"The Walking Dead" season 7 is currently focusing on the battle between Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) group and Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) Saviors. However, the series may be teasing the appearance of another main enemy from the comic books very soon. This group is known as the Whisperers.
The Whisperers were presented in the comics as a group of savages who covered themselves in the skin of the dead, covering their faces with flesh in order to seamlessly blend in with the zombies. They also speak in whispers to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Rumors of their arrival were teased on the official "The Walking Dead" Instagram account when a photo of a decapitated head was revealed. This image mirrors a similar picture from the comic book,s and the caption for the picture is also based on a line from the comic books.
Speaking to Comic Book, showrunner Scott Gimple did state that the Whisperers were coming but not likely in season 7. He said: "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 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."
This does not mean their presence won't be felt. In season 6, the presence of the Saviors was felt in every episode, and there were moments where Daryl (Norman Reedus) and the others would encounter a few members of the Saviors but never their leader, Negan. The Saviors only became prominent this seventh season.
It is possible that the Whisperers will be teased throughout season 7 but not shown until season 8 or even season 9. This is because, in the comic books, they did not appear until after two years of peace, long after Rick and his allies defeated and imprisoned Negan.
