Ignoring Zombie Variants in 2025 Will Make The Walking Dead’s Long-Running Problem Worse

Note: This article may reveal SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, episode 5, titled “The Bird Always Knows”.

Over the course of several seasons, The Walking Dead has placed a significant focus on making different types of zombies more integral to the storyline. However, Dead City‘s failure to incorporate these variants contributes to an ongoing issue with the depiction of the undead. Although the series primarily delves into character development and human nature rather than the zombies themselves, it still requires walkers to maintain a consistent atmosphere of peril. As the survivors adapt to life amidst the infected over time, it’s reasonable that they would learn how to manage them effectively. Consequently, The Walking Dead introduced various types of zombie variants in an attempt to generate more conflict within the narrative, with mixed results.

In essence, the main conflicts in the franchise continue to be centered on human disagreements, as showcased in Dead City, yet other series like Daryl Dixon alongside The Walking Dead season 11 have incorporated different types of conflicts to intensify the struggle for survival. However, this choice to exclude variants in Dead City in 2025 seems peculiar given its effectiveness earlier. Despite the spinoff’s second season offering much enjoyment, the absence of distinct zombie species has been conspicuous, and even more concerningly, the continued lack of variants is a disappointing pattern for the franchise.

Dead City’s Lack Of Zombies Prove Just How Obsolete The Walking Dead’s Regular Walkers Are

Dead City’s Central Characters Are Able To Deal With Regular Walkers Without Any Real Trouble

In the world of “The Walking Dead,” the main characters have grown so accustomed to handling walkers that it seems effortless, while the absence of variants in “Dead City” reveals how tame standard zombies have become compared to their initial terrifying presence on the original show. At the beginning, even a single infected individual was enough to strike fear into viewers, and large groups felt almost insurmountable. However, as we move to “Dead City,” these ordinary zombies are now virtually obsolete. The tall grass scene in the spinoff demonstrated that under specific conditions, the undead can still pose a threat, but it takes an inexperienced survivor to even encounter such a scenario.

Maggie ended up walking through the field solely because she was under New Babylon’s control. Yet, she and the other major survivors managed to escape unharmed. Interestingly, very few characters from The Walking Dead now find regular walkers a problem, even when they swarm in large numbers. In fact, during New Babylon’s botched public execution of Maggie, a horde disrupted the event. While there was concern that Ginny might have been bitten during the chaotic Dead City season 2 scene, it was ultimately the villains who fell victim to these zombies.

In recent times, it has become uncommon for major characters in The Walking Dead to die from a bite. Rosita was the last one who died this way, but that was only because she bravely sacrificed herself to protect her baby. Generally speaking, ordinary zombies don’t pose much of a threat to skilled survivors unless there are special circumstances or the presence of variant types.

Why The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Really Needs Variants

Variants Would Completely Raise The Stakes For The Upcoming War In Manhattan

As the last few episodes of “Dead City” season 2 approach, anticipate escalating tension and increased danger as variants intensify the situation. In addition to formidable villains lingering, “Dead City” has hinted at a troublesome bear appearing in the final episodes, promising more turmoil ahead. Moreover, the presence of variants could elevate the risks surrounding the impending power struggle in Manhattan.

The primary contenders for control now seem to be the Croat and Bruegel, but Maggie and Negan are likely to get entangled in their conflict.

With so many factions clashing, the spectacle is bound to be captivating. However, when the fighting truly begins, introducing variations could drastically alter the battle dynamics. This change would diminish the significance of resources and instead highlight survival skills, ensuring that only the most resilient characters endure. Moreover, if Ginny, Hershel, and Negan’s kin are also at risk, these variations might add an extra layer of intensity to the ongoing struggle.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episodes Release Date
Episode 1: “Power Equals Power” May 4, 2025
Episode 2: “Another Shitty Lesson” May 11, 2025
Episode 3: “Why Did the Mainlanders Cross the River?” May 18, 2025
Episode 4: “Feisty Friendly” May 25, 2025
Episode 5: “The Bird Always Knows” June 1, 2025
Episode 6: “Bridge Partners are Hard to Come by These Days” June 8, 2025
Episode 7: “Novi Dan, Novi Početak” June 15, 2025
Episode 8: “If History Were a Conflagration” June 22, 2025

In essence, throughout Dead City season 2, the peril primarily stemmed from humans, with Narvaez being the notable exception who was killed by zombies. This implies that if season 2 were to introduce variants, along with the main antagonists, escaping the island and achieving peace in Manhattan would become an arduous task. Thus, introducing variants could maximize the season’s climax danger, while also reinstating the significance of zombies in 2025.

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2025-06-06 18:57