Earlier this week we showed you an interview in which showrunner Glen Mazzara promised an “intense” season 3, and now we have some Walking Dead spoilers to share with you. New characters and old friends will definitely have an impact on our survivors this season.

One of the new characters we’re going to see is Milton, played by Dallas Roberts. He is going to be the Governor’s right-hand man, his “details” guy. According to Mazzara’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Milton is “examining how the zombies behave.” He could have something to do with the “arena battles” the Governor facilitates in the graphic novels, which we’ll see in the show.

“Milton is a benevolent character; he’s in the Governor’s circle, but he’s a person who’s looking to contribute and who has a lot of value for the Governor. As he learns the Governor’s true side, that puts him in an interesting position.”

Maybe he’ll work out to be an asset to Rick’s group, if he doesn’t like what he sees from the Governor.

Many fans of the comics have also been clamoring to see the appearance of much-beloved characters, including Tyreese. In these Walking Dead spoilers, Mazzara teases that we’ll probably see them soon, just maybe not this season.

“There are a lot of characters from the comics that we will eventually work into the show – Tyreese, Abraham, this new character Negan, who is the latest bad guy. They all exist in the world of The Walking Dead, and it’s just a matter of time before we meet them all. Right now, we’ve got the Governor onstage, and we’re just getting him up and running, but seasons from now, I could certainly see bringing in Negan. He’s a really scary and compelling character, but we have no current plans now.”

We’re also going to see the return of Merle – apparently he’s been making friends with the Governor in Woodbury. He’s got a new cast for his handless arm, and he is angry (big surprise there), but now he has a bayonet. How will his reintroduction affect Daryl and the group?

“That’s a major storyline that we intend to explore. Merle would expect Daryl to fall in line with the behavior that these two brothers have always had in the past; he expects Daryl to be the little brother looking up to him, but he has a new family and would see Merle as a threat to that family. Brother against brother is a dynamic that is fresh to the show in the sense that that’s not an element from the original comic book.”

And the helicopter! We heard it in the season 2 finale, and we also see it in the promo for season 3. Who is flying it? Mazzara hints that we’ll see it again, but won’t tell us anymore.

“They are remnants of the civilization that existed before the apocalypse. If there are bands of survivors, there are also rescue workers, soldiers and people who are still on watch trying to put the pieces back together. That helicopter is somebody who we’ll meet in an episode, and that will be answered.”

We hope that these Walking Dead spoilers can satisfy your craving for now, but we’re looking forward to finding out as much as we can before season 3 begins October 14th.