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The Whisperers are a mysterious group of survivors who disguise themselves with roamer skin to blend in with them and not get noticed. They are first introduced in Issue 130. They served as the primary antagonistic group from Volume 22: A New Beginning to Volume 27: The Whisperer War; by the end of the war, it is unknown how many of them are still alive. Following major losses at the Hilltop and elsewhere, they decided to allow their massive zombie horde to 'finish' their work by invading Alexandria.
Overview
Pre-Apocalypse
Nothing is known about the Whisperers before or as the outbreak began, except that most of them may have lived in or near Washington, D.C..
Post-Apocalypse
The Whisperers are first seen following Marco and Ken. Later, Marco tells his fellow survivors that the undead are whispering to him, and his cohorts do not take him seriously. Later, after a search party is sent to look for Ken, Whisperers ambush Dante and two more men of the search party. They brutally stab the two men to death and keep Dante hostage.
They are later seen following Paul Monroe and his scouting party, who are searching for a mysteriously missing patrolman. Fearing the unknown, they begin to head back but are attacked by the Whisperers. Two men are brutally killed and another is severally injured. Though surrounded, Paul manages to beat the odds and kills all but one, who he keeps as a hostage. After the skirmish, Paul heads off to the Hilltop Colony where he brings Darius to be healed and where he brings the incapacitated Whisperer to be interrogated.
At the Hilltop, Paul unmasks the wounded Whisperer who is revealed to be a 16 year old girl. The girl introduces herself as Lydia and answers all of Paul's questions straight forward. She tells Paul that the Whisperers do not harm the undead and, instead, live among them. Carl Grimes is then placed into a cell next to hers as Maggie Greene brings Paul out to alert the others of the "talking dead". Lydia grins as she begins to have a conversation with Carl.
Soon enough, Carl and Lydia begin to form a bond which results in Carl convincing Maggie to untie her and later gives her his hat to boost her confidence as she becomes scared of what may happen to her. Maggie and Paul consult with Marco about what he saw and heard exactly and inform him that he was not crazy.
Meanwhile, two Whisperers keep watch over the Hilltop as they hide in the bushes outside their walls. One of them comments that Alpha is coming and that Lydia is strong enough to take care of herself.
When Alpha arrives with a large force, she speaks with Maggie, proposing a trade: Dante and Ken for Lydia, her daughter. She accepts the deal and the Whisperers leave Hilltop, being secretly followed by Carl Grimes. He is found out, however, and is taken in by the group at the command of Alpha. They continue to travel deep in the woods and through fields before finally coming across their camp. There are dozens of Whisperers, tending livestock, making skin suits and preparing food, among other tasks.
Later, Carl witnesses several Whisperers preparing a new suit for Lydia. Lydia says that they don't use their real names because Alpha feels that they are worthless in the new world, and unnecessary to survive. Carl proposes escaping with her, reasoning that her people are crazy, but as she begins to decline, Alpha arrives, She takes off her mask to speak to Carl, who responds that Rick didn't keep him and the others alive with "Halloween masks". Alpha says that he hoped by showing him how they lived that he would tell his people to leave the Whisperers alone, but now thinks she must learn more about his people.
Meanwhile, at Alexandria, Rick learns of Carl's disappearance and sets out into Whisperer territory on horseback, and takes Andrea, Michonne, and Dante with him. A short time later, Alpha arrives at the community as the fare festivities get started, disguised as a new resident. On the road, Rick and co are surrounded by over a dozen Whisperers, who offer to take Rick alone to see his son, while the others stay behind.
At the Whisperer's camp, Carl demands to know where Alpha has been gone all day, just as a group of Whisperers along with Rick. The two debate what to do next and Carl outright refuses to leave without Lydia, saying that she is the only one who looks at him like he is normal in spite of his facial injury and that he's going to hold onto his relationship with her. Alpha returns from Alexandria and confronts Rick, brandishing a bloody machete, commenting that she "encountered some trouble on the road." Rick rages at her, wondering if any of his people were harmed, but is punched by a nearby Whisperer. Alpha takes him on a walk alone, threatening to kill Carl if he refuses. She leads him at gunpoint to a multi-story building, and once on top, shows him a colossal horde of zombies numbering in the thousands. There, she makes it clear to him that her threat to destroy all he has built, everyone he knows and loves, is not an empty threat.
Alpha goes on to explain to Rick how his ways of life is " it's a joke" how he and his people's way of life is a "shrine to a long dead world". The Whisperers way of life is to embrace their inner natural instincts, and live as animals. They live a life of freedom and no longer live as humans or any ways they once lived before the apocalypse. They have devolved to where emotions are only for the week and not for the strong. Alpha explains how animals need a leader, an alpha. She is merely in charge until someone takes her place.
They return to the camp. Carl still refuses to leave without Lydia. Lydia then confesses that Alpha doesn't protect her and she wishes to live with Carl, Rick, and their people, who can protect her. This infuriates Alpha, causing her to strike Lydia. Alpha orders Rick and Carl to leave and to take Lydia with them, as she is no longer allowed to live with the Whisperers. Alpha lastly says she "marked the border" when they cross the border they are no longer allowed to come back again or else she will send her massive hoard into theirs. Rick and company soon find out the border Alpha alluded to is marked with pikes. Before Rick's encounter with Alpha, she killed twelve members from Alexandria, Hilltop, The Kingdom (Comic Series), and The Sanctuary (Comic Series). Decapitated them, and put their heads on pikes.
Members
Current Members
- Alpha - leader; mother of Lydia
- Beta - second in command, de-facto leader
- Joshua
- Whisperer 1
- Whisperer 2
- Whisperer 3
- Whisperer 4
- Many other unnamed members
Former Members
- Lydia - daughter of Alpha; banished from the cult under the pretext that she is too weak.
Killed Victims
- Doug
- Olivia
- Josh
- Carson
- Tammy Rose
- Luke
- Erin
- Ken
- Amber
- Larry
- Oscar
- Rosita Espinosa
- Ezekiel
- Gabriel Stokes
- Paula (Caused)
- Andrea (Caused)
- At least 7 unnamed members of The Militia
- Rosita's unborn child (Caused)
- Numerous amounts of zombies and unnamed people.
Deaths
- Joshua
- Alpha
- Numerous unnamed Whisperers
Appearances
Trivia
- Regarding the process used by the Whisperers, Robert Kirkman wrote:
- "So the Whisperers... clean the skin of the dead, zombie or otherwise. It's essentially human leather at that point. They were seen stretching it out and drying it in recent issues. The skin is processed. It masks their smell, and makes them smell a little dead, which allows them to move among the dead, but the inside of it... very clean and safe. I hope that clears things up."