The Walking Dead season 8 finale: Fans think episode 16 teased The Whisperers as season 9 villains

*Comic book spoilers follow*

The Walking Dead may have just wrapped up its current season but that doesn't seem to have prevented the writers from lining up next year's villain.

Despite contending with a small matter of the final showdown between Rick and Negan, keen-eyed viewers noticed a little addition in the background which may be hinting at the anticipated addition of an even more terrifying faction than The Saviours.

The scenes showing Rick lead his army toward The Saviours featured a moment in which they look out from the top of a hill and spot a huge horde of walkers in the distance. Continuing along the hill, the gun-toting warriors pass a series of poles which to the uninitiated seem like nothing at all.

(Brandon Davis via AMC) (Comcbook.com)

In Robert Kirkman's comic book series the show is based on, poles similar to these are used as a territory-marking device by The Whisperers, a group led by a character named Alpha. Marking them out from the others is the way they disguise themselves as walkers, living among them and wearing their skin to blend in and catch others unawares.

Their leader, Alpha - whose path collides with the newly-imprisoned Negan in a very big way - would utilise these poles by placing the heads of any character who gets in her way, including some still alive on the show right now, atop the spikes as a warning to others.

It remains to be seen if The Walking Dead will introduce The Whisperers in season 9 with the series now under the guidance of long-time writer Angela Kang. But if so, this could be a sly tease pointing fans in the right direction of where next season will go.

You can find a rundown of how All Out War ends here.

The Walking Dead season 8 finale airs tomorrow evening on FOX and will be available to stream on NOW TV. It will return to AMC for season 9 later this year.

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