The Frontliners are an organization that appears AMC's The Walking Dead: World Beyond and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. They are a special operations force within the Civic Republic Military, under the command of Major General Johnathan Beale. The unit is considered to be composed of the best and most dedicated soldiers that the military has produced, until it was wiped out. They are identifiable by the red stripes they wear on their helmets and uniform.
The Frontliners were all handpicked by Beale for his plans to ensure the Civic Republic's survival by wiping out the rest of the Alliance of the Three and any other survivor communities they came across, raiding them for supplies. Their wholesale acts of genocide were stopped when Rick and Michonne Grimes bombed Cascadia Forward Operating Base with the Frontliners' own arsenal of Chlorine Gas, wiping them out, and exposed their crimes to the Civic Republic Council.
Overview[]
The Frontliners are a designated special operations force that are aware of all the top secrets and missions of the CRM via the Echelon Briefing, unlike the infantry ranks of the CRM, as well as the civilian-run Civic Republic Council and the citizens of the Civic Republic of Philadelphia. The Echelon Briefing was mainly given to an initiated soldier by Major General Johnathan Beale, who gave said briefings to new Frontliner members over 2,500 times. The Frontliners are responsible for atrocities across the wasteland, including the destruction of Omaha and its Campus Colony with chlorine gas, and eliminating other communities for strategic security.
The Frontliner force have maintained operatives in other communities, including their allies of Portland and Omaha, having imbeds placed within their school systems.
Once the Cascadia Forward Operating Base was completed, it was designated as the grounds for a Civic Republic Military Leadership Summit, in which all of the Frontliner force and top brass would be present. There, the Frontliners planned to enact their final plan designated Operation N1W, which consisted of "liquidating" Portland's population with chlorine gas (the same manner as Omaha), as well as evacuating nearly 10% of the city's children beforehand, in order to begin their plan to overthrow the Civic Republic Council, declare martial law over the city, and further eliminate any growing competition in the wasteland by destroying them and seizing their resources.
This plan was suddenly foiled due to the actions of Rick and Michonne Grimes, with Rick directly killing Major General Beale, as well as the near entirety of the Force Command, with the two detonating a cache of chlorine gas explosives while most of the Frontliners were at an outside briefing, 18 hours before the operation was to begin. With Beale and the Frontliner force dead, their operations were exposed by Rick and Michonne to the CRC, which voted for immediate emergency oversight of the remaining CRM structure, and eventually voted unanimously in favor of free movement within the Civic Republic.
Pre-Apocalypse[]
TBA
Post-Apocalypse[]
World Beyond[]
Season 1[]
"Brave"[]
Following the departure of the Endlings, the Frontliners, led by Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Kublek kill everyone at the Campus Colony.
"The Tyger and the Lamb"[]
Shaken up by his involvement in the Genocide of the Campus Colony, Barca visits Elizabeth Kublek at her apartment. Elizabeth justifies their actions as being necessary to protect the Civic Republic and has Barca taken to the Civic Republic Health and Welfare Center for help before being reinstated in a civilian role. Elizabeth is shown studying an invasion map of Omaha and crying over it.
"The Sky Is a Graveyard"[]
In a flashback, Elizabeth Kublek and Frank Newton discuss the status of Huck's infiltration of the Endlings and her mission. Frank wonders if there isn't a better way, but Elizabeth is sure that there isn't which they know because Huck is the one on the ground "watching and listening and doing the very hard thing of becoming someone else to find out there isn't." Elizabeth reassures Frank that "she" knows how dangerous it is and that they could both die. However, she's out here risking everything because there isn't an easier way.
On Elizabeth's nod, Frank exits the office and Huck is let in. Huck tells Elizabeth that she was only able to get away for about 48 hours and if she isn't back soon, the Endlings will come looking. Huck reassures Elizabeth that "the asset" is safe and Elizabeth asks after Huck's safety. Huck promises that she's fine too and Elizabeth orders her daughter to clean up before they debrief. Elizabeth gives her daughter her husband's watch so that next time she won't be late.
"The Deepest Cut"[]
Huck reports on the status of mission to her mother, including her belief that Hope isn't yet ready for integration. Elizabeth orders Huck to do whatever it takes to isolate Hope, warning her daughter that if she doesn't, the CRM will, surprising Huck who had been told that the CRM didn't want to put any more resources into this.
"In This Life"[]
Huck leads Hope to a rendezvous with her mother to take Hope to the Civic Republic Research Facility.
Season 2[]
"Konsekans"[]
In a flashback to one day after Monument Day, the Frontliners, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Kublek, lead a massive herd of zombies to Omaha and blow down the city's defensive wall using C4. Elizabeth and Lieutenant Frank Newton discuss the concerns of both the Campus Colony and Portland to the breakdown in communications and their intentions to lead the herd to the Campus Colony within 72 hours once its work is done in Omaha. Elizabeth gives Frank new orders from Major General Beale, revealing that the genocides of Omaha and the Campus Colony are just the beginning. When a burned and weakened Galbraith crawls up to them, Elizabeth has Delta Team informed that they have found their escapee and Frank kills the man.
In another flashback, after Will Campbell expresses concern about not hearing anything from the Campus Colony for weeks, Frank leads an ambush by CRM soldiers to kill Will and Romano who deduce the trap and kill Frank's men. Although Frank manages to kill Romano, Will escapes, and he is found and taken in by the Perimeter.
In the present, Elizabeth takes Hope to the ruins of Albany and reveals to her and Huck that Omaha and the Campus Colony have been destroyed, supposedly by a massive herd over 100,000 strong while the CRM airlifted whatever survivors they could to Portland. Elizabeth sets Hope loose in the ruined city to see what's left of the world in order to help Hope make a decision on whether or not she can fully commit herself to being an asset to the future for the CRM. After being cornered by a herd, Hope contacts Elizabeth to pick her and she is finally transported to the research facility. During the time that Hope is gone, Elizabeth questions Huck about the rest of the Endlings and what they know.
"Foothold"[]
Elizabeth has to deal with a suspicious and angry Leo Bennett who demands that Iris and Felix be brought to him. Elizabeth later visits the Perimeter in search of the Endlings, but leaves empty-handed.
Iris, Felix and Will pose a walker and a soldier that Iris killed so that it appears as if the soldier and Will had killed each other, fooling Elizabeth and Frank into believing that Will is dead. Elizabeth also reveals to Doctor Lyla Belshaw that Major General Beale's plans are moving ahead as scheduled.
"Family Is a Four Letter Word"[]
Elizabeth gives a video address to the people of the Civic Republic and Portland about the loss of Omaha and the Campus Colony. Elizabeth reveals to Huck that she had been recalled to the Civic Republic due to an urgent matter at the Civic Republic Health and Welfare Center which has now been handled. Now suspicious of the CRM's activities, Huck questions her mother about the survivors that she had claimed were airlifted to Portland, but Elizabeth doesn't give her any answers.
"Quatervois"[]
With the help of the Perimeter, Iris, Felix and Percy -- who is posing as Elton Ortiz -- finally make their way to the research facility where they fool Elizabeth into letting them stay. Elizabeth reveals that she is being recalled to the Civic Republic indefinitely by Major General Beale.
Increasingly more suspicious of her mother, Huck steals some papers which she brings to Leo Bennett, revealing that they are transmissions proving that the CRM brought in the herd that overran Omaha and the Campus Colony. Huck asks for Leo's help to find out what's going on and who's involved so that they can stop it.
Later, Jadis brings Barca to Lyla Belshaw as her new test subject, revealing that with Elizabeth being recalled to the Civic Republic, Jadis is now in charge of the facility.
"Who Are You?"[]
The Endlings go over the data stolen by Huck who admits that only Major General Beale could've authorized something as big as the genocides committed by the Frontliners, although Huck doesn't know why. Huck suggests that somehow Omaha and the Campus Colony were a threat to the delicate balance that the Civic Republic survives on.
Later, Jadis tells Huck that she was brought in to perform a security audit of the absence of Elizabeth. It's later revealed that Huck is a part of her investigation.
Huck later helps Felix break into Lyla Belshaw's hidden lab in search of answers. Felix steals a vial of the Frontliners' weapon and discovers that they are stockpiling a lot more of it.
"Blood and Lies"[]
Former Frontliner Sergeant Major Barca is killed by Lyla Belshaw as her newest test subject.
Leo Bennett tests the stolen vial, discovering that it contains a variant of Chlorine Gas. The Endlings realize that the Frontliners had gassed everyone back home and use the undead to cover up their genocides.
Jadis uses Huck to search for the missing vial as both an interrogation tactic and as a way of testing her loyalty. In exchange for the return of the vial, Lyla reveals her and Samuel Abbott's experiments to Hope and Iris as well as the fact that the Civic Republic's civilian government has no idea what's going on. Hope returns the vial to Lyla who promptly betrays Leo and reveals his role in the theft. As a punishment for her failures and seeing Leo as someone who will be easier to pressure into doing their bidding, Jadis has Huck use a zombified Barca to kill Lyla, intending to frame it as just a lab accident.
With Huck having proven her loyalty to the CRM, Jadis reveals to her what comes next, promising a full debriefing when she has a chance. Through Percy, Huck warns the rest of the Endlings and enlists the help of Dennis Graham and Silas Plaskett as well. As revealed by Jadis, the Frontliners will soon be targeting Portland with the chlorine gas, wiping out the city and the 87,000 people living there if they are not stopped.
"Returning Point"[]
Leo Bennett reveals the truth to the other scientists at the research facility, who agree to join the Endlings in escaping and taking the facility down. Taking Mason Beale hostage, the scientists, their bodyguards, Hope, Iris, Felix and Percy retreat into the biocontainment unit and then the old mining tunnels, setting C4 to cover their tracks. It's later discovered that the scientists had wiped everything from the mainframe and Jadis orders them all to be hunted down.
After Brody betrays the Perimeter, Jadis has Sergeant Mills lead a squad of CRM soldiers to the community to kill the residents. Despite Huck executing Brody and making a case for the Perimeter's survival, Jadis orders everyone to be killed. However, the intervention of Will Campbell, Dennis Graham and Silas Plaskett leads to the deaths of Mills and his men with only a few Perimeter residents being killed in the battle.
"Death and the Dead"[]
Escaping into Lyla Belshaw's lab, the Endlings and the scientists use her zombified test subjects and C4 to eliminate the CRM soldiers sent into the tunnels to hunt them down. They then use Mason Beale as leverage in order to force Jadis to prepare trucks for the scientists to escape in while Elton Ortiz and Silas Plaskett lead a massive herd to the research facility to overrun it.
However, the Endlings' attempt to destroy the Chlorine Gas fails because Jadis had anticipated their move and had the gas moved after the earlier theft by Felix. As the facility is overrun, Jadis, Huck and a squad of CRM soldiers confront Hope, Iris, Felix and Percy as they try to escape. In an effort to justify their actions, Jadis reveals that two years before, the CRM's scientists had predicted that the other communities in the Alliance of the Three had become too reliant on the Civic Republic for survival to ever make it on their own and that the eventual death, destruction and chaos could spread to the Civic Republic itself, extinguishing "the last light" of civilization. When Mason breaks free, Jadis has her troops open fire on the Endlings, killing Percy, before Iris, Felix and Huck kill the CRM soldiers, exposing Huck's duplicity. The Endlings make their escape as the research facility is overrun and Jadis saves Mason from walkers.
In the aftermath, Jadis contacts Major General Beale to move up the operation on Portland. However, Huck discovers the chlorine gas hidden at Dennis' culling facility, giving the Endlings one last chance to destroy it and save Portland.
"The Last Light"[]
Jadis sends Lieutenant Frank Newton and some CRM troops to hunt for Leo Bennett and the other scientists who got caught by a CRM spike strip. While Will and Leo kill the other soldiers, Felix confronts the Frontliner Lieutenant, eventually disemboweling him with a double-bladed S-Pole and leaving Frank to be devoured by a herd.
Hope, Iris, Elton and Silas deliver the C4 to Dennis and Huck at the culling facility where the two plan to make their way to the Civic Republic once the Chlorine Gas is destroyed and warn the government about what their military has been up to. While the others leave to reach a minimum safe distance before the explosion, Silas decides to stay and help Dennis and Huck.
However, Jadis' radio jamming of the area prevents a remote detonator from working, so Huck sends Silas and Dennis to Dennis' Cache under the guise of having them look for timers and secretly sets up her father's watch as a makeshift timer. The CRM is able to identify the C4 used by the Endlings as that used at the culling facilities, causing an alarmed Jadis to fly to the culling facility to secure the gas. In a final confrontation, Jadis kills Huck, but is forced to flee as the C4 detonates, destroying the chlorine gas and saving Portland from destruction. Shortly afterwards, Silas is captured by CRM forces after killing the dying Dennis on Dennis' orders so as to make it look like he had escaped from his captor.
In the aftermath, Jadis places the blame for everything going wrong on Elizabeth Kublek and has her arrested and imprisoned for treason. Jadis accepts Silas into the CRM, taking a personal interest in him, while Silas plans to find his way to the right people and expose the military's actions. Iris, Elton, Asha and some of the Perimeter residents make their way to Portland in order to warn the city about the CRM, finding it to be still intact when they arrive.
The Ones Who Live[]
Season 1[]
"Years"[]
The Frontliners will appear in this episode.
"Gone"[]
The Frontliners massacre Nat's Group with Chlorine Gas, leaving Michonne and Nat as the only survivors. The two are forced to spend a year recovering from the damage that the gas did to their lungs and throats before moving on to Bridgers Terminal.
On their way to Alexandria, Michonne and Nat spot a CRM helicopter and attack it with Nat's screamsticks in revenge for the massacre of their friends, killing Okafor. Once the helicopter is on the ground, Michonne and Nat kill three of the Frontliners who emerge, only for Michonne to discover that the pilot is her missing husband Rick Grimes. In the midst of their reunion, a surviving Frontliner fatally shoots Nat before Rick kills him with Michonne's Katana. With reinforcements arriving, Rick frames the scene as Nat alone having killed the Frontliners and Michonne having saved his life and killed Nat.
"Bye"[]
The Frontliners attend Okafor's funeral which is presided over by Major General Beale himself. Following the funeral, Beale gives Pearl Thorne the Echelon Briefing, a promotion to Command Sergeant Major, and inducts her into the Frontliners.
With the Civic Republic Military Leadership Summit fast approaching, Pearl later leads Rick, Michonne and a squad of Frontliners in clearing out a large herd threatening Cascadia Forward Operating Base. Jadis arrives after the battle, telling Rick that she's now headquartered at the base through the summit and beyond.
Later, while flying back to the Civic Republic Military Base, Michonne drags Rick out of the helicopter in a daring mid-air escape.
"What We"[]
After Rick and Michonne jump out of it, their CRM helicopter crashes into Greenwood due to the storm, killing the Frontliner pilot and anyone else onboard.
Although unseen, Jadis commands a CRM Reclamation Team that investigates the crash of Rick and Michonne's helicopter into Greenwood, blowing it up in order to cover the CRM's tracks.
"Become"[]
Jadis, after realizing that Rick and Michonne are still alive, chases them to Yellowstone National Park, wearing her Frontliner armor. During a fight through the park, Jadis enlists the help of a family of bandits and takes advantage of the fact that Rick and Michonne are hindered by the fact that Jadis has a hidden dossier on Alexandria that will expose their home to destruction if she's killed. Jadis also reveals that before Rick's escape, he had finally earned the trust of Major General Beale who was going to give Rick the Echelon Briefing and induct him into the Frontliners.
Eventually, Jadis is fatally bitten by a zombified Tina before Rick and Michonne can help her. Jadis chooses to die as her old self Anne rather as Jadis of the CRM and directs Rick and Michonne on where they can find her dossier at Cascadia Forward Operating Base so that they can destroy it and just go home. However, Rick and Michonne decide to return to Cascadia Base instead so that Rick can get the Echelon Briefing and learn all of the CRM's secrets, intending to reveal them to the Civic Republic Council and help them to reign in their rogue military. At Anne's request, Rick reluctantly shoots her before he and Michonne steal Anne's helicopter to fly back to the base.
"The Last Time"[]
The Frontliners will appear in this episode.
Members[]
- Pearl Thorne
- CRM Soldier 2
- Johnathan Beale (Commander)
- CRM Soldier 1
- Jadis Stokes
- Donald Okafor
- Frank Newton
- Mills
- At least 3,002 unnamed soldiers[1][2][3]
Formerly[]
Killed Victims[]
This list shows the victims the Frontliners have killed:
- Samuel Abbott (Caused, Alive; Zombified)
- Galbraith
- Ruth
- Mrs. Plaskett
- Margaret
- Daniel
- Barca (Caused, Alive)
- Jan
- Dani
- Phoebe
- Adult Administrator
- Izzy
- Mr. Kapadia
- Marco Voci
- Dr. Bavolar
- Dwyer
- Kallenbach
- Campus Student 1
- Campus Student 2
- Campus Student 3
- Romano
- Lyla Belshaw (Caused, Alive)
- Robin
- Percy
- Jennifer Mallick
- Dennis Graham (Caused)
- Aiden (Alive)
- Aiden and Bailey's Unborn Child
- Bailey (Caused, Alive)
- Nat (Alive)
- Red (Zombified)
- 97,399 Omaha residents
- At least 9,651 Campus Colony residents
- 2 unnamed Portland representatives
- 2 unnamed Omaha representatives
- 2 unnamed Perimeter residents (Caused)
- All unnamed members of Nat's Group (Alive)
- Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people
Deaths[]
- Mills
- Frank Newton
- Donald Okafor
- Jadis Stokes
- CRM Soldier 1
- Johnathan Beale (Alive and Zombified)
- CRM Soldier 2 (Alive and Zombified)
- Pearl Thorne (Alive and Zombified)
- At least 2,003 unnamed members (1,999 Alive and Zombified)
Appearances[]
World Beyond[]Season 1[]
Season 2[] |
The Ones Who Live[]Season 1[]
|
Trivia[]
- It's possible that Beale wasn't the only person who gave the Echelon Briefing given that there are at least 3,000 known Frontliners, however he only gave the briefing 2,534 times.
- Jadis may have been able to give one too as she intended to give Jennifer Mallick a full briefing on the CRM's activities as mentioned in "Blood and Lies" and "Returning Point" of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. However, this never came to pass.
- In "Death and the Dead", Jadis gives what appears to be a condensed version of the briefing to Iris, Percy, Hope, Felix, Mason, and Huck, listening in behind her, during a confrontation in order to make them understand why they do the things they do and how Iris' efforts only hinder the world's one chance to survive.
- It's possible that Beale authorized his trusted subordinates to give the briefing in his place when he wasn't available.
- Jadis may have been able to give one too as she intended to give Jennifer Mallick a full briefing on the CRM's activities as mentioned in "Blood and Lies" and "Returning Point" of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. However, this never came to pass.
- As the Frontliners are confirmed to be the only ones to be involved in the CRM's atrocities, the characters in The Walking Dead: World Beyond who knew were also Frontliners despite not wearing the signature red stripes.
- Notably, the only time that Jadis wore the red stripes of the Frontliners in either show was when she was chasing after Rick and Michonne in "Become".
- The CRM soldiers in World Beyond appear to have mainly been regular infantry troops aside from the higher ranking soldiers encountered by the Endlings with Jadis notably taking the precaution of talking to the Endlings on a private radio channel about the CRM's atrocities rather than speaking freely in front of her troops who would've already known had they all been Frontliners.
- It's possible that Corporal Diane Pierce was a Frontliner as she was at least aware of the Chlorine Gas and she was in charge of transporting it. However, this is unconfirmed.
- It's possible that Jennifer Mallick was intended to become a Frontliner as she was going to be given what appears to be the Echelon Briefing before her defection. However, this never came to pass.
- The exact number of Frontliners is unknown. Terry O'Quinn mentioned there are about 2,000 Frontliners in an interview while Andrew Lincoln mentioned in the Episode Insider for "The Last Time" that there are about 3,000 Frontliners.
References[]
- ↑ Terry O'Quinn shares intel on Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live character on Entertainment Weekly
- ↑ In "The Last Time", Beale states that he gave the Echelon Briefing to 2,533 Frontliners, three of whom would be Okafor, Jadis, and Thorne.
- ↑ In the Episode Insider for "The Last Time", Andrew Lincoln states that 3,000 Frontliners were present at Cascadia Base.
World Beyond Groups
| |
|---|---|
| Alliance of the Three • Civic Republic Military • Frontliners • The Endlings | |
The Ones Who Live Groups
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|---|---|
| Alliance of the Three • Civic Republic Military • Frontliners • The Nomads • Nat's Group • Red's Group • The Coalition | |