The Walking Dead left fans extremely disappointed earlier this year when its season 10 finale was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This meant that episode 15 – which ended on one hell of a cliffhanger – served as the season’s cap, and viewers have been left wondering how the war against the Whisperers will ultimately end when the true finale finally airs in the near future. Not much information exists to help us piece together what may end up happening, but one bit of information was made public during the promo for the finale: Maggie (Lauren Cohan) is headed back to the show.
Maggie was absent throughout the back-half of season 9 and the entirety of season 10, though the series has yet to fully explain all of the details surrounding her departure. In real life, her leaving was largely due to Cohan’s decision to take the lead role in ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier, but it was cancelled after only one season, opening up the possibility for her to step into Maggie’s shoes once again.
Anyone who’s watched The Walking Dead knows Maggie lost the love of her life, Glenn (Steven Yeun), in the season 7 premiere when Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) took a baseball bat to his head. In more recent seasons, Negan has undergone a substantial character arc that has seen him become a sympathetic and caring human being willing to be a part of a civilized society. However, Maggie’s return could lead to some unresolved tension between the two.
Speaking to AMC, Cohan had this to say on her relationship with Negan:
Just like in life, it might be one of those things she doesn’t know until she faces it. She definitely decided not to kill him on that day when Michonne discouraged her. She did go that way. Forgiveness is liberating. I suppose we’ll get to see to what degree she has decided to liberate herself.
It’s not likely that season 10 will deal with Maggie realizing Negan is still alive and released, but it’s always possible that it could serve as a major component of season 11’s drama. In the meantime, we’re all looking forward to The Walking Dead returning sometime later this year with some closure to the current primary plotline.
