A variant walker is a type of zombie that appears in the TV series "The Walking Dead". These walkers are different from the typical slow-moving, unintelligent zombies that the survivors have encountered in the series. They have abilities that, for a live human, are nothing remarkable, but for a walker, they are terrifying. The variant walkers are more capable, stronger, and more agile than the typical walkers, and they can host numerous walkers in their bodies. They are also more human-like and can pick up items. The first appearance of the variant walkers was in season 11, episode 19, titled "Variant". Aarons group encountered a new variant of walkers on the road to Oceanside, and their walker-killing skills were put to the test. The variant walkers are not the same as the running walkers seen in "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" post-credits scene. The appearance of the variant walkers is a nod to the earlier season walkers, which were smarter and more capable than the typical walkers.