'The Walking Dead' season 7 spoilers, news: Showrunner Scott Gimple says they may introduce The Whisperers early

Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the rest of the gang may have their hands full with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his Saviors right now, but the future isn't going to be any brighter after they get through the present predicament. According to the synopsis for season 7 episode 6, someone is going to discover a new society "unlike anything seen before."

Well, the audience has already been introduced to Alexandria, the Hilltop Colony, the Kingdom, and the Sanctuary. Fans of Robert Kirkman's comic book series know that there's only one group left that hasn't been introduced in the TV series — The Whisperers.

In an interview with Comic Book, showrunner Scott Gimple shot down the theory; however, he also revealed that there's a possibility that the Whisperers would appear sooner than anticipated.

"If we've gotten this far without saying anything about them, I'd like the audience to discover this group when it's on screen. I will say ... I mean, it's not the Whisperers. I will also say, though, that it's not impossible that the Whisperers could come along or aspects of them could come along earlier than the timeline of the book, but certainly not this early," he said.

Okay, so it's not the Whisperers. Too bad. But fans have a reason to get excited. After all, this group is certainly unlike any other. The Whisperers first appeared two years after the all-out war with Negan. These people actually wear the skins of the dead and they hid among them.

While they don't have the firepower that the other groups possess, they have learned how to use the undead herd to their advantage which makes them formidable foes. The Whisperer War arc is currently ongoing in the comic book series. It will be interesting to see if they will make a cameo this season.

"The Walking Dead" season 7 airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

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