Riverbend, also referred to as The Complex[1], is a location that appears in Season 11 of AMC's The Walking Dead. It is a community of at least 40 religious survivors, led by Ian, located on either the western border of Virginia or in West Virginia.
After Riverbend is abandoned, the surviving population is merged with the remaining Hilltoppers and Wardens, deemed enemies by the Commonwealth.
Pre-Apocalypse[]
Nothing is known about Riverbend prior to or as the outbreak began, except that the building was once known as the Riverbend Apartment Complex where many tenants resided in the building.
Post-Apocalypse[]
Season 11[]
"Warlords"[]
Aaron and Gabriel are recruited by Toby Carlson to take point on an outreach mission with a community in an apartment complex to offer them membership with the Commonwealth. The group's leader, Ian, meets with Aaron, Gabriel, Carlson, and Jesse and believes them to be enemies. Though Aaron and Gabriel talk Ian into letting them leave with their lives, Carlson attacks and kills him and many of his people. Carlson has actually been assigned by Lance to wipe out the complex, believing them responsible for an attack on a Commonwealth caravan.
Jesse flees on horseback. Toby orders the trooper to kill Jesse, as the trooper shoots Jesse, but Aaron smashes him in the face before he can shoot again. Aaron escapes as more troopers arrive. Toby tells the residents of the complex that they are enemies of the Commonwealth because they stole from his community. Toby interrogates two hostages on the building roof and pushes them off the edge after they insist they know nothing about the stolen goods. One by one, he shoves more hostages off the roof. Toby orders his troopers to kill anyone in the building who won't talk.
"The Rotten Core"[]
Carlson looks at the dead hostages that he pushed off the roof of the apartment complex. The bodies start to animate. Carlson radios Lance to let him know the location is secure and that they're searching for the hijacked goods. Maggie, Aaron, Lydia, and Elijah hide as Carlson leads a team through the complex, gunning down residents. Carlson leads troopers through the building. Maggie and Annie radio Gabriel and Aaron with a plan. Carlson's team storms an apartment and finds nothing. Carlson notices shoe prints leading to the secret room. Before he can investigate, he hears gunfire.
Carlson's team chases Gabriel and Aaron onto the roof and corners them. Elijah sneaks up and kills the troopers with his kama. Carlson attempts to plead for his life, but Aaron shoots him, and he falls off the roof and lands near the bodies of the dead hostages. They reanimate and eat Carlson alive.
"Trust"[]
Lance visits the now-abandoned Riverbend with Daryl and a detachment of Commonwealth soldiers to investigate the events that had occurred there. Toby's partially devoured corpse, surrounded by the now dead Riverbend residents who had devoured him and his own soldiers, is marked off. Lance expresses doubt about Aaron and Gabriel's version of the events, but Daryl backs his friends up. Lance accuses Aaron and Gabriel of knowing the "crazed, violent strangers" responsible, but Gabriel tells him that Toby had lost control of the situation, they had barely survived and they won't take the fall for this. Lance orders two soldiers to keep searching the area while the rest of them move out to find the missing residents.
Government and Society[]
Riverbend is a mysterious, tight-knit, and reserved community that often keeps to themselves and is extremely cautious of outsiders. The group has been led by a number of people over the years, including Ian, who is shown to be a paranoid and unstable figure due to experiencing numerous traumas as a result of trusting those outside of the community. The population is greatly religious, likely practicing some form of Christianity, as the residents attend bi-weekly mass every Tuesday and Sunday. Grunge-like and spiritual fashion, piercings, unique weaponry, and peculiar mannerisms are also greatly prevalent amongst the Riverbenders. Riverbend is shown to have a loose system, predominately focused on basic survival due to their inability to fully sustain themselves, though they've managed to get by overtime and lead decent lives through their personal relationships and religion, inhabiting the apartments within the complex and creating discreet passageways for communal safety and refuge in case of attack.
Inhabitants[]
Formerly[]
- Annie Smith
- Negan Smith
- At least 36 unnamed survivors
Deaths[]
- Billy Johnson
- Hart
- Ian
- Hodges
- Jake Daniels
- Crowe
- Green
- Toby Carlson
- 19 unnamed raiders, murderers, rapists and cannibals (Confirmed Fate)
- 8 unnamed Commonwealth soldiers
- Many unnamed residents (6 Alive and Zombified)
Appearances[]
TV Series[]
Season 11[]
- "Warlords"
- "The Rotten Core"
- "Trust"
Trivia[]
- There is a continuity error regarding Riverbend's exact in-universe location. Aaron states that Riverbend is located on "the western border of Virginia", yet the map the Hilltop is given by Jesse indicates that it is located in the real-life town of Riverside, West Virginia, hence the community's similar name.
- Riverbend is the last community introduced in the TV Series.