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The Walking Dead Subtly Tells The Story Of Little Red Riding Hood

"The Walking Dead" has worked tirelessly to bring new dimensions to the zombie genre. The show begins with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), a sheriff's deputy who wakes up from a coma in a world he does not recognize. A virus has taken over, turning humans into zombies — known as walkers. Rick's family is nowhere to be found, and he makes it his mission to reunite with them. Of course, there are walker battles along the way, but this series is not just about humans fighting walkers. In many cases, it's about humans fighting humans in order to survive this zombie apocalypse.

Fans may recall encounters with the Vatos Gang and the Terminus survivors. Many will remember the Saviors, led by the brutal Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Others may recall the arrival of the Wolves in Season 5, a storyline that later disappears without explanation. The group is led by Owen (Benedict Samuel), who later becomes a walker. But the Wolves are much more than just another group of survivors. They're helping "The Walking Dead" retell a story that's been shared for generations.

How a show based on comics pays tribute to a classic tale

"The Walking Dead" is not just a popular AMC series. This world first came to life on the pages of comics created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. So it is only fitting that a show based on a work of literature pays homage to another literary tale: "Little Red Riding Hood."

Like the wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood," the Wolves on "The Walking Dead" show no hesitation in attacking anyone who wanders into their path. It's a point that's clearly made in Season 5, Episode 16, "Conquer." A man in a red poncho is seen walking alone and is later murdered by the Wolves, proving that this group will do anything to survive. The group is never mentioned in the comics, but the show is not afraid to divert from its source material, another example being the sudden demise of Sebastian Milton (Teo Rapp-Olsson) in Season 11, Episode 18, "A New Deal."

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kirkman explained what it's like to bring his comics to the small screen. "It's a weird process on 'The Walking Dead' because we have a full writing staff and a writers' room, and they're working on things, but I'm an executive producer. I'm there, so I'm actively participating in changing material that I myself wrote, which is really weird, but it's fun, I guess," he said.