The Walking Dead casts villain character Beta

Things just got worse for the survivors of The Walking Dead, as an iconic villain has been cast for Season 9.

Once Alpha (Samantha Morton) was confirmed to be joining The Walking Dead, it was only a matter of time before fellow Whisperer and righthand man Beta would be joining her. AMC confirmed to TheWrap on Monday that Ryan Hurst will play the giant demented character known as Beta. 

Hurst is an alumnus of Sons of Anarchy, where he played a main character named Opie Winston for five seasons. He also played Gerry Bertier in 2000’s Remember the Titans (although you may not recognize him as it’s been eighteen years and he’s grown out both his hair and his beard).

More from AMC

• The Walking Dead Universe receives 3 Saturn Awards nominations
• Creepshow season 4, episode 4 recap: “Meet the Belaskos” and “Cheat Code”
• Fear the Walking Dead makes TVLine’s 10 Worst Shows of 2023 List
• The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Danai Gurira stuns at this year’s Academy Museum Gala
• Let’s discuss The Walking Dead: Dead City location change rumor

Beta is second in command of the Whisperers, the confirmed next human-threat Rick Grimes and the unified communities will have to face-off with. He is a giant of a man who is, without too many comic book spoilers, one of the most fearsome and bizarre human-antagonists from the comics to date. He’s over seven feet tall (Hurst is 6’4, but the character’s tremendously tall height will either be altered onscreen or ignored) and drapes himself in the skin of dead walkers like the rest of the Whisperers.

He’s also very against revealing his face (and you can find out for yourself why if you click here). It’s a pretty awesome reveal when the skin-mask comes off, but you’ve been warned of comic/potential show spoilers.

While it’s only a matter of time before Alpha, Beta, and the Whispers show up in Season 9 of The Walking Dead, there’s no telling just how the plot will play out. New showrunner Angela Kang teased the upcoming Whisperer War and how there will be similarities and differences from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels.

"“If you’re a fan of the comic you know exactly what that means, although the way we do it may not be exactly the way it goes in the comic — we always remix things — and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s better to learn as you go along.”"

Not really earth-shattering news here, as The Walking Dead has been a pretty mixed bag when it comes to remaining true to the comic source versus originality.

Season 9’s early focus is on this new time of peace and how the survivors are adjusting to life post-war. Although based on the Season 9 trailer, things aren’t looking all that peaceful as it is. I’d expect the Whisperers (including Hurst) to turn up in the back half of the season (possibly a tease at the midseason finale).