The Walking Dead Delivers Shocking Twist: Unveiling the Most Disturbing Villainy Yet

Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 1, episode 3. In this episode, the origins of the new villain, The Croat (Željko Ivanek), are explained, including where he obtains fuel and how he transforms zombies into drugs. The promotional poster for Dead City featuring Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) alongside the decapitated, zombified head of the Statue of Liberty indicated a nod to John Carpenter's Escape from New York. Episode 3, titled "People Are a Resource," strengthens these connections even further, as The Croat organizes violent gladiator matches in Madison Square Garden to entertain his followers. Additionally, the episode delves into The Croat's association with Negan and The Saviors, highlighting his ability to attract and control people by offering them shelter and a sense of family in exchange for obedience. To further explore The Croat's backstory, the episode reveals the tragic fate of his wife and children, as well as his former occupation, which leads to a disturbing utilization of zombies unlike anything seen in the franchise before.

Yes, Dead City's Croat Is Using Corpses As Fuel

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While attempting to entice the captive New Babylon marshal, Perlie (played by Gaius Charles), into divulging information, The Croat discloses some details about himself. He mentions that his previous profession involved "alternative energy," and upon arriving in New York, he quickly realized that death was the most plentiful natural resource on the island. The antagonist from The Walking Dead describes the process: "The bodies decompose and generate methane, which can be converted into a liquid fuel through pressurization, thanks to the weak intermolecular forces, even at regular temperatures."

Biofuel is a renewable energy source produced from organic matter, such as plants or animal waste. Common examples include biofuel and ethanol. In the episode "People Are a Resource" of The Walking Dead: Dead City, when Perlie enters Madison Square Garden, he witnesses a demonstration of their biofuel technique as a zombie is submerged in a tank. Although The Croat's energy solution may be horrifying, there is a certain twisted logic to it. Moreover, no body goes to waste, as The Croat is seen utilizing the body of one of his men as fuel, echoing the ideology of Negan during the Saviors' era with his declaration of "People are a resource!"

It Gets Worse - Dead Bodies Are The Walking Dead's New Drug

In The Walking Dead: Dead City, the series continues its tradition of exploring inventive and revolting ways to utilize the undead. A prime example of this is depicted in a scene where poor Perlie is forcefully thrust into a cage match with a zombie, compelled to inhale the methane emitted by a zombie tank in order to become intoxicated. Although this strategy was employed to disadvantage the marshal in the fight, it becomes evident that The Croat's people have adopted this as a legitimate method of getting high.

The Walking Dead antagonists known as The Whisperers previously resorted to wearing the decaying flesh of the undead to blend in with them. While this method is undeniably repulsive, using decomposing corpses as a source of drugs represents a disturbing new low. With three more episodes left in The Walking Dead: Dead City, it remains to be seen if The Croat has devised any other unsavory applications for the "walkers."