The Walking Dead’s Mysterious “Big Richie” Zombie Explained

Who was “Big Richie” on The Walking Dead? Here’s the mysterious walker’s identity explained. Terrifying as they are, a lot of the zombies on The Walking Dead blend into one moldering, flesh-munching blur. In fact, in past seasons, the show has gotten flak for having its walkers take a backseat to still living villains. Every now and then, however, there comes along a walker that stands out among the horde – the kind that plays a bigger role in the plot or means a little more to the survivors than the average shuffling carcass.

Michonne’s pet walkers Mike and Terry – her partner and their friend – had relatively prominent roles, given their pre-apocalypse connection to the katana-wielding heroine. The armless, jawless ghouls made Michonne’s Walking Dead debut unforgettable and the pair even popped up again in her jimsonweed-induced hallucination in the season 10 episode “What We Become.” Similarly, the Governor’s undead daughter Penny Blake and the Scavengers’ weaponized walker Winslow were pretty memorable too.

Another seemingly important zombie popped up in season 9 of The Walking Dead. In “Adaptation” a newly escaped Negan made his way back to his former lair, the Sanctuary, which had fallen into disrepair in the six years since he’d been locked up in Alexandria’s jail. There Negan came across a walker he addressed as “Big Richie” and remarked he was “loyal to the end.” For a while, it looked like Negan was considering staying at the Sanctuary and keeping “Big Richie” around for some not very talkative company until he came to his senses, bashed his head in and returned to Alexandria. But who was “Big Richie?”

From the way Negan talked to him so familiarly, it’s implied “Big Richie” was a former Savior who succumbed to a zombie bite or died and turned in some other way. However, Walking Dead fans trying to remember a Savior named “Big Richie” involved in any major plots could be racking their brains for some time. “Adaptation” was the character’s first appearance so it would seem his inclusion was more to prompt Negan into recognizing the Saviors and the Sanctuary were no more and returning to Alexandria – a zombie red shirt if you will.

While “Big Richie” was a new addition to The Walking Dead, Alex Hill – the stuntman who played him – was not. Hill has played several zombies over the past few seasons including the gnarly-looking, mushroom-covered walker Father Gabriel and Dr. Carson encountered during season 8 episode “Dead Or Alive Or” and the distinctly sasquatch-like walker seen at the beginning of “No Way Out” wandering through Alexandria who was affectionately dubbed by The Walking Dead fandom as “bigfoot walker.”