The sixth season of ‘The Walking Dead‘ is going to be introducing some new characters as our survivors finish moving into Alexandria. There is not only some real talent being introduced on the series this season but some major players that will be instantly recognized by long term readers of the comics. As we all know, AMC has no problems taking liberties with the storylines so it’s hard to say at this point how important each one will be but I’m sure we’ll be seeing those listed here stick around for at least the entire upcoming season.

Below we’ll find out a bit more as to who Ethan Embry (‘Eagle Eye’,’Vacancy’), Merritt Wever (‘Birdman’,’Nurse Jackie’), and Corey Hawkins (‘Non-Stop’,’Iron Man 3′) will be playing in the upcoming season. We had learned at SDCC 2015 that Embry and Wever would be joining the cast without any other details but Hawkins is a completely new addition.

First up is Embry who is going to be playing Carter. Comic readers might be asking “Who?” at this point and though you may not recognize the name you should recognize the character. According to showrunner Scott Gimple, “Ethan plays a combo of a few characters that we actually haven’t hit yet or weren’t able to hit in other characters. He is an Alexandrian, and has been there the whole time, just quite busy.” I’m sure that trying to set the town against Rick is going to work out great for him in the long term.

Next up we see that Wever is going to be playing a doctor on the show. A Dr. Denise Cloyd to be exact who fans of the comic should recognize. While Pete may have been the resident doctor, it seems that things are going to be falling on Cloyd’s shoulders from now on. In the series the fact that she is a surgeon isn’t wasted after using her skills to save one of the lead characters who may or may not suffer from a similar affliction this time around. For those who have read the comics, you don’t think they’ll actually go that route here, do you?

Finally we’ve learned that newcomer Hawkins is going to be playing Heath. In the comic he is a supply-runner for the town and ends up with Denise. According to Gimple, “He’s terrific and I’m so excited to see him bring Heath to life. It’s been fun and he dove in with both feet. He’s tough and skeptical when the cameras are rolling, and then when they’re off he’s just like a goofy fan. He’s really, really excited to be there.”

It sounds like we’ve got a great cast on our hands and I’m thrilled to see Wever joining the cast as I loved her on ‘Nurse Jackie.’

Are you looking forward to checking out the new additions who will be working with and against our survivors? Share your thoughts below!

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Screen Rant