The Walking Dead has been one of those franchises that has garnered an impeccably dedicated fan base. With interconnected storylines and character development, The Walking Dead established itself as one of the best zombie-centered entertainment franchises of all time. Throughout the show’s run, fans have taken notice of some valuable Easter eggs that are callbacks to previous episodes and even some that act as premonitions to possible events in future episodes.
The Walking Dead
- Release Date
- October 31, 2010
- Seasons
- 11
- Studio
- AMC
- Developer
- Frank Darabont
The Walking Dead never shied away from deeper themes surrounding humanity and brutality in the post-apocalyptic setting. The emotional toll the show imposed on not just the characters, but also the audience laid the groundwork for some hidden Easter eggs that had fans on the edge of their seats and some that added some much-needed fun and levity to the series. Even in the most quiet moments, there were things to keep your eyes and ears ready for. Here is our list of the best Walking Dead hidden Easter eggs. Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix.
11 Title Screen Decaying
This Walking Dead Easter egg is something that only with dedication to the show’s longevity will you see a payoff. Tuning into an episode of The Walking Dead exposed fans to the iconic theme song, some strong imagery relating to the season, and the all-too-recognizable title screen. However, the producers put in something a little special that fans might not have noticed.
A Symbol of the Decaying State of the World
Throughout each season of The Walking Dead, the title screen is shown to be slowly decaying over time. The words begin to crack and break down as our main group spends more time in a post-apocalyptic world, run down by the undead. Like a walker itself, the title screen starts showing signs of decomposition. Some have also speculated a deeper meaning to this visual: A symbol of the humanity left in our main characters.
The Walking Dead never shied away from being brutal. However, those lines of morality and humanity get blurred the more trauma our main group is put through. The title screen decaying reflects the sort of breakdown of society and decency as a whole. In the later seasons, the title sequence appears to show some greenery growing from the destruction, hinting at the possible start of something better.
10 Heads Will Roll
Over the course of 11 seasons, The Walking Dead gave fans some of the most threatening and formidable villains on TV. From Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s epic portrayal of Negan to The Governor, each antagonist challenged Rick and his group in more ways than one. However, there was something about The Whisperers that leaned into the horror genre more than the others.
Communities “Stick” Together
Whether it be their insistence on staying virtually silent or the walker skin that they wear and walk around in, they are a force to be reckoned with. In the show’s fifth season, audiences are introduced to The Saviors, a group of ruthless survivors, who are led by Negan. Part of their camp shows walkers chained up around fences, locked behind gates, and even heads on pikes. Well, this turned out to be a foreshadowing of what will befall some integral members of the main group of protagonists in Season 9.
In Season 9, the three main communities, Hilltop, Alexandria, and The Kingdom, are all set to participate in putting on a fair, a sort of celebration of life. However, the lingering threat of Alpha’s Whisperers is at an all-time high as Alpha infiltrates the grounds in disguise to take back her daughter, Lydia. When she refuses, Alpha’s group retaliates. They kidnap 10 members throughout the communities, including Tara, Inid, and Henry. They are killed, and their heads are put on pikes and set up as a clear boundary of their territories.
9 “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”
One of the most prominent moments in the entire show happened early on in the show’s first season. In episode 6, titled “TS-19,” Rick and the group find themselves seeking refuge and answers at headquarters for the CDC. However, when the doctor who let them inside threatens to blow the place up with all of them inside, Rick begs him for a chance to live, to survive. His wishes are granted and when he tells that doctor that he is grateful, the doctor responds with the infamous line, “The day will come when you won’t be.”
A Turning Point for Rick and a Call-Back to Season 1
In what could be the most infamous episode in the show’s entire 11 seasons, that iconic line makes another appearance. In the first episode of Season 7, fittingly titled “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” Rick and his group face the horrific consequences of going up against Negan and The Saviors. Negan takes his barbed-wired bat Lucille and murders Abraham and Glenn in front of the entire group.
This turning point in the show gave audiences a Rick who did not have the upper hand. They are defeated and at the complete mercy of this one man and his group. The Easter egg of naming this episode “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” and calling back to the show’s first season makes this one singular moment that has Rick questioning everything they’ve ever fought for. This is the day when Rick is not grateful for the mercy he was shown in Season 1.
8 The Breaking Bad Universe
Several References from the Hit Show
There are a few references and hidden Easter eggs surrounding another popular AMC show, Breaking Bad. Starting off strong, when T-Dog comes down with an illness, Daryl goes through some of his brother’s stash of drugs, and audiences lay their eyes on the iconic Blue Meth from Breaking Bad. In addition to that, another Easter egg is the red Dodge Charger that Glenn steals in the first season.
If you thought the vehicle looked familiar, you are not the only one! In Season 4 of Breaking Bad, Walter White buys his son a Dodge Charger that suspiciously looks just like the one from The Walking Dead. Lastly, in a heartwarming conversation between Daryl and Beth, Daryl mentions Merle’s old drug dealer who happened to fit the description of one Jesse Pinkman: a scrawny white guy who says “I’m gonna kill you, b*tch.”
7 Welcome to Macon (TWD Video Game Shoutout)
We Recommend Playing the Game!
The Walking Dead, as iconic as the show is, is a franchise that expands across more entertainment facets than just the AMC show alone. The Walking Dead video game was developed by Telltale Games, as players play from the perspective of the game’s main characters: Lee in the first season, and Clementine after. The game is very story-driven, and the outcomes of certain plot points are directly correlated to the decisions you make as the character you are playing. Well, turns out The Walking Dead show wanted to give a nod to the popular game in showing Macon, Georgia in the show.
In The Walking Dead show, Michonne is determined to hunt down The Governor. In the plan to enact her revenge, she points to the town of Macon on a map. Macon happens to be Lee’s, from The Walking Dead video game, hometown.
6 The Johnny Depp Head
Here’s Johnny!
Not all Easter eggs are going to be heavy hitters with symbolism, niche callbacks, and foreshadowing. This one is just fun. In a world full of prominent faces, the idea of a zombie celebrity is rarely touched in The Walking Dead. Well, it would not be realistic without at least one, right? Johnny Depp makes an unlikely cameo in the form of a severed walker head in the show’s sixth season. In a non-accidental turn of events, the show’s director revealed in an interview with EW that he had a beat-up walker head made specifically to resemble Depp.
5 Lucille Omen
Batter’s Up!
Negan remains one of the most dynamic, charismatic, and beloved villains in TV history. From hi early days on the show with trusty Lucille to the unlikely companionship he shares with Maggie, there is no doubt that Negan’s character is one that will stand the test of time for fans. However, there is a Lucille Easter egg in the show that nodded to the infamous villain long before he made an appearance on-screen.
After the prison is overrun and all the main characters are scattered, after escaping, Beth comes across a pile of dead walkers on the road. Well, if you look close enough, there appears to be a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire lying in the dirt. Although it is unclear if this bat is Lucille and Negan was responsible for the walker massacre, the Easter egg referencing the villain is subtle and exciting enough for fans with sharp eyes.
4 Carl Grimes’ Cameo in “Rest in Peace”
Chandler Riggs’ Return
One of the most devastating deaths in the entire show was Carl in season 8. Played expertly by Chandler Riggs, Carl’s character was one of those characters that symbolized a promise for a future. Since the beginning of The Walking Dead, Rick has survived and fought to give his son a life worth living in the post-apocalyptic world.
When he died, there was a sense of hopelessness that lingered. Even after years since his death, Carl’s impact continued to inspire the people who loved him. Therefore, Riggs’ little cameo in the series finale felt like the Easter egg of all Easter eggs. In a final scene showing farmers working at Hilltop, little did fans know that Riggs was in there among the workers.
3 Andrew Lincoln’s Voice on the Radio (Tyreese Death)
Andrew Lincoln’s Natural Accent
Slow deaths are almost harder to swallow than quick ones. Tyreese was first introduced to the show in season 3. Fans slowly grew to love the gentle man who could plow down walkers like a machine. He maintained a level-headed sense of morality that was lacking in some of the characters.
In the Season 5 episode “What Happened and What’s Going On,” Tyreese faced a brutal end where he gets bitten by a walker and slowly bleeds out. Throughout the episode, Tyreese is shown in a car as someone speaks over the radio. The Easter egg here is that voice, with the smooth, English accent, happens to belong to Andrew Lincoln, who plays the one and only Rick Grimes himself.
2 Governor or Pirate?
Argh, Me Matey!
The Governor is a Walking Dead villain who was introduced in Season 3, played by David Morrissey. The Governor always felt like a flea that would not go away. After the Governor is displaced from the community of Woodbury, he is forced to survive in the thick of the apocalypse beyond the once-secure walls.
He and his clothes are dirtier, his beard is overgrown, and his iconic eye patch is as threatening as ever. However, in a fun little callback to comments referencing the Governor’s eye patch making him look like a pirate, a scene in the show has the Governor lying down with a parrot printed on the pillow below him, perfectly perched on his shoulder.
1 Foreshadowing the Whisperers
Morgan Was a Little Saner Than We Thought
Morgan’s return was for the fans who have been there since the beginning. When Rick and Morgan reunite in Season 3, episode 12, entitled “Clear,” Rick tries to center a distressed and manic Morgan back down to Earth by asking him if he knew who he was. Morgan responds cryptically, stating that there are “people wearing dead people’s faces.”
Coming from a man who has apparently lost his mind, it was easy for Rick and us as the audience to sweep this line under the rug or attach it to some external symbolism regarding the breakdown of humanity. However, Morgan was not kidding. Whether or not he actually encountered The Whisperers, this clever Easter egg hinted at the eventual arrival of the masked group.
