Tales Of The Walking Dead's Samantha Morton Dishes On Making An Alpha Prequel

Ironically enough, even though they're scary, all over the place, and have accounted for several main character deaths over the years, the zombies are hardly the main antagonists of "The Walking Dead." Rather, a few folks among the living have taken on that spot due to their aggressive, selfish nature — often meeting their end due to their ruthless ambition. The likes of the Governor (David Morrissey) and Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) have become television icons thanks to their villainy, and relatively recent threat Alpha, also known as Dee (Samantha Morton), is right there among them.

Alpha made her "Walking Dead" debut in the Season 9 episode "Adaptation," introducing fans to the frightening Whisperers — a group of survivors who've managed to camouflage themselves from walkers using their flesh — in the process. As the second half of the season unfolds, viewers learn that she has quite a dark past, hence why she's the dangerous and calculating leader she is. However, while she's able to protect herself from the undead, the living present a challenge she cannot overcome. Negan kills her in brutal fashion in the Season 10 episode "Walk with Us," marking the end of her run on the program.

Even though she met her demise, Alpha's story isn't over yet. She'll return for "Tales of the Walking Dead" in the form of a prequel story, which Samantha Morton had a lot to say about.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Samantha Morton took part in a panel dedicated to "Tales of the Walking Dead," which divulged all kinds of interesting tidbits about the upcoming anthology series. When asked about bringing back Alpha and getting to shed more light on her pre-Whisperers life, Morton voiced her excitement in getting to do so. She referred to Alpha as the "role of a lifetime" since it's not uncommon for middle-aged women to get shoehorned into housewife roles in Hollywood instead of more fleshed-out, villainous characters like her.

Touching on when she got the call to return as Alpha, Morton described it as an honor and said that she couldn't wait to find out where Alpha's story began. "I just wanted to know, like, even if they didn't make it, I was like, 'What happened? What happens?" she told SDCC 2022 attendees before giving them an interesting point to consider. In the Alpha flashbacks from "TWD" Season 9, they're told from her daughter Lydia's (Cassady McClincy) perspective. Therefore, one has to wonder if they were entirely unbiased, so we'll have to see how they compare to the events of "Tales of the Walking Dead."

Samantha Morton's Alpha is one of the most fascinating "Walking Dead" characters out there, so it will be great to learn more about her via "Tales of the Walking Dead" when it debuts on August 14, 2022.