The Walking Dead's seventh season will definitely be taking some beloved characters off the roster as a rampage of death is imminent, however, it will also be adding a slew of new members to the cast.
While some of those characters will have been originally birthed in the comics (
such as Ezekiel), several will be just-for-TV like Daryl Dixon and several others. Two of those brand new characters will be Naomi and Jennie, according to
TVLine's Michael Ausiello.
"Episode 6 will introduce two new characters who don’t sound to me like anyone in particular from the comic-book series," Ausiello says. "Naomi is a grandmotherly type who, having lost so many loved ones, is now willing to do whatever it takes not to have to bury any more. (Maybe she’s being introduced to counsel Carol about the awful necessities of the post-apocalyptic world… ) On the flip side is Jennie, a sunny-side-up kinda teenager — oh, Caaarl! — who sounds a lot like Beth 2.0, 'kind, with a world-weary toughness.'"
The characters don't ring a bell to any comic book characters in particular but we should be prepared to explore the Kingdom more in depth than we did in the comics. The location was only visited a handful of times during the war with Negan despite its leader being a major component to Rick's plan to take on the Saviors. Then again, Naomi and/or Jennie could also be members of the Hilltop community which has only been seen once on television but is a constant location in
The Walking Dead's comics.
Perhaps Naomi will be the replacement for Denise's doctoral role. Denise bowed out early on the show by comparison to her comic book counterpart. There is already a doctor at the Hilltop but being elderly means she must have something other than fighting abilities to offer groups which take her on.
Thinking of Jennie as a love interest for Carl might be jumping the gun a little bit as Carl continues to overcome his gruesome eye injury. However, she could still help the teenager keep his head up after the horrific death he will be witnessing to start the season.