The Walking Dead: World Beyond Cast Explains the Core Group’s Dynamics – CBR – Comic Book Resources

During a set visit for The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the cast discussed the group dynamics of key characters from the show.

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Episode 3, "The Tyger and the Lamb," which aired Sunday on AMC.

Over the first three episodes ofThe Walking Dead: World Beyond, the TV series' core survivors, Iris Bennett (Aliyah Royale), Hope Bennett (Alexa Mansour), Elton Ortiz (Nicolas Cantu), Felix Carlucci (Nico Tortorella), Huck (Annet Mahendru) and Silas Plaskett (Hal Cumpston) have left the safety of the Campus Colony to go out into the wider world in search of Leo Bennett (Joe Holt). So far, their shared experience has both tested them and helped them grow as companions.

During a set visit forWorld Beyond, CBR and other outlets talked to the six actors about their characters and the dynamics of the show's group, explaining just how and why certain characters care about each other.

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After learning her father -- who is working with the Civic Republic -- may be in danger, Iris recruits Hope, Elton and Silas for her quest. In many ways, she serves as the leader of the group, caring for them and working to make sure everyone survives their potentially deadly encounters.

Aliyah Royale, who plays the character, explained, "Iris genuinely cares for pretty much every single person that she encounters. She wants to make life better for everyone. A large part of her purpose in terms of following in the footsteps of her father is legitimately, like, saving the world. What can I do to play my part in helping the world get back to the way it was? So the people she encounters mean just as much to her as her father, or anyone else would. When we're going on this trip, when we have no clue what we're doing, where we're going, and all we have to do is trust each other, [it] creates a whole new bond of family, a whole new bond that really means a lot."

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When asked about who the leader of the group was, Annet Mahendru, who plays Huck, singled out Iris. "Iris is the valedictorian," she said. "[...] Like a smart girl in school. And then you see her tap into her instincts and her ancient brain, and it's like she's this fierce warrior all of the sudden." However, Mahendru then also noted a new side of Hope would "come out in the wildness" and that viewers would get to see her "true composure and growth" as a result of the what the group will undergo.

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Explaining Hope's dynamic with Iris, Alexa Mansour -- who plays the former -- explained that the two are "complete opposites.Hope is the girl that you will find getting drunk in a locker room, and her sister is the one that will beup studying till four in the morning, where Hope would probably be the one partying until four in the morning.

"But they love each other. I think they really do balance each other out. Iris is very protective of Hope, and Hope is very protective of Iris in their own ways. Iris will bail Hope out whenever she is sneaking out and doing stuff that she should not be doing. And Hope would take a bullet for sister."

For her part, Royale noted that Hope is Iris' best friend, though she mentioned her character is also close with Hal Cumpston's Silas, describing him as her "bestie for the restie."

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AlthoughWorld Beyond's main characters aremostly teenagers, Felix Carlucci -- who is played by Nico Tortorella -- is a bit older. Taken in by the Bennett family after being turned out by his own as a result of his sexual orientation, Carlucci aims to protect Iris and Hope, even serving as their legal guardian at the Campus Colony while their father is away.

"He's like in full dad mode all the time with these kids," Tortorella explained. "I think that after the first episode, the stakes are at maximum levels in terms of our safety and our fight for survival. And Felix is the one that has the most training in terms of any sort of military background that we know of. And he's the one that has to take care of situations and figure out what we're doing and make sure everyone's safe."

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Having lived at a university since the zombie apocalypse started, the core young characters ofWorld Beyondhave received an education like no other. The first episode showcases the way the university teaches both how to survive zombie encounters as well as science and the arts. This has led to them becoming quite well-learned, even if they still struggle to take down the undead.

Among the smartest of the characters is the precocious Elton, a young man looking to continue the work of his deceased parents, who were scientists. Elton values knowledge and learning highly, but that doesn't mean the other members of the group aren't smart. "We do have a lot of smart people coming with us," explained Nicolas Cantu, who plays Elton. "The character of Iris is also very intelligent, Hope is very intelligent and Elton is very intelligent. So they all kind of got this like Brainiac thing kind of going. So if we're ever like planning something, it's like, 'This and then this and then this.'"

For Elton,his fellow survivors also serve as a sort of family, echoing Royale's earlier comments about Iris seeing the group as her family. "[...] We're always just kind of working together trying to be the best team that we can be, because Elton is kind of introduced to this whole new cast of characters rather quickly. Because in the university where we were at, everything was very sheltered for Elton. He is an orphaned child, so he doesn't have a lot of people to talk to. But once this adventure starts, he kind of [has a] new family now."

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Early on inWorld Beyond's premiere, it becomes clear Huck -- played by Annet Mahendru -- likes Hope and is looking out for the troubled, depressed teen. When asked about Huck's dynamics with the other characters, Mahendru singled out that relationship in particular, saying, "I think Huck really identifies with Hope. She was a bit of a rebel when she was young. And so they have an older sister relationship, and I train her how to fight. I want her to survive out there. I mean, I'm gonna send her out there, and so I'm responsible for her, and I really believe in her potential. And I feel her pain. I've gone through similar things, and that was Huck's way of responding to that. You know, kind of just closing off and not wanting to go on, and then Huck overcame that, and she wants Hope to see that she can too, because we're better off with her and not without her."

Created by Scott Gimple, Robert Kirkman and Matt Negrete, The Walking Dead: World Beyond stars Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Annet Mahendru, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston and Nico Tortorella. The series airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.

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L.D. Nolan is the Features Team Lead at CBR. Prior to writing online, he worked in academia. He's currently trying to work his way through a pile of unread books that threatens to come crashing down, burying everything he loves and cares about, including his cat. You can find him on Twitter @LD_Nolan.

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The Walking Dead: World Beyond Cast Explains the Core Group's Dynamics - CBR - Comic Book Resources