The Walking Dead season 8 producer confirms introduction of huge character

He will be the show's first major Muslim character

(Gene Page/AMC)

The Walking Dead season 8 is officially underway returning with a premiere episode that also doubled as the show's 100th ever (you can find our verdict here).

Among the episode's highlights, which saw Rick finally bring the war to Negan, was an earlier episode which saw Carl run into a character (played by Avi Nash) at an abandoned gas station (a shot-for-shot remake of the series' first-ever scene). “Have mercy prevail over my wrath,” he can be heard saying, a line - taken from the Quaran - that Rick repeats later in the episode at an unspecified time in the future.

Presumptuous fans immediately stated they believed this character could be Siddiq, a suggestion executive producer and the episode's director Greg Nicotero confirmed brazenly in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

When discussing the above quote, he says: “But you hear that line in the episode, because Siddiq says it to Carl in the gas station when he’s talking about his mom and he was talking about the traveller and all this stuff, and it’s Siddiq that says that he’s basically quoting something that his mom said.”

Siddiq - who will be the show's first major Muslim character - was first introduced to comic book readers at a later point to where the series currently is, after the time-jump that is teased in the premiere episodes in the 'Old Man Rick' scenes. Siddiq was originally a part of Oceanside - the community Tara ran into last season - before making his way to Alexandria.

Considering we see Carl revisit the scene, leaving cans of food behind - merged with the fact that the line he utters will pack such heft for Rick later this season - it's a sure bet Siddiq will have a big part to play in the war ahead.

The Walking Dead season eight airs every Sunday in the US on AMC with the UK premiere arriving the following evening on FOX. It will also be available on NOWTV.