'Walking Dead': Who Is Magna and Her New Group of Survivors?

(Spoilers ahead for the Nov. 4 episode of “The Walking Dead” on AMC)

It was an eventful episode of “The Walking Dead” this week, what with it being Andrew Lincoln’s supposed final episode and the big time skip at the end. But accompanying that time skip was another major development: the introduction of a new group of survivors.

We see this group tangling with a bunch of zombies before eventually being saved by a somewhat older Judith — still a child, but old enough to be good with a revolver. And old enough that we know a significant amount of time has passed since Rick was flown away on that helicopter with Jadis. This is a small but meaningful departure from the comics, in which Jesus is the one who saves them and introduces them to the greater communities in Virginia instead of Judith.

Also Read: 'Walking Dead': Is Rick Grimes Actually Gone for Good?

This new group of survivors are led by a woman named Magna (Nadia Hilker). Though it’s entirely possible the show will take them in a different direction from the comics, in the source material these folks are not villainous or anything — they’re just another group of good guys who integrate with Alexandria and become important members of the major protagonist group.

And they’re probably gonna be around for a while, as Magna is still alive in the comics as of the most recent issues. And with Rick and Carl out of the picture for the imminent conflict with the Whisperers, “The Walking Dead” will probably use them to fill in some big story beats.

The members of Magna’s group are Luke (Dan Fogler), Kelly (Angel Theory), Connie (Lauren Ridloff), and Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura), who Magna eventually starts a relationship with in the comics.

Also Read: 'Walking Dead': Everything We Know About Jadis and the Helicopter

It’s likely we’ll start to get a picture of how prominent they’ll be in this already pretty large ensemble in the coming weeks — there’s still three episodes before the midseason hiatus, and we expect the Whisperer War won’t really kick off until the mid-season finale or in the second half of the season.

Especially since we’ve got a lot of catching up to do on what’s happened in the years since Rick disappeared with Jadis. Speaking of which, AMC announced after the episode that Rick’s story will continue, just not on the show. He’ll be the subject of a series of films that will show what happens once that helicopter lands wherever it’s going. We’ve got a lot of thoughts about that, which you can read here.

'Walking Dead' Leaders Ranked, From Gregory to Maggie to Ezekiel

On "The Walking Dead," plenty have tried to lead, but few have been successful. Here we look back on all those who led others to safety -- or their graves.
Gene Page/AMC
14. Gregory (Alive) of the Hilltop Colony. Gregory no longer is in charge, thankfully -- he was maybe not the kind of leader anyone ever needed.
Gene Page/AMC
13. Deanna (Deceased) of Alexandria. Deanna helped keep Alexandria together early on. She was a great judge of character, but did not recognize the walker threat for what it was. She died after the walls of Alexandria fell, leaving the community to Rick.
Gene Page/AMC
12. Dawn (Deceased) of Grady Memorial Hospital. Dawn took charge of the hospital when her predecessor failed to keep people safe, but her practice of requiring forced labor in exchange for meds earned her no friends, and eventually led to her death.
Gene Page/AMC
11. Natania (Deceased) of Oceanside. Emotionally scarred by their brutal defeat at the hands of the Saviors -- after which Negan had every male above age 10 executed -- Natania sort of fell apart, like so many characters do, because of the trauma.
10. Gareth (Deceased) of Terminus. Gareth and his fellow Terminus residents promised weary travelers sanctuary, only to kill and eat them cannibal style. He became obsessed with getting revenge on Rick, eventually leading to his death at Rick's hands.
Gene Page/AMC
9. Hershel (Deceased) of The Farm. Hershel kept himself and his family safe on his farm during the early days of the outbreak, eventually offering shelter to Rick and his group. But Hershel believed that the walkers could be returned to human form, which proved a costly mistake.
Gene Page/AMC
8. Alpha Wolf (Deceased) of The Wolves. The Wolves were a savage group who killed anyone who had something they desired. The Alpha Wolf was a good killer, but his people were ultimately wild and undisciplined.
Gene Page/AMC
7. Joe (Deceased) of The Claimers. Joe and his group lived as nomads, taking what they want when they want. He lived by a simple code of justice, but did not bat an eye when he or his people needed to kill. He underestimated Rick, Daryl, and Michonne, getting every Claimer killed.
Gene Page/AMC
6. The Governor (Deceased) of Woodbury, Martinez Camp. The Governor was all charm and class on the outside, but his inner workings were that of a cold blooded killer. After the citizens of Woodbury abandoned him for Rick, he eventually took over another camp, and subsequently led them to their deaths at the prison.
Gene Page/AMC
5. Jadis (Alive) of The Scavengers. With all of her people dead now, Jadis is not actually a leader anymore. But when she was a leader, by "Walking Dead" standards Jadis was extremely reasonable for somebody who leads a group of people who live in a junkyard. And making Rick do gladiator fights with armored walkers was pretty funny.
AMC
4. Negan (Alive) of The Saviors. Also no longer a leader, but when he was Negan ruled The Saviors through a combination of charm and savagery. He's fun to watch!
Gene Page/AMC
3. Maggie (Alive) of the Hilltop Colony. Obviously, she's much better as the boss of the Hilltop than Gregory ever was, and her pragmatism is currently a pretty nice contrast to the idealism of Rick post-Carl.
2. Rick Grimes (Alive) of Alexandria. Rick is a natural leader who has guided his group through hell and back. He has led them through countless battles with the both the living and the dead is is still standing to tell the tale. But for how much longer?
Gene Page/AMC
1. King Ezekiel (Alive) of The Kingdom. His kingdom is gone thanks to the Saviors, but his legacy is still pretty solid. He kept that place going as long as he possibly could have, and he wasn't a coward when it came time to choose sides in the war with the Saviors.
Gene Page/AMC

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TheWrap looks back at the heroic and villainous leaders on the hit AMC series

On "The Walking Dead," plenty have tried to lead, but few have been successful. Here we look back on all those who led others to safety -- or their graves.

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'Walking Dead' Leaders Ranked, From Gregory to Maggie to Ezekiel

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