Beta

Alpha's right-hand man and the Whisperers' enforcer.

Beta is a fictional character in the comic book series The Walking Dead and the television series of the same name, where he was portrayed by Ryan Hurst. In both universes, Beta is the second-in-command of the Whisperers, a group of survivors who wear walker (zombie) skin to hide their presence from actual walkers. He serves as Alpha's right-hand man and after her death, becomes de facto leader of the Whisperers. Also in both universes, Beta is a famous celebrity before the apocalypse; in the comic books, he was a basketball player and an actor, and in the television series it was revealed in an episode of the companion series, Fear the Walking Dead (where Hurst made an uncredited cameo appearance), that he was a country musician as he was seen on the cover of an album that was released before the apocalypse, and it is later revealed in the main TV series that his stage name was "Half Moon".

Quick Facts

Series

The Walking Dead

First

Comic:
"Issue #154" (2016)
Television:
"Guardians" (2019)

Last

Comic:
"Issue #173" (2017)
Television:
"A Certain Doom" (2020)

Portrayed by

Ryan Hurst

Creator

Robert Kirkman

Adapted by

Angela Kang (The Walking Dead)

Also known as

Half Moon

Reader's Guide

Beta is a physically imposing and brutally efficient enforcer for the Whisperers. In the comic books, Beta is Alpha's right-hand man who carries two knives. In the television series, he survives a fall down an elevator shaft, losing his bottom front teeth, and later emerges to confront Daryl. His loyalty to Alpha is absolute; he wounds her with a branch to make her stronger, and he executes a Whisperer who defies her. After Alpha's death, Beta becomes the de facto leader of the Whisperers and declares war on the communities. In the comic books, he kills Gabriel and several other members of the Militia, and is ultimately shot through the chest by Aaron while fighting Jesus. In the television series, he infiltrates Alexandria through a tunnel, murders several Alexandrians, and waits for them to reanimate as walkers to create a distraction while searching for Gamma.