The Walking Dead: Dead City features a multi-headed, multi-armed sewer zombie that is unlike anything seen before in the AMC franchise. However, this dangerous creature is not necessarily a new variant of the undead.
In episode 5 of Dead City, Maggie Rhee and Ginny come across this horrific monster as they navigate through the infested sewers of Manhattan. This new sewer zombie resembles something from a sci-fi horror film rather than a realistic monster who can be a part of a zombie apocalypse.
We can assume that this bizarre and unique zombie is a variant of the undead, a concept introduced in The Walking Dead: World Beyond and The Walking Dead season 11 finale. Variants are zombies that have developed new abilities, such as speed, strength, intelligence, or dexterity.
The sewer zombie in Dead City could be seen as another example of variant mutation. However, Maggie does not confirm this theory, and there is a more simple but gruesome explanation for this zombie’s appearance than being a variant.
1. The Sewer Zombie is a Result of Various Melted Corpses
The zombie that Maggie encounters in the sewers of Manhattan is not a variant of the undead, as one might assume from its grotesque and unique appearance.
Rather, it is a result of the decomposition process that occurs in the sewers, where thousands of corpses are trapped and used as a source of methane by the Croat.
Amaia calls this process “hotboxing dead people,” and Tommaso sees a huge mound of melted fat that was once human flesh. The sewer zombie has multiple arms and heads because it is a fusion of several zombies that have melted together but have not yet become a homogeneous mass of goo. The sewer zombie can still move and attack, despite its horrific condition.
2. The Walking Dead Doesn’t Need New Variants
The introduction of variants in The Walking Dead revitalized the zombie genre by presenting new challenges and threats to the survivors after a decade of repetitive scenarios in rural Georgia.
However, this innovation also created some inconsistencies and ambiguities regarding the origin and evolution, of these different types of zombies. Dead City resolves this dilemma by featuring a novel and plausible zombie that does not contradict the established lore of the series.
The Walking Dead can explore more creative and realistic variations of zombies in its future spinoffs by applying scientific principles to justify their existence and abilities.
However, The Walking Dead still needs to address the issue of zombie variants in its main storyline. The Commonwealth arc in season 11 introduced more advanced zombies, but they were strangely absent in the huge hordes seen in The Walking Dead: Dead City and Fear the Walking Dead season 8.
3. About The Walking Dead: Dead City
he Walking Dead: Dead City is an American post-apocalyptic horror drama television series created by Eli Jorné for AMC, based on The Walking Dead characters Maggie and Negan. It is the first sequel to The Walking Dead television series, and the fifth series in The Walking Dead franchise, sharing continuity with the other television series. Jorné serves as showrunner.
Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprise their roles as Maggie and Negan from the original television series, with Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, Mahina Napoleon, Lisa Emery, Logan Kim, Dascha Polanco, and Keir Gilchrist also starring. Development of the series began in March 2022, with its title revealed that month and renamed in August. Additional castings were announced in October and November 2022. Principal photography began in July 2022 in New Jersey and concluded in October 2022.
The first season premiered on June 18, 2023, and consists of six episodes. In July 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 4, 2025.
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