‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 Spoilers: Rick Encounters New Group, But Are They Friends or Foes?

A new image from the second half of The Walking Dead Season 7 reveals Rick will encounter a new group, which could be or a good or bad thing for the group.

It appears Rick is in a junkyard with some strangers. There is no group in The Walking Dead comics that meets with Rick in a junkyard or lives in one at that. These people are dressed in all black and don’t look too friendly. Rick also doesn’t look happy to be there either. Take a look for yourselves:

We don’t know the name of this new group, so let’s call them the Junkyard Kids. Well, it would make sense if these Junkyard Kids are allies in the war against Negan. Rick will need to find or make weapons somehow, so what better way to salvage crafting supplies than from a junkyard? No one would really think to go snooping around a garbage pit for goods.

It’s also possible these Junkyard kids are with Negan. They could be like the Oceanside community, filled with former members of The Saviors who escaped. They might have a deal with Negan like The Kingdom and don’t want to cause anyone trouble. If that’s the case, then Rick might’ve stumbled into a trap.

Remember the mystery person lurking in the shadows, watching Aaron and Rick struggle to get the supplies off the boat in the middle of the lake? That person might be connected to that group. What if they don’t like that Rick stole from them and join Negan’s side? What if they’re just another outpost for the Saviors?

So many possibilities! This is new territory for The Walking Dead since there’s no reference to these Junkyard Kids in the comics, at least not during the All Out War Storyline. However, the arrival of newcomers doesn’t come as a surprise. AMC’s official synopsis for the second half of The Walking Dead Season 7 already confirmed the appearance of new survivors:

"Rick's group will find out yet again that the world isn't what they thought it was. It's much bigger than anything they've seen so far. While they have a singular purpose--to defeat Negan--it won't come easy. More importantly, victory will require more than Alexandria. They need the numbers of the Kingdom and the Hilltop, but, similar to how Rick felt, Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Gregory (Xander Berkeley) do not want bloodshed. To convince them otherwise will take more than speeches. The lengths Rick and the group will have to go to in order to find weapons, food and new fighters is nothing short of remarkable.

"We'll meet new survivors in incredible places. We'll see Rick and the group tested in ways we've never seen before. We'll see treachery from people we trust. Rick is confident as he will see his group and many others band together with the common goal of taking down Negan. But no amount of planning will prepare the group for all-out war with Negan and his army."

Still, we wouldn’t trust any new group if we were Rick. He can’t risk any of his plans to get back to Negan and it would be too easy for a group to take advantage of Alexandria’s vulnerabilities. Don’t forget, Negan took all the guns in Alexandria and now has Eugene as a prisoner. Eugene knows how to make bullets and can probably make other weapons, too.

What do you think about the Junkyard Kids? Let us know in the comments below. The Walking Dead Season 7 returns Sunday, Feb. 12 on AMC.