terrifying human traps. After they are done killing their prey, the Wolves mark the places they have conquered by leaving graffiti behind that reads “Wolves Not Far,” and Rick and his allies end up discovering walkers marked by the “W’s” before their spine-tingling official introduction. Michonne also sees their painted message on a building they attacked ahead of the finale, foreshadowing what was to come for the resilient group.
The reasoning behind the Wolves' sickening actions is rather ambiguous, though they are thought to be the TV show’s version of The Scavengersfeatured in the popular comics and seem to be led by the cunning and cold-blooded Owen, who formed the nefarious group in the wake of the apocalypse. Owen is willing to do anything he can to survive and shows no remorse for his actions, though despite his and the Wolves' intense savagery, they are not highly-skilled fighters and can be subdued when targeted by a stronger opponent.TWDproducer, director, and special make-up effects supervisorGreg Nicotero told ComicBook.comabout the antagonists:
“I love those characters. The fact that you have people that are basically utilizing the people that they kill as ammunition to build a zombie army?”
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The Wolves Become a Violent Adversary in Season 6
After the ominous foreshadowing and build-up to the Wolves' introduction during Season 5, the deranged scavengers officially debuted in the adrenaline-pumping series in the season finale “Conquer,” when Daryl and Aaron learn that they are camping neartheir sanctuary Alexandriaand are preparing to stage an attack on the community. In the second episode of Season 6, “JSS”,Alexandria is viciously invaded by the Wolves, who mercilessly slaughter numerous residents, butchering them and raiding their homes for anything valuable. Owen’sportrayer, Benedict Samuel, said of the villainous character’s motives:
“When the apocalypse hit, he just saw an opportunity to be something else. Just like a serial killer can hold down a normal job, even have a family that he comes home to at night, The Wolf saw a great opportunity and took extreme advantage of it.”
Best Fight Scenes in The Walking Dead, Ranked
With Season 11 of The Walking Dead finishing its run, now is a good time to look back on the best fight scenes in the show.
They ultimately proved to be no match for Rick and his group, asthe pack of unhinged sociopaths were largely taken out, and thesoul-searching Morganended up capturing their savage leader, Owen, in hopes of reforming the disturbed man. Though the antagonist seems to be without conscience or human emotions and shows no fears of dying at the hands of Morgan or walkers,he ends up redeeming himself in a major wayand shows audiences by the end of his storyline that perhaps he does have a little bit of empathy left in him after all.
