The Walking Dead's Zombie Virus Does Have a Name, And It's Pretty Perfect

One of the biggest unanswered questions in The Walking Dead is about what exactly the virus that caused the downfall of humanity is, as well as what it's called. Not only have the comics revealed the origin of this devastating virus, but they also revealed the name of the virus, and the comic book name is far more accurate than the TV show's.

The perfectly fitting name of the zombie virus was revealed in The Walking Dead Deluxe #109's backup story, "Small Bites" by Derek Hunter. This story revealed that Ezekiel's beloved pet tiger, Shiva, is actually an alien from outer space who came to Earth specifically to prevent the release of the zombie virus.

While most fans' minds might be reeling from the reveal that Shiva is an alien tiger and that the zombie virus was unleashed on Earth by aliens, they might have missed the other bombshell that Shiva drops. Shiva finally names the zombie virus: "The Walking Death."

The Walking Dead's Infamous Virus Finally Gets a Name, and "the Walking Death" Is Perfect

"Small Bites" by Derek Hunter from The Walking Dead Deluxe #109 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Dave McCaig, and Rus Wooton

The Walking Death is a pretty perfect name. Not only does it sound terrifying, but it perfectly describes exactly what the virus actually does. Anyone infected by the Walking Death will eventually become a member of the walking dead. The term is concise and directly to the point, letting anyone who hears the name instantly know what it does, which is a lot more that can be said for the TV show's version of the name. While the show tried to come up with its own name, it definitely lacked the fear factor of the comic book name.

When the TV show was airing, there was no official name for the virus at the beginning, but because of how fans are, they demanded one. No one would be satisfied watching the first season of The Walking Dead if they didn't have at least some grasp of why there were zombies in the first place. So, to placate fans, the virus was officially given a name in Season 1, Episode 6 of The Walking Dead: ​​​​​​"TS-19." This episode revolved around Rick Grimes and his group learning all about the virus in the CDC, the last place on Earth that seemed to have any answers as to the nature of the now-named Wildfire Virus.

Named "the Wildfire Virus" on the Show, The Walking Dead's Disease Is Way Different From Most Zombie Viruses

It Has One Key Difference

The Wildfire Virus/Walking Death is one of the most dangerous zombie viruses in fiction. One of the big questions that most people ask in any zombie story is how the American military loses against a bunch of shambling corpses. The American military has machine guns, things that can turn human beings into mulch in seconds. Surely a single soldier with one Gatling gun could wipe out hundreds of zombies on their own. Some stories have tried to get around this "plot hole" by making the zombies significantly faster and more aggressive, such as in 28 Days Later.

The Walking Dead's co-creator Robert Kirkman actually came up with a pretty genius way to keep the zombies in The Walking Dead threatening without turning them into super-fast or super-strong ultra-predators. Instead, Kirkman's solution was simple and elegant. The virus is transmitted through the air, and, by the time the story starts, it's already infected everyone on Earth. Every single human is infected, and when they die, they will become a zombie. There are thousands of deaths alone in America every single day for one reason or another. Each one would be a new zombie, and that spread would be practically impossible to contain.

"The Walking Death" Is More Deadly Than Any Other Virus in Fiction

There's No Real Way to Deal With It

The Walking Death is one of the most destructive viruses in any zombie story because it'll simply never go away. Anytime someone dies, they'll become a new zombie. This will be a threat that humanity will simply have to learn to live with for the rest of time, since it doesn't seem like a cure is possible. While other zombies are more outright dangerous due to their speed or their mutations, The Walking Dead's zombies are a brilliant twist on the classic zombie idea, which makes them even more formidable than their counterparts in other stories. It's a fantastic idea to have all humans start by being infected.

Fans once wished for a name for the zombie virus, and now they finally have two different ones, and both are pretty apt descriptors of what the virus did. They could either use the Wildfire Virus from the TV show, likely named due to the fact it spread throughout humanity like a wildfire and was just as destructive. Or, they can use the brutally direct and apt name of the Walking Death, which was the name revealed by an alien tiger. Either way, fans finally know the true name behind the horror in The Walking Dead.