With Maggie returning for the final season of The Walking Dead, showrunners state that she will not be defined by her conflict with Negan.
After a hiatus from the show, Lauren Cohan returned as Maggie Rhee in the final episodes of season 10. Maggie had previously left with her son to help a new community of survivors, though she later reveals that it was really because of Negan, the man who brutally killed her husband, Glenn. She came back to help her friends fight the Whisperers but now must deal with the new role that Negan plays in her old home.
Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, is one of the most popular characters on the show. Negan has undergone a complex story arc turning from a ruthless villain to a hero. First introduced as the murderous leader of The Saviors, Negan cemented his place as a force to be reckoned with after leading Rick and his group of survivors into a trap and then beating Abraham and Glenn to death with his barbed wire covered baseball bat, Lucille. Once he was captured however, he started integrating himself into society, even fighting with the group against Alpha and the Whisperers.
Now that Maggie and Negan are finally facing off again, fans are waiting to see what's in store for the two of them. Producer Scott Gimple teased on Twitch (via Comicbook) that this will be a major factor in Maggie's return to Alexandria, but will not define Maggie's arc in the final season. Instead, Maggie will be defined by her leadership. Gimple explained:
"Seeing this kind of leader emerge from the apocalypse, forged by the apocalypse, I think that's her story ... I think Negan is an unbelievable complication to that, but to hit it one more time, it doesn't define her."
Maggie is one of the most dynamic characters on the show and has experienced several traumatic losses during her journey. With Maggie being a fan-favorite character ever since season 2, her return in season 10 was highly anticipated. Because of this, it would be a shame if the writers didn't give her character a proper send-off. From Gimple's comment, it sounds like The Walking Dead will do the character justice in the end but that remains to be seen. Several popular TV shows have problems sticking the landing with finales, and The Walking Dead's ratings have been dipping in recent years due to the quality of the show. The Walking Dead season 11 has to tie up several loose ends in its final season and the writers need to wrap up the story arcs for several big characters. With that in mind, we can only hope that Maggie's story ends on a high note and the final season doesn't just focus on the trauma Negan inflicted on her.
0 Comments