In Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier, The Walking Dead’s creative team developed two awesome, fan-favorite characters that never graced the pages of the comic books. And while most of the new characters that have entered the series over the years have been variations of previously established personalities, it sounds like we might be seeing a couple more brand new faces in Season 6, although only one of them seems like they’re in it for the long run.
According to UndeadWalking, The Walking Dead is looking to cast a man named Kirk and his wife Hilda, although both of those names were almost certainly created just for the sake of the casting notices. Kirk is described as being in his mid-20s with a non-jaded personality, something that might change since he is repeatedly shown just how much the cards are stacked against him. He learns over and over again that his actions are more important than his reactions, and that survival means taking out anything in his path.
On the flip side, not a lot of description is given for Kirk’s “real partner” Hilda, who is basically called attractive, strong and not passive. The most interesting aspect of this couple, at least initially, is that Kirk is being called as a recurring guest star with a series option to appear in subsequent seasons, while Hilda does not have such a distinction. It doesn’t take a degree in Imagination to grasp that Hilda might not be long for the post-apocalyptic world.
Taking a cursory look back at the other Walking Dead comic characters that we haven’t yet seen on the AMC series, Kirk and Hilda don’t seem to match up with anyone too specifically. It could be that we’re getting another gender switcheroo, as was the case with Douglas/Deanna, and that Kirk might actually be the doctor Denise, an important character that almost has to appear in the show at some point. She wasn’t married or anything, so that’s probably a garbage guess, but still. Kirkman & Co. don’t have to follow the rules.
Others seem to think that this couple may represent Dwight and Sherry, although that’s an even bigger stretch than my own conjecturing. Those two don’t come around until Negan’s days, and Dwight isn’t much of a nice guy when we first meet him. That said, it would be interesting if the TV show delved more into their background than the comics did, giving them deeper story roots.
Corey Hawkins was recently added to the cast as Heath, and another male character is also being sought out. Will these new folks be replacing current characters that may be dying off, or is the cast just going to keep getting bigger? Find out when The Walking Dead returns for Season 6 in October.
