Behold, another mysterious symbol appears on The Walking Dead! Last week’s episode finally caught up with the Kingdom for a lighthearted adventure to a theater. Yes, really. Ezekiel, Carol, Jerry, Dianne, and the crew took on a ton of walkers to retrieve a projection bulb so they could do something that we currently take for granted — watch a movie. All seemed well and hopeful until a potentially ominous sign popped up as they were heading back to the Kingdom. What does the red symbol on The Walking Dead mean? The answer to this question may not be as obvious as it seems.
In the episode, Carol and Ezekiel were riding in their carriage when the camera suddenly panned to a street sign near the theater with a red symbol on it. The hopeful and happy pair didn’t notice it, but the camera lingered on it a little too long so it must mean something ominous is on the way. It appears to look like an upside-down V with a line at the top, which has never been seen in the show or in the comics until now.
According to Heavy, it’s actually the astrology-based Quincunx symbol, which is supposed to mean that opposites will balance each other – but not without some disharmony in the mix. It’s an interesting thought, especially because the Kingdom finally seems to be hopeful after taking several losses. The symbol also looks a lot like a variation of the letter “A,” which has played a significant role in the show for several seasons and will be explored in the Rick movies. This could be an interesting tie-in to wherever Rick is at right now, but that would be too much in the middle of this current arc.
Of course, it’s natural to wonder if the Whisperers are involved in some capacity. They are the current villain on the show who have claimed territory in the area. The theater was full of walkers, which doesn’t make sense after over 10 years in the apocalypse. Surely, some of them would have somehow wandered out or someone would have inadvertently let them out while searching for something inside. So, it’s likely that the Whisperers have put the walkers there to use at their discretion if they encountered an enemy.
The group could be using this symbol to mark their territory, so they won’t be happy about Ezekiel and the gang slaying their walkers. But the Whisperers are basically animals who have given up all ways of the old world so it wouldn’t make sense for them to post astrology graffiti around town. This could mean that another group is somewhere out there and trying to warn people about the Whisperers without being too obvious. But, who would actually understand this secret code? It’s all very sketchy.
The show released a promo photo for Episode 13 that shows Carol holding a letter with the same symbol on it. She appears to be holding the with the symbol upside down and looks disturbed despite no visible words on the page. Does Carol know what this symbol means? And, why would someone send it to her?
There was some kind of threat during the 6-year time jump, so perhaps this symbol is somehow attached to that time period. But, this is a photo of present-day Carol because of her hair. If the Whisperers are using this symbol for whatever reason, it could be a warning that they have Henry in their grasp. It’s pretty weird, but this is one of the strangest groups on this show so far.
Angela Kang confirmed to Comicbook.com that this symbol mystery will be addressed "sooner rather than later" and that it definitely plays into this season's story. So, at least fans know it's not some meaningless thing to make them unnecessarily speculate about its origin.
No matter what, this red symbol is a bad omen for the Kingdom. Lydia is likely going to give up their location and, if the comics are followed, a few beloved characters are going to die in extremely shocking fashion. Thanks a lot, Henry. It’s probably going to take a while to get answers, but hopefully The Walking Dead won’t make viewers wait too long to discover the culprit behind this sign.
