Welcome to this week’s installment of Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week, wherein we shine a spotlight on strong women who inspire us. These ladies are a prime example of female empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have said example to follow.

DISCLAIMER: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

Hope and Iris Bennett

Fast Facts: 

The Walking Dead: World Beyond’s Hope (played by Alexa Mansour) and Iris (played by Aliyah Royale) make the zombie apocalypse look easy. The Bennett sisters’ story came to The Walking Dead Universe as a way to introduce viewers to the Civic Republic Military or CRM. The TWD Family knew very little about the CRM. In their story, the CRM asked Dr. Leo Bennett (Joe Holt), Hope and Iris’s dad to do some research at their facility in New York. Things were going well until Hope and Iris received a distressing message from Leo. That’s when things changed for the Bennetts.

Despite growing up in the apocalypse, The Bennett sisters knew nothing about the outside world. They were aware of the apocalypse, but never encountered the dead. So for them to go on a journey through the walking dead could be seen as crazy or brave. Either way, these two young ladies put their lives at risk for their father. They learned so much about themselves and each other. Iris and Hope became warriors, out to make the world a safer place to live. 

The Real Deal: 

Hope and Iris recruit friends Silas and Elton to go on their journey on The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Alexa Mansour as Hope, Aliyah Royale as Iris, Nicolas Cantu as Elton, Hal Cumpston as Silas – The Walking Dead: World Beyond _ Season 1, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Sarah Shatz/AMC

Hope and Iris were adopted together by Leo and Kara Bennett. When the world ended, they lost their mother, but gained a brother-type friend in Felix Carlucci (Nico Tortorella). With their father in New York, Felix became their guardian. Iris became a leader in school clubs while Hope became a rebel who made wine and liquor. The two girls couldn’t be more different, but they complement each other well. The places where Iris lacks, Hope shines and vice versa. Iris used her leadership skills to get her, Hope, Felix and their friends Elton (Nicolas Cantu), Silas (Hal Cumpston) and Huck (Annet Mahendru) to New York. Hope used her reckless intuition to get them out of sticky situations.

Along the way they found out two things. Huck was actually a CRM agent sent to the Campus Colony to retrieve Hope. Hope showed promise at a young age when she took apart a desktop computer and put it back together. The CRM wanted her to try and reconnect them to the internet. The second thing they found out is the CRM purposely destroyed their home, the Campus Colony because it had become a strain on the Civic Republic’s resources. 

Upon finding Hope, the CRM separated the sisters. This is when they found their inner strength that mirrored their sister’s. Iris was forced to navigate her way to New York without Hope. She emerged as a strong adversary against the CRM. Iris isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions or make the tough life and death decisions. She became a risk taker and rebelled against the one authority left in the world. 

Hope was taken to the research facility and saw the good that the CRM can do. The CRM wanted to find a cure for the zombie plague. They also wanted to slow down the amount of time it takes for people to reanimate and speed up the decay process of the dead. Hope contributed a theory to speed up the decay process, based on her experience brewing beer. Both girls are highly intelligent and able to fight off the dead. They made some mistakes and lost allies. And yet, the Bennett Sisters beat the CRM at their own game. 

Why They Matter:

Alexa Mansour as Hope and Aliyah Royale as Iris in The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Alexa Mansour as Hope, Aliyah Royale as Iris – TWD: World Beyond _ Season 1 – Photo Credit: Sarah Shatz/AMC

Hope and Iris matter because they show us what can happen when women support women. They empower each other to do their best. And if there is something one can’t do, the other will do for her. The Bennett Sisters never let their fear get the best of them. They use it to push forward. And with all of these strengths, the girls are determined to save the world.

So be like the Bennett Sisters. Always support your sisters. Use your book smarts and street smarts to take down the bad guys. And do whatever it takes to create a better, safer world. 

RELATED: Looking for another badass female crush? Check out our Geek Girl Authority Crushes of the Week here!

RELATED: Read All of The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season One Recaps Here!

 

 

 

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