One variant zombie type now has an official canon name in The Walking Dead, but the moniker hints at a darker future for the post-apocalyptic franchise. After a slither of undead confusion in season 1, The Walking Dead's first proper hint at variant zombies came in the dying moments of The Walking Dead: World Beyond season 2. Continuing that shock reveal, The Walking Dead season 11's "Variant" saw Aaron, Jerry, Lydia and Elijah encounter a zombie that could climb structures and wield tools. These types are apparently becoming increasingly common, as a variant was then spotted picking up a knife at the end of The Walking Dead's "Outpost 22" episode.
While the term "variant" has indeed been spoken onscreen in The Walking Dead, season 11's "Faith" christens the specific type of zombie Aaron's group encountered with a brand-new title. As the same four survivors trek through the forest toward Alexandria, Elijah advises Lydia to attack the undead with more caution, warning her, "It could have been a climber." The line serves as the official induction of "climber" into The Walking Dead's vocabulary, used to denote a variant zombie capable of scaling structures. Unfortunately, the line subtly hints at a grim future for The Walking Dead's protagonist group.
The Walking Dead's Climbers Hint Other Variants Exist
Climbers is an odd name for Elijah to use, since he didn't merely witness the zombie in question climb, but also pick up a rock. The term feels somewhat misleading. In The Walking Dead: World Beyond season 2, however, Dr. Jenner used the phrase "variant cohorts" to describe advanced zombies, and the plural here implied more than one variant had been reported. This point was further driven home in The Walking Dead season 11 when Aaron ominously pondered, "Maybe there's other kinds too." Now The Walking Dead's survivors have coined the term "climbers" rather than a catch-all like "variants" or "super-walkers," the existence of other breeds looks all but inevitable.
"Climbers" will obviously refer to the zombies with improved motor functions, but The Walking Dead has already teased zombies that are both stronger and faster - "runners," perhaps? Then maybe Daryl Dixon travels to France and finds more intelligent zombies, which promptly get dubbed "thinkers." Elijah's name for zombies capable of climbing may not be especially imaginative, but the narrow nature of the title "climbers" leaves plenty of room for other types under the broader variant umbrella as AMC's Walking Dead franchise continues.
Where Did The Walking Dead's Climbers Come From?
The existence of variants in The Walking Dead remains largely mysterious. Errant zombie types are known to have been present since the outbreak began, as not only do climbers appear in The Walking Dead season 1, but Dr. Jenner's message was obviously recorded prior to his death at the CDC. For reasons unknown, variants went suspiciously quiet between The Walking Dead seasons 2-10, but are now coming back into fashion. The Walking Dead: World Beyond season 2's post-credits scene teased a few other details. One peeved survivor intimated that variants were caused by the same scientists responsible for the outbreak in the first place, while also hinting evolved variant zombies were more common in Europe than the US. The rest will likely become clear through The Walking Dead's many upcoming spinoffs.
The Walking Dead continues Sunday on AMC.