WARNING: Major spoilers for The Walking Dead comics.
The Walking Dead season 10 will introduce a handful of new characters, including Dante, a prominent figure in the comics. Actor Juan Javier Cardenas was officially cast in the role earlier this month. Considering where the AMC series is heading, here's what can viewers expect from Dante.
The Walking Dead is entering a brand new chapter with season 10. It's the first full season without their lead character, Rick Grimes. In addition, Michonne is on her way out since the upcoming season will be Danai Gurira's last. Before Michonne exits, she will be tasked with leading a downtrodden group. The survivors took a monumental hit last season after the Whisperers killed ten people to serve as a warning. Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom were forced to come together and will now turn their focus on the impending Whisperer War.
Dante was introduced in Issue #131 in The Walking Dead comic book series and was present for the deadly conflict with the communities and the Whisperers. He was portrayed as a Hispanic-American in his mid-20s, a quick-talking jokester whose jokes often rubbed people the wrong way. Despite his sarcasm, he was extremely loyal to the Hilltop community, especially to the community's leader, Maggie Rhee.
Dante took a quick interest in Maggie and eventually emerged as her right-hand man. He had a unique skill of keeping calm and composed even in the face of danger, making him an effective leader. However, those traits were detrimental when he came face to face with a new villainous group. Dante was leading a search party for a missing community member when he was attacked by humans wearing the face of the dead. The attackers were later revealed to be a feral group known as the Whisperers.
The Whisperers coordinated a deal with the Hilltop to acquire their leader's daughter, Lydia, in exchange for Dante. Carl later ran off with Lydia and Dante accompanied Rick and a small group to track the teenagers. Dante was also present when the survivors found some of their friends and family members' heads on stakes. The deaths came at the hands of Alpha, the Whisperer's leader, and her followers. This event resulted in the deadly Whisperer War.
Jesus led the Hilltop's army to fight in the war but Dante stayed behind to protect Maggie and some of the other community members. While waiting for the fight to arrive on their doorstep, Dante tried to reveal his romantic feelings for Maggie. She rejected before he was whisked off to battle the herd that tore down Hilltop's walls. Dante led the defense but the herd destroyed the community. The surviving Hilltop members were forced to move to Alexandria. Following the Whisperer War, Dante and Maggie's relationship turned romantic.
Dante's storyline sort of diminished but towards the end of the comic series, although he was one of the people who escorted Rick's body back to Alexandria. His fate was unknown after the substantial time jump in the comics' final issue. Considering Maggie is not currently present in the TV series, it will be curious to see how Dante transforms compared to his comic book character. Hilltop doesn't even exist anymore. so there's no potential for Dante to become a leading figure in that respective community. Of course, Dante could be an indicator of Maggie's long-awaited return if actress Lauren Cohan agrees to come back to the series. Thankfully, fans won't have long to find out how Dante's involvement plays out in The Walking Dead season 10.