Variants

Variants are zombies in AMC's The Walking Dead Television Universe infected with mutated strains of Wildfire that cause notable differences compared to their original counterparts. These differences include increased speed, agility, strength, aggression, problem-solving intelligence, biological defenses, and reduced resurrection times. Aside from the French variant, it is unknown what causes the physiological differences in those infected by the variant strains.
Incidents have been recorded of zombies being able to climb walls, open doors, and interact with objects. These particular zombies have been dubbed "climbers" by survivors. Zombies who return to places they remember are referred to as "roamers", as they display recognition of people, places, and objects from when they were alive. The most common form of variants are "lurkers", who enter a state of dormancy until alerted by an external presence.
== Overview ==
The origin of Wildfire has been identified as a lab leak from La Biomédicine DDMI in France. The purpose for the creation of the virus is currently unknown. Wildfire leaked in early 2010 and was declared by the Center for Disease Control on 15 April 2010. While the virus spread across the globe, the evolution of Wildfire, by means of random mutations, led to mutant specimens of the virus. These were not made known until the global outbreak in August 2010. The variants were observed to be faster, more agile, stronger, more aggressive, and held a greater capacity of intelligence and awareness than their original counterparts.
Among the variants, one seemed to have been inadvertently created by the French. Primrose, the scientist group responsible for the creation of Wildfire, held a conference in Toledo, Ohio shortly before the fall, trapping them in the United States of America. Violet, the other scientist group still remaining in France, attempted to circumvent Wildfire's resurrective properties by using cardiac plaques as a host medium for steroidal therapies in order to jump-start the circulatory system and cause the brain to short-circuit or regain function to cause nerve confusion. This mutated Wildfire into an extremely aggressive variant by displaying a markedly reduced resurrection time of thirty seconds as opposed to the ordinary time of three minutes to eight hours after death. Zombies with this variant also display extreme agility, speed, strength, and intelligence.
As the global outbreak occurred and civilization ended, human survivors noted the differences among certain zombies. Stories were shared of zombies who could climb walls, open doors, and interact with objects. However, their rarity made these stories appear as rumors as opposed to fact. Some are believed to be of particular importance due to their potential for increased virulence or reduced effectiveness of defenses against them as compared to their original counterparts. Variants seem to appear mostly in concentrated areas such as cities and urban centers where the virus was able to spread easily.
In 2020, Dr. Chauncey Everett was studying a unique variant that he had dubbed a protector in the Dead Sector. This particular walker, his former colleague Dr. Moseley, displayed leadership and protective behavior over his herd. In life, Dr. Moseley had been a scientist who had studied and looked after the herd, meaning that this may have been behavior that carried over. Some of the other Dead Sector walkers also appeared to be some form of variants given their behaviors.
In 2022, a herd containing a number of variants arrived at The Commonwealth. The climbers were able to scale the walls, eliminate the guards, and open the doors - allowing the herd to enter and overrun The Commonwealth. The incident resulted in hundreds of causalities. Unable to simply redirect the herd due to the variants being too dangerous to leave intact, the Commonwealth Army lured the herd into the Estates where they rigged the houses with explosives and filled the sewer system with gasoline. The Estates were destroyed, and the herd was eliminated.
== Types ==
* Lurkers - Lurkers are variants that enter a state of death-like dormancy until alerted by an external presence in which they attack, creating a trap. They are the most common variants encountered.
* Roamers - Roamers are variants who remember aspects of their lives before they died and will roam to find people, places, objects that they recognize. Due to their memories, they are also able to interact with objects.
* Climbers - Climbers are variants with the ability to climb walls, open doors, and use objects. Due to their strength and problem-solving intelligence, they are among the most dangerous variants.
* Protectors - Protectors are variants that protect and provide for the herd. They are a unique kind of variant observed by Doctor Chauncey Everett in the Dead Sector. At times they will kill their prey and leave it behind for the herd to consume.
* Burners - Burners are variants with acidic blood. Victims that are bitten, touched, or come into contact with their blood are burned significantly. They are relatively common variants encountered exclusively in France. Cauterization is the best way to treat their wounds as it spreads otherwise and victims can potentially lose limbs as a result.
* Cohorts - Cohorts are variants with increased agility, speed, strength, and intelligence. They are notable for their resurrection time of thirty seconds after death. They are the most dangerous variants to encounter, exclusively in France.