Even though The Walking Dead is still airing season 9, the series is already hinting at the Commonwealth in season 10 through Gabriel and his radio. For now, The Walking Dead is focused on the Whisperers, a violent group formally introduced in the season 9 midseason premiere. If the writers continue along the comic book arc, the Commonwealth could play a vital role in The Walking Dead season 10 and beyond. The Commonwealth is the name used to identify a network of towns that houses nearly 50,000 survivors. The community is led by Pamela Milton, who instituted a class system and has an army at her disposal.
In the comics, Eugene makes contact with a Commonwealth member named Stephanie through his radio. The two start to build trust as Eugene shares about his community and their war with the Whisperers. They eventually agree to meet so Eugene brings a group to a neutral location where they're met by Commonwealth soldiers equipped with armor, spears, and shields. Pamela and the Commonwealth become an ally to the fellow communities and a safe haven for a few familiar faces. It remains to be seen what version of the community will come into play in The Walking Dead TV show but it makes sense to go in that direction.
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There's even evidence that Maggie left Hilltop to help develop the Commonwealth and will be the bridge between the two networks of communities, and The Walking Dead season 9 has already been hinting at the storyline through Gabriel's use of the radio he took from the cabin last season. Before the season 9 midseason finale, Rosita and Eugene were on a mission to set up radio transmitting equipment at the communications tower. Gabriel turns out to be the one who has been using the radio in the hopes of searching for new survivors in the series, and Michonne wasn't too pleased to learn of his communication efforts as she believes it puts them at an unnecessary risk. This certainly won't be the end of Gabriel's use of the radio, though, and it seems likely that a voice will come through sooner rather than later.
Before The Walking Dead dives into the Commonwealth story arc from the comics, the Whisperers will need to be in the rearview mirror. Considering Alpha and her group just made their grand entrance on the TV series, it could be a bit longer before The Walking Dead turns the page on the Whisperers and sets its sights on the Commonwealth. The next major event on The Walking Dead is the Kingdom's fair, something that has been hinted at since the time jump following Rick's "death".
Unlike the good relationship between the survivors in the comics, the communities aren't on good terms on The Walking Dead TV show. Despite the ongoing tension between Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom, the groups agree to come together for the community fair. The event hosted by Ezekiel and the Kingdom is meant to allow the citizens from each community to come together and trade their bounty of goods. Comic book readers will remember the fair as a turning point in the comics, which ultimately kickstarted the real Whisperer War that seems to be an inevitability on The Walking Dead TV show.
The bloody Whisperer War may take up the bulk of The Walking Dead season 10, but the tragic loss of lives could ramp up Gabriel's efforts to find new survivors as a distraction from the devastation caused by the Whisperers. Perhaps it could also be an outlet for Gabriel to search for new allies, something that they've done as a community before. Whether viewers are introduced to the Commonwealth in The Walking Dead season 10 or later down the road, it sure looks like the massive community will be essential to the show's future.