‘Walking Dead’ Season 4 Spoilers: Comic Book Character Dr. Eugene Porter Joins Cast; Will He Help Develop A Cure?

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

“The Walking Dead” is continuing to beef up its cast for season 4. New faces like Zach, Patrick and Bob were introduced during the premiere on Sunday, Oct. 13, but fans can look forward to meeting a couple pivotal comic book characters as the season moves along.

So, who is the latest comic book character to make the jump from the pages to the screen? A man called Dr. Eugene Porter.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Dr. Porter will be played by “Retired at 35” alum Josh McDermitt. In the comics, Dr. Porter is in his early 40s to 50s. An “out-of-shape” science teacher, he managed to convince other survivors that he was a scientist for the United States government working on a “project to weaponize the human genome” before the zombie apocalypse hit. Dr. Porter claimed that he knew the origins of the zombie plague, but couldn’t tell anyone the information because it was classified and for government officials only. Setting up a fake mission to Washington D.C., he was able to stay protected in a large group because of his lie.

When Dr. Porter’s background was eventually revealed (thanks to a fake radio), he ultimately did end up becoming an asset to the other survivors … just not in the way of developing a cure.

However, it’s important to note that “The Walking Dead” creators don’t always “play by comics.” The show is known for adding twists and making changes to characters and plot lines. For instance, McDermitt is 35 years old, a little younger than the comic book version of Dr. Porter. When Dr. Porter makes the move to the television show it’s possible that he could be a real scientist and hopefully help Rick’s prison group battle whatever illness struck Patrick during the season 4 premiere.

“Walking Dead” fans have speculated the addition of Dr. Eugene Porter after the casting of Rosita Espinosa and Abraham Ford -- the two characters that the science teacher traveled with in the comics.

In mid-September, “Twilight” star Christian Serratos was cast as Rosita, a survivor from the Houston area who found Abraham and Eugene. Abraham’s casting was recently announced at the 2013 New York Comic Con on Saturday, Oct. 12. Abraham, “an Army man and sports coach before the outbreak,” will be played by “Southland” actor Michael Cudlitz.

Eugene, Rosita and Abraham had a bit of a love triangle going on. Previously part of a larger group that was killed off by walkers, Rosita and Abraham had a romantic relationship -- something that Eugene wanted badly with Rosita. Eugene made numerous attempts to hook up with Rosita but she kept denying him.

"We're going to tell a version of the Eugene, Abraham and Rosita comic stories, that's what we do," showrunner Scott Gimple told the Hollywood Reporter. "I love those characters from the book; they are very different flavors of comic book characters than we've seen on the show."

It’s currently unknown when the three characters will be appearing during season 4 of “The Walking Dead,” but it’s important to note that they are classified as “Post-Prison Survivors” in the comics.

Do you believe that Dr. Eugene Porter will know valuable information about the origin of the zombie apocalypse? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

New episodes of “The Walking Dead” air on AMC on Sunday at 9 p.m.