The Walking Dead Season 4 SPOILERS: Show Adds Two More Crucial Comic Book Characters

The Walking Dead has added two new crucial characters from the comic book to the AMC show.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Josh McDermitt (Retired at 35) has joined the cast as Dr. Eugene Porter in a series regular capacity. Michael Cudlitz (Southland) has also joined the show as a series regular as Porter's traveling friend Sgt. Abraham Ford, an Army man and sports coach.

The Walking Dead panel at New York Comic-Con on Saturday made the announcement of Cudlitz's inclusion when the actor made a surprise appearance, in character, from the audience.

In Robert Kirkman's long-running comic series, Porter is a former high school science teacher who travels with Ford and a Rosita, who will be played by Christian Serratos. The three eventually encounter Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his allies as they move toward Washington. It turns out, though, that Eugene has been lying by claiming that he does not know what caused the zombie epidemic. He, in fact, uses Ford to protect him. Ford and Rosita, who eventually become a couple, are also unaware of this.

Porter is still alive in the comics and he becomes a crucial member of Rick's team as he uses his knowledge of science to make ammunition.

The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple told The Hollywood Reporter the following about his plans for the characters:

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

He added that the series has taken a similar approach in the past with the comic characters and has crafted similarities and differences between the comic and television portrayals.

Season 4 of The Walking Dead premieres on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 9 p.m.