The Walking Dead set photo reveals first look at Mercer in his red armor

A new photo from the set of The Walking Dead has revealed Michael James Shaw in full costume as Mercer.

In the image, which you can see below, Mercer is clad in his famous red armor – and it looks very accurate to the comics, if a little shiny for a zombie apocalypse. 

FIRST LOOK at Michael James Shaw as the character of Mercer in Season 11 of #TheWalkingDead! pic.twitter.com/JZVgVdzLQiMay 24, 2021

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The Walking Dead season 11 will be the final season in the long running zombie saga, and is expected to introduce the Commonwealth. In the comics, the Commonwealth is a sophisticated society with tens of thousands of inhabitants, and advanced technology. It also has its own army, which Mercer leads. Naturally, in true The Walking Dead style, not everything is as perfect as it seems on the surface – there's a strict class system, which could prove problematic as the series progresses.

While the main installment of the franchise is ending soon, the story is set to continue in a trilogy of Walking Dead movies – which Robert Kirkman recently gave an update on – and a number of spinoffs, including one focused on Carol and Daryl.

Andrew Lincoln also recently told our sister publication SFX Magazine that he wouldn't turn down a return as Rick Grimes in the main series: "The easy answer is I have no idea. I don't think it's written yet, but I would never say never to that because everybody that's still doing the TV show are dear friends, and it's an extraordinary feat that they're still going and making this beautiful and ground-breaking show that still resonates with the world."

So far, there's no full length trailer for season 11, but there has been a mysterious teaser which seems to show the Commonwealth – with a voiceover, most likely from Mercer, asking Eugene a series of questions.

The Walking Dead season 11 is divided into three parts, with the first set of episodes arriving August 22. Until then, check out the best Netflix shows to watch now – and if you're in the UK, you can stream all of The Walking Dead on Disney Plus Star from July 2.