What The Member Of The Reapers Said To Maggie Before Blowing Himself Up

This article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead season 10, episode 17 — "Home Sweet Home."

The Governor. Negan. Alpha. Each one of those dangerous characters left a bloody mark on The Walking Dead's core group of survivors, and it now seems there's a new baddie itching to join the list. In "Home Sweet Home," the first of six bonus season 10 episodes, The Walking Dead introduces a new enemy for Daryl, Carol, Maggie, and the rest of their crew to face: The Reapers. But just like The Whisperers, and every other dangerous group they've gone up against before, the Reapers appear to have a leader directing their deadly assaults.

Near the end of the hour, Maggie and her friends manage to corner one of the Reapers after he takes out two members of their group and snares Maggie in a trap. But once Maggie begins questioning him, the mysterious man refuses to give her any answers — except for one. In response to why the Reapers are decimating her group without provocation, the Reaper responds: "Pope marked you." Then he blows himself up.

It's a cryptic response that points toward a bigger mystery that could feed into the rest of season 10 and beyond. (And sorry comic book fans, but it looks like even you'll be in the dark about this new character's identity, too. At least for now, it seems Pope and the Reapers are original characters for the show.)

The question fans should be pondering after the explosive exit of the trapped Reaper is who or what is Pope? While the show's previous villains have had comic book counterparts that offer clues as to what might come next, there's no mention of the Reapers or a Pope in the comics. For now, we're not even sure if Pope is a person, although it seems like a safe bet.

If Pope is a singular person, then it's possible they could be connected to the Civil Republic Military (CRM) in some way. After all, the CRM has been marking people and separating them into groups throughout most of the series. Additionally, the Reapers operate as if they have military experience. From the way they set traps to their use of camouflage to blend into their surroundings, they act as if they're trained soldiers.

But it's also important to note that when cornered, the lone Reaper doesn't hesitate to blow himself up rather than offer answers in exchange for his life. This suggests an element of fanaticism that could add an extra layer of significance to their leader being known as "Pope." While Pope is a fairly common last name, it's also a religious title.

Whoever Pope is, they could potentially have religious views that make them and their followers deadlier than the enemies the characters have faced before. The Reapers have already shown a lack of mercy and self-interest in the face of completing their mission. Their goal seems to be to wipe out Maggie's group at any cost, which sets them apart from previous groups that were more intent on recruiting new members or expanding their territory.

For now, the only thing we can be sure of is there's more danger on the horizon for Maggie and the rest of the survivors now that they've been marked by the mysterious Pope.