The Wolves

"We're freeing you. You're trapped. You need to know, people don't belong here anymore."

- One of the Wolves to Morgan Jones and Father Gabriel Stokes before being killed by Carol Peletier

The Wolves are a group of hostile survivors introduced in Season 5 of AMC's The Walking Dead. They serve as the current antagonists of Season 6.

Pre-Apocalypse
Nothing is known about the life of the Wolves before the zombie apocalypse.

Post-Apocalypse
Some time after the outbreak, these survivors started to scavenge around the D.C. area, killing and luring other survivors into traps, taking all of their supplies, carving the letter "W" on their heads, and using them as bait after they turn. They also write a "W" on their own heads; some of them simply draw the letter with blood, mud or ink, while others appear to go further and actually carve their own flesh with it.

Season 5
Around the time between Noah's arrival and departure from Grady Memorial Hospital, the Wolves attacked Shirewilt Estates, killing many of the inhabitants. They also mutilated several of them to add to their collection of walkers for their numerous traps.

As Morgan Jones camped on his way to Washington, D.C., one of the Wolves approached him, threatening to rob and kill him. When Morgan resisted, another Wolf attacked him from the woods. After winning the fight, Morgan locked them up inside the car he had been sleeping in and honked the horn to ensure the area was safe before he left - and to lure any nearby walkers to serve as distraction should the Wolves awake.

Sometime after escaping, they captured and killed the man in a red poncho that Daryl Dixon and Aaron, two recruiters for the Alexandria Safe-Zone, were tracking earlier, leaving him to turn. The Wolf that had threatened Morgan by the campfire found Aaron's bag and photos of Alexandria, Rick Grimes, and Carl Grimes.

Season 6
Shortly after Morgan Jones's arrival in Alexandria, Daryl Dixon tells Rick Grimes about what he and Aaron found at the Del Arno Foods truck lot, saying that Morgan came across two men with the letter "W" on their heads. Worried about the safe-zone's security, Rick mentions that the scouting missions for other survivors should stop, to which Daryl objects.

While Rick and his group are off trying to lead a massive herd of Walkers away, the Wolves attack Alexandria with hand-held weapons and fire-bombs. They slaughter numerous survivors and attempt to raid the houses to steal supplies.

The Wolves attempt to drive a large truck through the safe-zone's gates, but the driver is killed by Spencer Monroe before this can occur. Carol Peletier is able to disguise herself as a member of the Wolves and is able to single-handily kill many of them. The Alpha Wolf (the Wolf who attempted to kill Morgan earlier and the assumed leader of the group), attempts to kill Morgan but is disarmed and knocked unconscious by Morgan.

Only five other Wolves, one including Wolf 2 (the other Wolf who attempted to kill Morgan earlier on) are confirmed to have survived the attack and flee from the Safe-Zone after being told by Morgan to leave and never come back. Their location is unknown.

It is also unknown if there are more Wolves still alive.

Members

 * Wolves Leader
 * Blond Wolf
 * Red Jacket Wolf
 * Satchel Wolf
 * Shaved Head Wolf
 * Black Bearded Wolf
 * Aphid
 * Numerous other Wolves

Killed Victims

 * Red Poncho Man
 * Shelly Neudermeyer
 * Richards
 * Erin
 * Holly
 * Numerous Shirewilt Estates survivors
 * Numerous Alexandria Safe-Zone survivors
 * Numerous amounts of zombies and unnamed people

Deaths

 * Aphid
 * Black Bearded Wolf
 * Red Jacket Wolf
 * Satchel Wolf
 * Shaved Head Wolf
 * Blond Wolf
 * Numerous unnamed Wolves

Season 5

 * "Conquer"

Season 6

 * "JSS"
 * "Thank You"

Trivia

 * The Wolves mark some of the places they have attacked or claimed with a WOLVES NOT FAR graffiti.
 * The Wolves are inspired by the belief that human beings descended from wolves, and that the advent of the zombies signals a return to their natural state.
 * It appears that the Wolves are an altered version of the Scavengers from the comic series - a trait they share with both the Claimers and Terminus (in that they are altered versions of the Marauders and the Hunters respectively).
 * Their introduction had been foreshadowed several times throughout the second half of Season 5:
 * At the beginning of "What Happened and What's Going on", the writing "WOLVES NOT FAR" is noticed by Michonne on a barn as they pass in a car. The same message can later be seen in Shirewilt Estates. There is also a truck parked in the woods outside packed full of dismembered, reanimated torsos, each of which sports the "W" carving on their head.
 * In "Remember", Carl finds a comic book with an "Wolf Fight" ad on the back.
 * In "Forget", Daryl finds the first of many walkers with a "W" carved on their heads.
 * In "Try", Daryl and Aaron come across a group that was recently attacked by the Wolves and find a zombified woman tied to a tree with her entrails hanging out and the "W" carving on her forehead. Sasha also shoots down a walker with the "W" carving outside the walls of Alexandria.


 * In an interview, Greg Nicotero states that the Wolves' true motives are to build up a zombie army, using the victims they have killed.
 * It also seems, according to one Wolf, that another motive of the Wolves is to "free" survivors living in communities, such as Wiltshire Estates and Alexandria, as they do not believe that people belong in such places during an apocalypse.
 * Nevertheless, it is unclear their specific plans for individuals: In "JSS", many Wolves are seen mercilessly killing survivors with no preamble, while others are seen chaining up survivors and pulling them along like slaves. When Carol, disguised as a Wolf, leads along a chained-up Morgan to keep him safe, one Wolf commends her on her find. It is possible they tend to kill immediately those who appear to be less physically able, such as women Erin and Shelly Neudermeyer, while they capture stronger-appearing ones, like man Morgan, for them to do their bidding.