The Walking Dead Just Nailed The Biggest Problem With Maggie's Character For The Past 6 Years

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, episode 8, "If History Were a Conflagration".Having been involved in The Walking Dead since 2011, Maggie has undergone many changes and been involved in countless major storylines, but her character has faced one key problem over the past six years, and Dead City perfectly explained this issue. When Maggie first debuted on the zombie show, she was presented as an innocent, caring individual who tried to look out for everyone, but over the years, she has become a much more hardened survivor. Despite Maggie's brief Walking Dead exit in season 9, she has remained an irreplaceable part of the franchise for well over a decade.

Her importance to the series can't be understated, as she became the leader of her own community, cemented herself as one of the strongest survivors in the zombie universe, and was even given her own spinoff show alongside Negan. However, while her relationship with Negan was once incredibly compelling, it has since turned into a major point of contention for the character. Many of Maggie's best Walking Dead episodes came before Negan's arrival, and while their feud helped give Maggie her most important character arc, the conflict has become problematic, with Dead City perfectly summarizing their relationship.

The Dama Succinctly Explains Maggie & Negan's Dynamic Since The Walking Dead Season 10

Maggie Always Puts Negan Down When He's Thriving, But Props Him Back Up When He's Struggling

After miraculously surviving her near-death experience, the Dama came face-to-face with Maggie during Dead City season 2's ending, and she concisely explained the complicated dynamic Maggie has with Negan. Lauren Cohan's character has held a grudge against Negan ever since 2016, as the former villain killed her husband in a performative manner. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy beating Glenn to death, sending Maggie on a dark path ever since. While she has maintained some of her more moral traits, there is no doubt that this moment changed Maggie, as she has tried to kill Negan several times throughout the years.

Her vendetta had a knock-on effect that saw her disobey her own allies at times, and the feud even impacted Maggie's relationship with her son. Still, despite having various opportunities to take down Negan once and for all, Maggie ultimately refused, with the Dama explaining why. She told the Walking Dead veteran, "When Negan is up, you feel the need to knock him down. When Negan is down, you feel the need to prop him back up." It may sound like a simplification of such a complex relationship, but it's hard to argue with the villain's assessment.

Maggie has spent so much energy trying to get revenge on Negan, with her hatred rising whenever her foe is thriving. However, whenever she gets close and sees Negan suffering, she winds up helping him, just like in Dead City season 2's finale. It may be an interesting part of Maggie's personality that highlights her flaws, but this repetitive cycle has started to hurt her character and prevented her from growing much in recent years, proving that something has to change.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Needs To Be The End Of Maggie & Negan's Feud

Season 2 Teased The End Of Their Conflict After A Decade Of History

Considering Maggie's feud with Negan has held back her character for a long time, Dead City season 2 really needs to be the end of it. While it's unrealistic to expect Maggie and Negan to suddenly become great friends who have no animosity, the spinoff's rumored third season is a great opportunity to have them work through their issues and diffuse any tension. The Walking Dead season 11's finale already seemed like it wrapped up their confrontation in a mature way, but with Dead City reigniting their conflict, the show needs to give their conflict a definitive ending.

The pair talking more openly about their past alongside their current problems could help them relate and allow Maggie to find forgiveness, something she's been unable to do for over a decade in the show's timeline. Leaving their dispute in the past will also help make both characters more interesting, as The Walking Dead has explored Maggie and Negan's feud extensively, and Dead City season 3 will be much better off having the two on the same page. Therefore, now is the time to move on from this story, which would make the duo's future much more exciting.