Why ‘The Walking Dead’s Mysterious Masked Man Is Probably This Character
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Like Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Daryl (Norman Reedus), it appears there’s another character on The Walking Dead with a signature weapon … or two.
On Sunday’s episode, Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Alden (Caleb McAuffle) got into a sticky situation when running from the Whisperers, only to be saved by a mysterious, dual-axe-wielding hero. He looks pretty awesome, with his mask and his hoodie. And although he’s allied with Maggie (Lauren Cohan), we’re almost certain he’s the show’s version of Mercer.
Who’s Mercer?
If you’re a comics reader, you’re already familiar with the character — but if not, “Mercer” doesn’t ring any bells for you. That said, the axe-wielding soldier plays a big role in what seems to be the show’s next big storyline: the Commonwealth.
In the source material, Mercer is the head of the Commonwealth’s military operations (yes, the Commonwealth is big and well-supplied enough to have its own military). He disagrees with the corruption at the heart of the group and is looking for a way to oust the community’s villainous leader, Pamela, and he eventually teams up with Rick and his group to do just that.
Is He a Good Guy?
He sure is! Mercer disagrees with the way the Commonwealth is run; namely the discord, violence and inequality at its heart. You also might be interested to know he eventually begins a romantic relationship with Princess, and they end up living together (and they even get a dog!).
Why Is the Masked Man Mercer?
Granted, the timing is off — Mercer wasn’t introduced this way in the comics, nor did he wear a mask. But it’s possible the mask won’t be sticking around after this season, if this is another instance like Michonne in Season 2, where her face was obscured because the character hadn’t been cast yet. And the signature weapon, axes, is right. It wouldn’t be the first time TWD has introduced a comics character in an unexpected way.
Really, what we’re hinging on here is the weapons. Mercer’s so closely associated with dual axes that we don’t see who else this could be — it’d be like someone else walking into the show with a katana. If this is someone with comics roots, we’re betting it’s the Commonwealth’s military man with a heart of gold. Granted, he’s associated with Maggie rather than the Commonwealth, but if Maggie’s part of the Commonwealth, that doesn’t change anything.
Who Else Could He Be?
It’s also possible that this marks the long-awaited return of Heath (Corey Hawkins), who was last seen in Season 7, Episode 6, “Swear.” Angela Kang has said he’s associated with CRM and the helicopter group, though, so unless he got away, it’s not super likely Heath would resurface until the Rick movies.
If it’s not Heath or Mercer, then we think this is probably a show-only character, like Daryl, Beth (Emily Kinney) or Henry (Matthew Lintz). Whoever it is, they’re obviously pretty bada**, and we’re excited to see more of them whenever TWD returns.
The Walking Dead, Returns 2021, AMC
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