9 Years Later, The Walking Dead Can Finally End Its Most Frustrating Storyline (& It's Long Overdue)

After a couple of years of waiting, The Walking Dead fans are finally going to receive Dead City Season 2 in May 2025. While all the Walking Dead spin-offs have had an overall positive reception from critics and viewers alike, this show has an interesting twist. The setting of Manhattan offers an eerie post-apocalyptic atmosphere in a previously crowded city, adding to the intensity of the already suspenseful franchise. The storyline also follows two long-running and popular characters.

However, not all fans are exceptionally pleased by the focus of Dead City. Though the interesting villain and new communities add nuance to the world, the conflict between the two main characters is all too familiar. In this spin-off, Maggie's anger over Negan killing her husband is still a major theme. Viewers don't expect her to simply forget what he did to the person she loved, but the constant focus on this tension between them threatens to bog down what should be a fresh and exciting narrative. In Season 2 of Dead City, the plot could resolve this long-running conflict and give two fascinating characters room to grow and evolve.

Maggie Never Forgave Negan For Glenn

Maggie's storyline has always been shaped by her love interest, Glenn. Quickly after her introduction, she became his secret lover on the Greene Farm, and then she became the dedicated partner that was just as capable of protecting the group as her husband. Though she had her own characterization, Maggie's agency was dependent on the people she loved. Therefore, her whole world was turned upside down at the beginning of Season 7 when Negan killed Glenn in a show of power. Her grief was so great that she could not accept it when Rick spared Negan at the end of the Saviors War, and she attempted to kill him before disappearing for several years. Maggie tried to move on from the trauma Negan caused, but it was clear that nothing affected her more than the sudden demise of her husband, especially while she was pregnant with their son, Negan.

Between Season 10 and Season 11 of The Walking Dead, the storyline dragged out the hostility between Negan and Maggie. Not only did she attempt to kill him a couple of times, but Negan also tried to leave Maggie for dead when he realized she still intended to cause his death many years after Glenn's demise and the fall of the Saviors. The former villain tried to prove himself to Maggie a few times, and apologized to Hershel (who was a young boy at the time) when the child held a gun on him for killing his father. Toward the conclusion of the flagship series, it seemed like the series was going to wrap up the conflict between Negan and Maggie. When they were working with their allies to overthrow the corrupt government of the Commonwealth and save the people from a horde of walkers, Negan was willing to risk his life to assassinate Governor Milton, so Maggie wouldn't put herself in harms way. Still, their last moment was Maggie giving him a tearful confession, admitting she sees his changes but cannot forgive him for Glenn's death. By the end of The Walking Dead, it seemed as though Maggie's storyline would forever be shaped by Negan, especially due to his murdering Glenn.

Maggie Was Willing To Sacrifice Negan In Dead City

The idea that Maggie's storyline would forever be shaped by Negan was reaffirmed in the spin-off series Dead City. After several years of not seeing Negan, Maggie hunts him down with a story that someone he previously knew had kidnapped Hershel. Though it was clear neither of them trusted each other, Negan felt obligated to help her save Hershel, feeling responsible for the boy's safety since he had killed his father. Toward the end of the first season of Dead City, it was revealed that Maggie intended to trade Negan to the Croat in exchange for her son. Though Negan felt obligated to help save her child, the two had an intense fight, proving both their pent-up anger toward one another and their equally matched skills. In the end, Negan was handed over to the Croat, who was working for a criminal mastermind known as the Dama, and Maggie was reunited with her son.

At a glance, this seems like a point at which Maggie and Negan's storylines could differ. However, since the moment Negan was introduced in Season 7, their arcs have been intertwined. The whole plot in Season 1 of Dead City focused on Negan and Maggie not trusting each other despite being reluctant allies. When Negan agreed to work for the Dama, taking on his previous villainous persona to take over other communities, he did so with the looming threat that the new villain would harm Hershel if he didn't submit. In turn, Maggie's storyline is still entwined with Negan's despite her turning her back on him to save her son. After talking with Hershel, who is now a teenager, she realized that she will never be able to move on from the trauma Negan caused her until their lives are truly no longer connected.

Season 2 Suggests Maggie Has A Change of Heart

The trailer for Dead City Season 2 suggests Maggie has a major change of heart in the upcoming plot. Though she was willing to hand Negan over to a man she assumed wanted to kill him, she is now prepared to go back to Manhattan to save him. This trailer shows her in extreme and dangerous situations in the city, and even hints at her holding the Croat captive, who she not only knows is dangerous but is high up in the Dama's ranks. The clips in the teaser and trailer highlight that Maggie is serious about saving Negan. If she wanted to take down the Dama and protect the communities she's threatening, there are various ways she could do so that doesn't focus on saving her longest-running enemy. Therefore, her dedication to infiltrating the Dama's group in Manhattan and finding a way to safely remove Negan from her grasp suggests Maggie has had a true change of heart and is willing to overcome her hatred of the former villain to finally move past her trauma.

However, this could prove to be more challenging than Maggie might have predicted. While the trailers suggest Maggie is going to Manhattan to save Negan, Dead City Season 2 also promises the former villain will be embracing his previous persona as the dictator who controlled the Saviors with an iron fist. A major reason Maggie sees that Negan is capable of being a good person is due to his changes throughout the years. In the first season, he frightens her by killing enemies in a gruesome display of power. If Negan has truly embraced his old personality, even in order to protect himself and Hershel, this behavior could alter Maggie's decision to fight for him instead of against him. His working for the Dama is also related to his previous belief that his terrible deeds inevitably save people, which could forever tarnish Maggie's perception of him, even if he's doing so to protect her child. This upcoming season of Dead City has the opportunity to make or break the complicated dynamic between these two long-running Walking Dead characters.

This Can Allow For Some Much-Needed Character Growth

There's no denying that the storyline of Dead City is reliant on Maggie and Negan's characters. However, that doesn't mean the dynamic between the two has to be constantly hostile to carry the spin-off. As previously mentioned, Maggie's timeline throughout TWD has been focused on the men that have shaped her storyline, especially her husband Glenn and her rival Negan. Maggie has had little character growth that hasn't had to do with Glenn, Negan, or her son Hershel, especially following Season 7 of The Walking Dead. While this spin-off requires the inclusion of Negan and Maggie, as they are the established main characters, that doesn't mean their relationship has to be constantly about conflict and animosity. If Maggie can overcome her hatred of Negan and no longer desire revenge for Glenn's death, her character has the opportunity to grow through her other attributes, including her exceptional leadership and survival skills.

Maggie's character is not the only one that has the opportunity to grow beyond the remnants of storylines carried over from the flagship series. Since Negan was defeated in Season 8 and was no longer the leader of the Saviors, he has been fighting to prove himself and get past the trauma he caused other people to prove to others he's no longer a villain. Maggie isn't the only one unconvinced he's completely changed. Even viewers are skeptical of Negan's redemption arc. Many still consider him one of the most deplorable characters in the franchise, and others hated his redemption and found it unconvincing. Now that he's forced to embrace his previous villainous behavior, Negan can prove he is capable of being a good person even when presented with substantial power.

With Dead City's second season looming, the franchise has an opportunity to create something fresh and intriguing to expand the wider world of the undead. Though the first season was impressive and well-received, it held onto too much from the flagship series. If the plotline can finally resolve the conflict between Maggie and Negan, which has festered for several seasons and twice as many years in the timeline, Dead City can continue the positive reputation of The Walking Dead spin-offs.