The Walking Dead: Strain Zero

* Main
* Arc 1
* Arc 2
* Arc 3

"*A saga retold...*"
—Tagline of *Strain Zero***[src]**

***The Walking Dead: Strain Zero***, also known as ***The Walking Dead by EDStudios: Remake***, is a post-apocalyptic horror story and a rewrite of *The Walking Dead by EDStudios*. Set in its own continuity, the *Remake* Universe, it serves as a reboot of the Original Series. Like the original, the series follows the exploits of a group of survivors, led by exchange student Henry Ward, as the world descends into a zombie apocalypse that initially wipes out almost the entire adult population, leaving the remaining youngsters to adapt and survive in a new world.

*Strain Zero* currently consists of three arcs - *Homeward*, *Bloodlines* and *Descendents* - with *Season 7: Remake* currently being written and *Season 8: Remake* in development. Each arc contains a rewrite of the *Chronicles* stories: *Storytellers*, a retelling of *Chronicles Season 1: 'The Storytellers'*, and *Shadows*, a retelling of *Chronicles Season 2: 'Shadowman'*. Two miniseries, titled *Dead Gold* and *Embers*, are in development. A spin-off companion series titled *So Help Me God*, detailing the backstory of *Strain Zero* antagonist Antony Eden, began in January 2023.

## Plot

*A saga retold...*

*As a plague of undeath begins to spread across the world, wiping out the adult population, a small group of survivors led by Henry Ward struggles to find their place in a chaotic new world in this retelling of The Walking Dead by EDStudios*.

## Series Overview

### Season 1: Remake

> *Main Article: Season 1 (Remake)*
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While on an exchange program in the city of Renton, Sylvania, a group of students, mostly from England but others from Russia and India, are forced to survive inside the Clarkson High School when almost the entire adult population succumbs to a pathogen that transforms them into flesh-eating monsters resembling zombies, later known as walkers. The group overcome many obstacles, including facing a group of cannibals, before they are forced to abandon the school a year after the outbreak. After making their way to a supposed safe-zone in the state capital Port Collier by train, the group are forced to battle the residents of a hostile community, Hopeville, and decide to leave by boat. The plan fails, however, and the group are reduced to just a few after fighting Hopeville's leader, Francis. After the tragic death of both Jess and her newborn child, the group's surviving members - Henry, Holly and Emma - take up residence in a secluded ranger station within Iron Mountain State Forest.

### Season 2: Remake

> *Main Article: Season 2 (Remake)*
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After almost a year of surviving in the forest, Henry, Holly and Emma are attacked by bandits and separated. While Holly and Emma encounter a group of survivors led by Drew Stanton, Henry is forced to track them alone and is badly wounded by both bandits and dogs. Saved by a survivor named Mike that agrees to guide him out of the forest, Henry adopts a dog named "Boy" and discovers the location of a supposed safe-zone called "Greencole" somewhere to the west. He eventually reunites with Holly and Emma at a fortified community called Hometown, led by a darwinist survivor named Stoffman. While staying at Hometown, Henry unexpectedly reunites with Justinas, who was presumed dead in the boathouse fire a year ago, and makes friends with several workers, including a guard named David.

Three months later, Henry, serving as a soldier for the community, uncovers Stoffman's plot to murder those in Hometown that he views as weak and exposes him, only to be ignored by the community. Forming an alliance with Drew, Henry breaks both his group and Drew's out of Hometown but sustains life threatening injuries from Stoffman during their climatic fight, forcing the others to carry him to safety. Surviving with awful scars across his face, a weakened Henry leads the two groups into the mountains, where they learn that a former member of Drew's group, the psychotic William Carter, is the leader of the bandits that have been tormenting them.

In the snowy mountains, Henry, Holly, Emma and Justinas are shocked to reunite with Ben, also presumed dead, who invites them to stay at a ski resort nearby. Early the next morning, the resort is attacked by the bandits and the group are captured. With Emma's help, Henry leads an escape to a secluded campground where Becky gives birth to Drew's daughter, Sarah. Tired of running, the group plan an ambush in a mountain pass and successfully defeat the bandits; their battle ends with Becky killing Carter with an arrow to the skull. The two groups decide to band together under Henry's leadership and head west to find Greencole.

### Season 3: Remake

> *Main Article: Season 3 (Remake)*
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Nine months after beginning their journey, Henry's group heads into the city of Fargo, the supposed origin of the "Greencole" signal. After becoming separated from Drew, the group are captured by a vast army of survivors called the Innocents. An attempted escape from the Innocents results in the group learning that "Greencole" is actually Adams Air Force Base in Montana, after which they are recaptured by the Innocents and meet their leader, the sadistic Bart Rhodes. Bart forces Henry to choose two sacrifices so that the others will be spared; Henry reluctantly picks Justinas and Stephan. The pair are forced to play a game of Russian roulette; Stephan ends up with the loaded chamber but shoots Justinas instead of himself. The bullet is revealed to be a blank; after congratulating Stephan on his quick thinking, Bart summarily executes him for cowardice. Shortly after, Bart repeatedly beats Justinas across the face with the revolver. When Henry remains defiant, Bart has him imprisoned while the others are sent to work at the Black Building. Meanwhile, Holly, separated from the others during an attack, is reunited with Drew and encounters a small resistance group called the domers. While moving towards the domers' headquarters - the Fargodome - Holly reveals she is pregnant with Henry's child.

Two days of torture later, Henry escapes with the help of a dissident Innocent, Katrina, and is later saved from execution by a young survivor named Kyle Granger, whose ability to speak has been hampered by prolonged isolation. In the woods, Henry encounters creatures dubbed "darkdwellers", evolved zombies with heightened intelligence. Saved by Drew, Henry recovers at the Fargodome; while the others plan to assault an Innocent base, Henry and Holly head out to find Kyle, later adopting him as their own. Henry leads an attack on the Innocent base and acquires several vehicles and hostages, including Bart's stepsister Jane. Meanwhile, the Fargodome is sacked by Liam, Bart's second-in-command, and Leyton is killed.

The remaining domers evacuate to the settlement of Briarwood and plan an ambush. Henry's group agrees to help and lures Bart to the community with a proposed prisoner exchange between Justinas and Jane. With Justinas rescued and Jane defecting to Henry's group, the domers attack and Henry and Bart engage in a vicious duel; in the end, letting go of his anger, Henry refuses to kill Bart himself and instead allows him to be devoured by a darkdweller. Several domers, including deputy leader Gideon, and former Innocents join the group's convoy as they exit Fargo; Henry records a broadcast that attracts other survivors, forming a convoy called the Pioneers bound for Adams Air Force Base. Henry's message is picked up by a well-armed group called "Delta Force", who also decide to head west.

### Storytellers

> *Main Article: Storytellers*
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Minutes after accidentally killing an innocent man after a robbery gone wrong, Mark Watson is arrested and watches in horror as his victim reanimates and kills several police officers. At the same time, an outbreak grips the city, and the police car Mark is in collides with a truck. Escaping the wreck, Mark rescues the sole survivor in the truck, a boy named Kyle Granger. Mark agrees to take Kyle to his aunt in Brookland, only to find the town in ruins and overrun by zombies. Mark and Kyle join a small group inside the local police station led by Kieron Worth, a U.S. army soldier and veteran of the Iraq invasion. They lift the mood and get to know one another by telling stories from their childhoods.

Months later, the group are approached by a well-armed band of raiders led by Bart Rhodes that invites them to tag along. Though horrified by Bart's callous treatment of other survivors, the Storytellers see no other choice but to remain. After several weeks of travelling, they stumble across the city of Fargo and a small community in the city centre.

On the outbreak's one year anniversary, Bart and his followers stage a bloody coup in the community, installing a violent regime with Bart as leader, and follow it up with a purging of dissidents and rebels, including Mark, Kyle and Kieron. The trio attempt to escape the city, but Mark and Kyle are cornered by Bart in an incomplete office building. Mark gives Kyle enough time to escape by offering himself to Bart, who shoots him in the head. Bart then corners Kyle in the upper floors and they fight; despite his young age, Kyle emerges victorious and escapes before Bart can recover. Reunited with Kieron, Kyle ends up alone after Kieron sacrifices himself to kill a darkdweller. Kyle finds an old RV to stay in and remains alone for the next two years until he is rescued by two strangers.

### Season 4: Remake

> *Main Article: Season 4 (Remake)*
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Weeks after leaving Fargo and the Innocents behind, the Pioneers, led by Henry's group, finally stumble across Adams Air Force Base, only to discover everything is not as they hoped: the base has been overrun by cannibals. While Henry leads his scout team out of the base, the convoy outside the base draws fire. Bethany is killed by shrapnel, and the group barely escapes. Having retrieved a map of nearby landmarks, an exhausted Henry asks the convoy to keep their faith in him a little while longer. Another days drive southwest leads the convoy to an abandoned campground downstream from Wolf Dam; deciding to settle the area, the Pioneers name their new home "Greencole". Not long after the Pioneers' escape, Delta Force, led by none other than Henry's estranged half-brother Kieron, arrives at the base and purges it of cannibals, thus establishing their new headquarters.

Five years later, the Pioneers have built a community 200 strong. Henry has stepped down from leadership to focus on his family, including his five-year-old daughter Hope; David has become leader in his stead. As winter nears and the community prepares for their biannual potluck, Henry heads to Wolf Dam to aid in its repair, an effort led by Ben. While on top of the dam, Henry spots a group of people - all masked - dumping bodies in the river; the sight brings forth Henry's repressed PTSD and survival instincts. The evening of the potluck, Henry snaps and heads out into the wilderness to investigate, despite Holly's pleas for him to stay. Despite having barely spoken to him for two years, Emma decides to track him down.

In the woods, Henry finds the masked survivors, revealed to be a primitivist cult, who take him captive; subjected to a brutal bloodletting ritual, Henry discovers that one of the masked cultists is none other than his former friend James, now known as "Nathan". Emma also discovers the truth when she, Kyle and Mike come across a Frontiersmen patrol led by "Nathan" and Emma defeats and removes James' crow mask. She forces him to tell her where Henry is; James does so, confident that she won't escape. Emma steals James' mask and the trio head for the camp, finding Henry in the centre slowly bleeding and freezing to death. While wearing the mask, Emma cuts Henry down just as James returns to warn the Frontiersmen. A fight ensues that results in a shack full of pitch bursting into flames, triggering a wildfire.

Meanwhile, at Greencole, Carl succumbs to an aggressive cancer and dies; within seconds, however, he returns to life as a darkdweller and bites several people, turning them into "proto-dwellers" that stay out of direct sunlight. Drew heads into the forest to find the others while Holly and David think of a plan.

In the woods, Emma and Henry are separated from Kyle and Mike and seek shelter in a secluded cabin; after a brief argument over the violent events of the winter before last - in which Henry ordered the execution of rebellious hungry residents instead of giving them a second chance - Emma leaves him to find the others. She finds them under attack from Frontiersmen, who have learned to walk among the zombies without being attacked; they are rescued by a mysterious woman who brings them to her secluded cave. Named Isabella, she reveals the Frontiersmen were originally boy scouts that were trapped in the forest by the outbreak and that one of them, Gabriel, was mutilated by "The Mother", a darkdweller. Having achieved enlightenment, Gabriel took the name "Ajax" and promised to banish all fear from his new flock. Ajax has since died, leaving the Elders as the cult's leaders. One of these Elders, named Joseph or "The Ram", taught his followers a violent interpretation of Ajax's will, causing a schism within the Frontiersmen. Having left the main camp and stolen "The Mother", Joseph and his Rams seek to bring the "Baptism of Fire" to the rest of the country, starting with Greencole. They plan to burn the surrounding forest using pitch and assault the community with a horde of zombies.

### Shadows

> *Main Article: Shadows*
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Five years after the fall of Hopeville, Shadowman lives alone in Port Collier's crumbling ruins. The city's silence has weakened his echolocation, driving him to the edge of madness. He snaps upon hearing two strangers and almost kills them both, only for them to reveal themselves as Henry and Justinas. Having calmed Shadowman, they reveal that they are heading east to "finish something" and wanted to find him along their way. Shadowman reluctantly accepts their offer to join Greencole, their community out west, and accompanies them on the rest of their mission.

### Season 5: Remake

> *Main Article: Season 5 (Remake)*
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Henry is brought to Delta Force's headquarters, Adams Air Force Base, where he discovers that their commander is his long-lost half-brother Kieron. Henry and his community are offered a place in Delta Force's network of communities in exchange for control of Wolf Dam; the group accepts on the condition that the recently-cleared town of Graystone be granted to them. Tensions begin to rise between the Pioneers and Delta Force, with Holly and David leading protests against Delta Force's harsh rules.

Henry joins Delta Force and meets the leaders of the other communities, Prescott and Fairbanks, and learns that the network is also having problems with the Frontiersmen. With Isabella's help, Henry eventually discovers that Albert, a high-ranking member of Delta Force, poisoned one of Fairbanks' harvests that they gifted to the Frontiersmen; their leader Ajax died alongside many women and children, leading to a schism within the tribe that ultimately caused Joseph's attack on Greencole. Determined to free his people from Delta Force, Henry joins up with Fairbanks' leader, Samuel, and a courier called Achilles to start a revolution against Delta Force.

Knowing that Wolf Dam is unfixable - a fact that Delta Force remains unaware of - Henry dispatches Emma, Drew and Mike on a mission to an oil field out east; securing the oil field will grant the communities energy independence. The crew is unwittingly joined by Laika and they reach the oil field only to be attacked by a crazed survivor. They eventually disarm him, but he commits suicide with the belief that they are there to "return him". The crew are then forced to surrender to a hostile group when Laika is poisoned by an arrow.

Back in Montana, Holly joins Henry's plot and agrees to keep it secret from their friends. Ben is bitten while trying to leave Graystone and decides to keep working on the dam until he turns. Tensions at Graystone come to a head when a soldier accidentally shoots young Lawrence in the gut; David kills the soldier in return. This sparks a riot by the Graystoners, who build a barricade around the town hall while the soldiers lay seige to the town. Meanwhile, Henry's attempt to free several prisoners from Prescott results in his capture by Albert and a sentence to death. Henry gives a speech at the gallows that inspires the people of Prescott and Fairbanks to rise up; spurred on by his words, Samuel, Achilles and the rebels arm themselves and drive Delta Force out of Prescott. Henry manages to kill Albert before he can warn Kieron of his plan: Ben, dying from his bite, decides to sabotage and destroy Wolf Dam, sparking the rebellion.

Meanwhile, Nathan is brought to the Frontiersmen capital Archangel where he and the other Rams - followers of Joseph - are to be subjected to a series of trials to earn back their place in the tribe. Nathan forms an alliance with fellow Ram Eduard and wins the trial; he challenges the elder Lydia to a duel and wins a place on the Elder Council. Using this position, he ferments internal tensions and assassinates Lydia, blaming her death on Delta Force and spurring the tribe to war. They crown him as Father and they begin their march by releasing a thousands-strong herd of walkers.

### Season 6: Remake

> *Main Article: Season 6 (Remake)*
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Immediately after Wolf Dam's destruction, the newly-formed Militia evacuates all of Fairbanks' survivors to Prescott after the Frontiersmen, rallied to war by Nathan, begin a violent campaign against the communities. Thanks to the defecting Isabella, the Militia learns of the enormous Frontiersmen herd that is making its way through the countryside towards them and decide to evacuate to Graystone, which itself has been plunged into a deadly riot between the Pioneers and the Delta Force soldiers stationed there. Using a helicopter, the Militia escapes Prescott just as the herd arrives; the Militia convoy reaches Graystone and liberates it from Delta Force's clutches.

With the Militia fully assembled, its leaders recognise that any further conflict with Delta Force would be pointless in the face of the Frontiersmen threat. With that in mind, they make the reluctant decision to abandon Graystone and seek solace at Adams Air Force Base, banking on the hope that Kieron's moral compass will not allow him to fire on civilians. Henry and his brother hold a tense meeting at the base's entrance, where Kieron learns of the incoming threat; Kieron ultimately agrees to fight alongside the Militia and the convoy enters the base to prepare for battle.

Meanwhile, far away in the east, the Crew consisting of Emma, Mike, Drew and Laika are captured by a group called the Animals, who dwell in a former zoo they call the Enclosure. Sold as slaves, they are purchased by Ronnie, a former slave who won both her freedom and that of her autistic brother Tonks, whose engineering savantism is used by the Animals to maintain their vehicles. Ronnie puts them to work in her garage, where Emma bonds with Tonks and learns about his personal project: the "death bus", a heavily-modified school bus equipped with armour plating, a .50-cal machine gun and a flamethrower; however, it is useless because there is not enough fuel to run it. Tonks convinces Ronnie to help the Crew and she reveals the only way to earn their freedom is a fight to the death in The Hole, the Animals' gladiatorial arena, against a series of challengers. She adds that she was the only slave to ever win her freedom in The Hole; after her victory - where she killed the Animals' previous leader in combat - the Animals brought in a grizzly bear as the final challenge, preventing anyone else from winning.

Emma, Mike and Drew sign up for The Hole, while Laika, injured, remains in the workforce; she bonds with a fellow Russian, a medic known as Elk, and convinces him to help the Crew. In The Hole, Emma, Mike and Drew each face a challenger; they all prevail, but Drew is wounded in his fight. Laika and Elk sneak into a warehouse and steal several cans of fuel; they are caught and Elk is killed in the resulting brawl, but Laika avenges him. Ronnie helps Laika refuel the death bus and crash into the arena just as the trio face the grizzly bear; the bus' modifications allow it to easily hold off the Animals. In the midst of their escape, the Crew are forced to stop and gather more fuel; they are split up in the chaos but make it back to the bus, only for Ronnie to be fatally shot. She makes Emma swear to look after Tonks before dying.

Back in Montana, the Battle of Adams Air Force Base begins. Using the Frontiersmens' own tactics against them, a team led by Henry covers themselves in charcoal to hide their scent and walks into the herd; using fire, the smoke teams gather the herd into a single large mass, allowing Achilles in a crop duster to swoop in and dump fertilizer on the walkers. The first playload wipes out half of the main herd, but Achilles' plane is damaged during the second run, forcing him to jump out. His plane divebombs into the herd, detonating the second payload and separating the smoke teams. Despite the chaos, the Frontiersmen push their herd forward, quickly overwhelming the fences and arriving at the base's walls within minutes. Just as hope seems lost, the defenders are saved by the Crew in the death bus, having tracked the Militia's movements to the base.

With everyone reunited, Henry decides to confront Nathan directly; he ventures out alone to the Frontiersmen battle camp and challenges Nathan to a brutal fight to the death. Henry, initially beaten, allows his pent-up anger to overwhelm him and he finally defeats Nathan, only to calm when his enemy's persona shatters and his true self, James, finally emerges before his death. Henry uses James' decapitated head to force the Frontiersmen into submission and convinces Kieron to call off his troops, ending the war.

Upon their return to Graystone, Henry and Holly finally marry and learn that their daughter Hope may be naturally immune to LBI. Two years later, the communities have bound together to form a new civilization, the Commonwealth of the Missouri River.

### Season 7: Remake

> *Main Article: Season 7 (Remake)*
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Twelve years after the battle of Adams Air Force Base, the Commonwealth of the Missouri River has expanded as far south as Nebraska with a population of more than twenty thousand. Bastion, a city built in the ruins of Great Falls, serves as the capital, while Holly serves as governor. She and Henry have been married for twelve years and share three children: teenager Hope, a trainee helicopter pilot; young Eric, who is about to start civil training; and youngest daughter Layla. In addition, their adopted son Kyle has married a woman named Florence who is pregnant with his child.

A girl known only as Lucy is rescued in the wilderness by a ranger squad led by Henry, returning to the Commonwealth after a long expedition. The rangers bring Lucy to Bastion, though she quickly escapes back into the countryside. Shortly after, a patrol team led by Muldoon is massacred by a mysterious creature. While Kieron blames the darkdwellers and their offspring, known as the Pale Ones, Henry and the rangers believe otherwise; by tracking Lucy's movements - as well as discovering that she is a citizen of the Republic, a survivor nation that the Commonwealth has recently lost contact with - they discover the culprit is a half-human, half-zombie creature known as "Nines". Wielding unnatural strength, Nines severely injures Kyle, and Henry vows revenge. With Holly's permission, Henry gathers the "old guard", the surviving members of his old group, and enlists them in tracking down Nines.

While all this is occurring, Hope is bitten by a walker, though she does not get infected; believing herself to be a "slow turner", she aims to travel to the Republic, which supposedly has a treatment for walker bites, unaware of the fact that she is naturally immune to LBI. On her journey west, she is captured by Nines, who offers to trade her for Lucy. Henry and the old guard confront Nines at his lair, an abandoned church, and despite dealing heavy damage to him - including bisecting him at the waist - he does not die until his brain is destroyed. Henry reveals the truth to Hope about her immunity.

Nines' death is relayed to Antony Eden, the president of the Republic, who activates a spy - Kyle's pregnant wife, Florence - and orders her to kill Henry. Florecne stabs Henry before escaping into the countryside, intending to find her handlers and return to the Republic. Henry is put in a coma, forcing Emma to bring Florence to justice with Kyle's help; she also enlists her ex-girlfriend Abigail to find Florence before she escapes the Commonwealth.

Meanwhile, Holly sends Mike, Katrina and a small team to a train station in the west, a neutral spot between the Republic and the Commonwealth, in an attempt to restore communications. The team is attacked by Republic soldiers, who declare them an invading force, and while Mike and Katrina are spared their team is killed by a man named Victor on his president's orders. Mike and Katrina flee into the wilderness, where they encounter a group of refugees trying to escape to the Commonwealth.

## Characters

> *Main Article: List of Strain Zero Characters*
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* Season 1: Remake
* Season 2: Remake
* Season 3: Remake
* Season 4: Remake

#### Main

* Henry Edwards: the series' protagonist, a British exchange student suffering with insomnia who becomes the reluctant leader of his fellow students following the zombie outbreak
* Holly Parker: the series' deuteragonist, a social outcast who forms a deep emotional bond with Henry and the rest of the group
* James Cottingham: Henry's best friend and a cipher expert who takes younger survivors Emma and Daniel under his wing, only to slowly succumb to the horror and violence of the New World
* Justinas Garin: a Russian student and Army Cadet from the UK who becomes the group's main defender and Henry's advisor
* Sarah Terringham: an American student from the UK who quickly adapts to the new reality of the post-apocalypse
* Jess Black: an exchange student and Alex's girlfriend who falls pregnant in the early months of the apocalypse
* Alex Sutton: Henry's friend and Jess' boyfriend who becomes a foil to Henry's leadership
* Ben Appleby: an exchange student with bipolar disorder who struggles to motivate his own survival despite his bond with the group
* Aaron Bailey: an exchange student who quickly becomes the group's moral compass across their various conflicts with other survivors
* Emma Goode: a young American student who is taken in by the group and looked after by James, despite her yearns for independence
* Daniel Miller: a special needs student taken in by the group

#### Supporting

* Francis: the ruthless leader of Hopeville, a survivor community within the city of Port Collier
* Andre: the owner of a poultry farm outside Renton and one of the few adults to not succumb to the zombie plague
* Matthew Mitchell: a survivor on Andre's farm
* Kyle Mitchell: a survivor on Andre's farm
* Lisa: a survivor on Andre's farm
* Liam: a lone survivor encountered by the group during their journey to Port Collier
* Shadowman: a blind survivor in Port Collier who uses echolocation to navigate his surroundings

#### Main

* Henry Ward: the former leader of the Clarkson Survivors who has become hardened by two years in the zombie apocalypse, causing him to fall into brutality to protect his family
* Holly Parker: Henry's closest friend and lover who has been helping him raise Emma in Iron Mountain State Forest, while desperately trying to overcome her own suicidal urges
* Emma Goode: the series' new tritagonist, a young girl who is slowly adapting to the New World under the guidance of Henry and Holly
* Justinas Garin: a weathered survivor previously believed to have perished in Port Collier who now resides in Hometown
* Drew Stanton: a hardened survivor and an expert tracker, hunter and killer, as well as the leader of a tight-knit group encountered by Henry and his family
* William Carter: the murderous leader of the Iron Bandits, a convoy of slavers and raiders, who is seeking revenge against Drew and his group

#### Supporting

* Mike Trapp: a lone survivor living in Iron Mountain State Forest who is well adapted to life in the woods
* Albert: the leader of a small group held captive by the Iron Bandits
* Becky Grace: Drew's pregnant girlfriend, a feisty and determined survivor who hides her trauma as well as an awful secret
* Carl McKenzie: an autistic medical student who acts as a doctor for Drew's group and insists on wearing a torn, dirty lab coat
* Bethany: a quiet, timid survivor with few survival skills
* Leyton Jones: a former altar boy who struggles to accept the violence needed to survive in the New World
* Stephan Lee: an argumentative Korean-American with a history of delinquency who earns his place among Drew's group due to his skills as a supply runner
* Stoffman: the ruthless leader of Hometown, a fortified community built inside a mall
* David: a soldier and guard from Hometown who is torn between his loyalty to Stoffman and his newfound friendship with Henry
* Boy: a Belgian Shepherd puppy adopted by Henry

### Main

* Henry Ward: the leader of his group and the instigator of their search for "Greencole", a supposed safe-zone in rural Montana
* Holly Parker: Henry's closest friend and girlfriend
* Emma Goode: Henry and Holly's ward and an expert archer determined to fill a role in the group despite her age
* Justinas Garin: a weathered former Army cadet and Henry's right-hand-man
* Ben Appleby: a bipolar mechanic with an inventive mind
* Drew Stanton: a hardened survivor and an expert tracker who serves as second-in-command of the group
* Becky Grace: Drew's ex-girlfriend and the mother of Sarah Stanton
* Carl McKenzie: the autistic *de facto* doctor for Henry's group
* Bethany: a former student nurse and Lawrence's adoptive mother
* David: a former Hometown guard and Henry's advisor
* Mike Trapp: an expert survivalist who saved Henry's life in Iron Mountain State Forest
* Bart Rhodes: the head of the Innocent regime in Fargo

### Supporting

* Stephan Lee
* Leyton Jones
* Kate
* Laika
* Jane Rhodes
* Liam Horne
* Mikhail
* Katrina
* Jimmy
* Lawrence Carter
* Sarah Stanton
* Kyle Granger
* Gideon
* Garrett Feingold

#### Main

* Henry Ward: the leader of his group and of the Pioneers, a convoy of survivors seeking to build a community at Adams Air Force Base
* Emma Goode: Henry and Holly's ward and an expert archer determined to fill a role in the group despite her age
* Holly Parker: Henry's girlfriend and mother of his child
* Justinas Garin: the group's primary defender, Laika's adoptive father and third-in-command of the Pioneers convoy
* Ben Appleby: a bipolar mechanic and engineer
* Drew Stanton: the group's primary hunter, a skilled archer and Henry's right-hand-man
* Becky Grace: Sarah's mother and sharpshooter for the Pioneers convoy
* David: Henry's best friend and supply hunter for the Pioneers convoy
* Mike Trapp: an expert survivalist
* Carl McKenzie: a genius who serves as the group's medic
* Bethany: a quiet, timid survivor with few survival skills
* Kyle Granger: Henry and Holly's adopted son

### Supporting

* Laika
* Jane Rhodes
* Katrina
* Jimmy
* Gideon
* Lawrence Carter
* Sarah Stanton
* Boy: a Belgian Shepherd puppy adopted by Henry
* Grenowich: the leader of a group called the Ravagers
* Ajax: the leader of a primitivist cult known as the Frontiersmen

## Trivia

* Instead of beginning in March 2012, *Strain Zero* instead begins in October 2003. The first season runs from October 2003-October 2004, while the second season takes place over the course of three-to-four months from June-September 2005. The third season begins nine months later in May 2006. Season four: Part I begins a few weeks after *Season 3: Remake* in June-July 2006, while Part II begins five years later in June 2011.
* There are several notable differences between the characters and zombies in *Strain Zero* compared to the original.
	+ In *Strain Zero*, the infection appears to leave a small population of adults, usually those in their early twenties, alive, unlike in the original where the outbreak almost immediately wiped out the entire adult population
	+ Not all adults reanimated to become zombies, with only a small majority doing so, and approximately 0.5% of adults proved to be immune to the disease
	+ Zombies in *Strain Zero* are not technically dead, instead reanimating just before the point of death. However, walkers do still decay as a result of the infection causing their bodies to digest their own tissues
	+ Several major characters have had their names and relationships partially changed
		- The Clarkson Survivors are now seventeen years of age, instead of sixteen as they were in the original; this was done to accompany the darker themes that are featured in the rewrite
			* While still referred to as "Harry", the protagonist is named Henry Ward, with "Harry" simply being a nickname
			* Justinas Grant has been renamed to Justinas Garin, whose surname means "guardian"
			* Aaron Ganger has been renamed Aaron Bailey
			* Emma Cottingham has been renamed Emma Goode; in addition, she is no longer James' younger sister but a young American student that James begins to protect
			* Daniel Cottingham has been renamed Daniel Miller, a special needs student that the group takes in and protects
			* In addition, the character Ashleigh will no longer be featured
		- The String Gang no longer appear and instead appear in the form of the Innocents, a large army of brainwashed children and teenagers living in the ruins of Fargo
			* Bart Rhodes, a major antagonist from the original series, reappears as leader of the Innocents; in addition, he is no longer American and possesses a strange English-Australian accent
			* Jane Rhodes, instead of being Bart's adoptive sister, is his stepsister