The Walking Dead: Who will we be seeing more of in season 8?

Season 7 of The Walking Dead certainly had its fair share of critics, but now it’s done and dusted, fans are looking ahead to season 8. The new season kicks off later this year, but is already heading into production with some juicy cast members being bumped up to series regulars.

It’s hardly surprising to see fresh meat taking centre stage as The Walking Dead is well known for its bloodthirsty body count and with all-out war imminent, new characters have to be promoted. They’re all more potential meat for the grinder and you can’t have a war without breaking some heads!

With Rick finally bringing some spirit back to the group and having a sensational standoff with Negan in the final episode of season 7, the players are now in position for the war to kick off properly. Rick has gathered the communities together to fight the Saviours, but obviously not all has gone to plan so far. Beware of spoilers if you have not yet seen the final episode of season 7 yet.

Still here? Well one of the biggest characters to be promoted to series 8 regular is also probably one of the most-hated characters right now among fans. Pollyanna McIntosh plays Jadis the leader of the Scavenger group who have made their home in a junkyard, have spiky pet walkers and a limited form of communication that appears to be annoying people even more than Jadis’ haircut annoys me. She betrayed Rick in the final episode, selling her soul to Negan so hopefully she’ll be punished for that sometime in the future. Rumours persist that she may become an even more important villain from the comics later on so expect Jadis to be around for a while yet.

Also promoted, and a little more likeable than Jadis, is Katelyn Nacon who plays Enid, the teen with the not very engaging romance with Carl. Let’s hope she gets something a little more interesting to do in season 8.

Perhaps most exciting though is the promotion of Steven Ogg, who plays Simon, the wonderfully moustached henchman of Negan. With Dwight’s allegiance with Negan under serious strain, and Eugene under intense suspicion, Simon is the closest thing that Negan actually has to a loyal sidekick. And he’s a great presence every time he’s on screen. Clearly a little bit of Negan has rubbed off on Simon who seems to just enjoy being a bad guy, rather than being one of these tortured souls that The Walking Dead is so full of.

All hail Simon! And let’s see how long Jadis can last now she’s high on Rick’s naughty list!

Source: EW