Everything you need to know about the mystery man in 'The Walking Dead' premiere

Being a fan of both The Walking Dead comics and the TV show can be a wild experience. There are times when the series stays true to its source material, and times when it could not deviate more.

And yeah, that can be a little maddening. Every time something even a little reminiscent of the comics happens on the show, questions inevitably follow: Are the producers trying to give us a hint about something? Are they misleading us? Do they assume that we'll wonder if they're misleading us and use it as a double-bluff? Should I step away from the TV and go outside?

That familiar feeling crept up pretty quickly for many Walking Dead fans during the Season 8 premiere, when Carl came face to face with a mysterious character at a gas station. The man (played by Avi Nash) was alone and desperate, asking Carl for food since he hadn't eaten in days.

This, of course, raised all our red flags. Fans have learned to not trust anyone new over 100 episodes and 172 issues of zombie mayhem. But there was something significant in the few words this new character spoke.

He referenced a line that he said his mother often quoted from the Quran: "May my mercy prevail over my wrath."

Alone, maybe that doesn't seem important. But when Rick said the same line towards the end of the episode, in what we can safely assume is a flash-forward scene, it gave the moment a lot more weight.

It heavily implies that this character shares the words with Rick, or that Carl relays them to his dad later. Either way, it means we'll probably see more of this man.

Executive producer and showrunner Scott M. Gimple gave Mashable a hint as to who this mystery man could be during a recent chat: "He's a super important character this season. He's tied into some very big events. He's a very big character for Rick, a very big character for Carl, even in the premiere, obviously ... He's loosely based on a smaller character from the comic that people might eventually figure out."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Executive producer, director and special make-up effects supervisor Greg Nicotero confirmed to EW that the comic book character Gimple is referring to is Siddiq, a resident of Alexandria who came into the fold after the All Out War storyline that this season is based on.

Even though he hasn't had a huge part to play yet, comic book fans were quickly drawn to Siddiq and began to ask for more of him in the letters to the creative team printed in the back of each issue.

Nash's character is also notable for being the show's first major Muslim character. Last season, fans were excited by the inclusion of Nabila, a woman sporting a hijab, in a scene at the Kingdom, but she spoke only a few lines and has yet to make another appearance.

The Walking Dead has always leaned heavily on Biblical imagery and frequently quoted scripture, which makes it even more remarkable that the show is also weaving in quotes from the Quran in Season 8.

The series boasts one of the most ethnically diverse casts on television, and has slowly improved in adding LGBTQ representation over the past couple of seasons, but religious inclusivity has been pretty much nonexistent until now. While Father Gabriel obviously has a narrative reason to quote the Bible, for many other characters, their beliefs are just one facet of who they are as people -- so hopefully the show will find realistic ways to explore Siddiq's faith without making it his defining characteristic.

Siddiq's most notable moment in the comics was in a recent issue (comic spoilers ahead!) when he revealed to Eugene that he was having an affair with Eugene's girlfriend, Rosita, before she died. (Yes, Eugene and Rosita were together in the comics and it's super weird, and I really hope the show doesn't go there.)

Even if the show doesn't follow the exact same route as the books and bypasses the Rosita/Eugene relationship (here's hoping), it would certainly be interesting to see a romance form between Siddiq and Rosita, since the comic deprived us of that character development in favor of a dramatic reveal.

Whether it happens or not, we're crossing our fingers that Siddiq will bring new life and a fresh perspective to a show that desperately needs it right now.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.