Summary

• Lauren Cohan left The Walking Dead in season 9 due to a pay dispute and a new show, but returned in season 10 after her show was canceled.
• Maggie's absence in season 9 was overshadowed by Rick's departure, but she made a strong comeback in season 10 with a compelling storyline.
• In The Walking Dead: Dead City spin-off, Maggie and Negan's complex relationship continues, providing new avenues for storytelling.

Season 9 saw fan-favorite Maggie (Lauren Cohan) leave The Walking Dead, but she returned for The Walking Dead season 10 finale — so why did the actor leave the series only to come back a season later? Maggie was one of two huge cast departures to occur during season 9, the other being Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) himself. Rick wasn't dead, but never returned outside an ending credits scene in the finale. His scene set up The Ones Who Live spinoff series.

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A side effect of Rick leaving during the same Walking Dead season, in the same episode to boot, was that Maggie's exit never got the attention it deserved. While she survived, the character was rarely mentioned during her absence. In the defense of the other survivors, The Whisperers kept them pretty preoccupied. By The Walking Dead season 11, Maggie was again a major fixture on the series. But why was Maggie written out of The Walking Dead in the first place? Maggie left The Walking Dead in season 9 and returned in season 10 due to circumstances outside the show.

Why Maggie Left The Walking Dead In Season 9

Maggie Left For A New Opportunity

In her final Walking Dead appearance during season 9, Maggie seemed to get past her obsession with killing Negan. After Rick's presumed death and the time jump, Maggie was gone, and it's said she went off with Georgie to help build a new community. In The Walking Dead season 10 finale, Maggie is shown reading a letter written by Carol detailing the dark events and deaths that have befallen her friends, motivating her return. That's what happened onscreen, but offscreen events present a different context for Maggie's departure and return.

Prior to The Walking Dead season 9, Lauren Cohan engaged in a contentious pay dispute with producers, requesting the same pay received by her male co-stars of similar seniority. Another complication was Cohan starring in an ABC spy comedy pilot called Whiskey Cavalier, which got picked up for a full first season. With those two factors in play, Cohan ultimately reached a deal for a limited Walking Dead Maggie return, appearing only in the first half of the season before exiting the story (and also presumably receiving that desired raise).

Why Maggie Returned To The Walking Dead In Season 10

Maggie Returned When Lauren Cohan Was Able To

Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang made it clear that the door was open for Cohan's Maggie to come back someday, and that day ended up arriving sooner than expected, as Whiskey Cavalier was canceled after its 13-episode first season by ABC. It was initially announced that Maggie was returning for season 11, but evidently, the decision was made to have her appear in the season 10 finale and subsequent "bonus episodes" too. Maggie returned to The Walking Dead in season 10 simply because Cohan was able to.

Since coming back to the cast, Cohan's Maggie fully reinserted herself into the mix, most notably entering a reluctant alliance with her old nemesis Negan. Maggie was understandably resistant to working with the man who killed Glenn, her husband, even if Negan had seemingly changed. With The Walking Dead heading into the final chapter of its concluding 11th season, Maggie was there to stay for the rest of the home stretch.

What Maggie Did Until The End of TWD

The Walking Dead Brought Maggie And Negan Together

Maggie from The Walking Dead returned at the end of season 10 and stayed until the end. She started in Alexandria, where she begrudgingly had to work alongside Negan. After displaying how cold she'd become as a character when she let two thieves get eaten by Walkers, she, Daryl, and the rest of her group go from the frying pan to the fire when ambushed by Reapers.

When her group was scattered, she found herself again working with Negan to survive, and she abandoned her plans to kill him, pointing out they needed each other to overcome the Reapers. He even trained her on how to control a horde in the Whisperer-style. This relationship played out through The Walking Dead finale.

When reaching the Commonwealth, Maggie found an enemy in the untrusting and ruthless Pamela Milton. When Pamela kidnaped Maggie's son Hershel, Rick's daughter Judith, and other children, it pushed Maggie into a corner. Maggie went to murder Pamela in the finale, but shockingly, it was Negan who stopped her, saying it would take away what was left of her goodness. Negan finally laid his soul bare to Maggie in the end. Maggie never had to kill Pamela, as Pamela's own allies turned on the Commonwealth governor, forcing her to surrender.

Maggie's TWD Future

Maggie's Story Continues In The Walking Dead: Dead City

Maggie from The Walking Dead remains tied to Negan, even with the main show coming to an end. While Lauren Cohan left The Walking Dead, and it seemed she was finished, the show not only pulled her back in but ensured she outlasted the original series. While The Walking Dead spin-off with Carol and Daryl changed when Melissa McBride chose to walk away, the one with Negan and Maggie continues. The Walking Dead spin-off series is titled Walking Dead: Dead City and moves Maggie and Negan to New York following the events of the main series.

In the first season, a group of survivors kidnaps Maggie and Glenn's son Herschel, and Maggie enlists Negan to help her travel to Manhattan to get him back. Maggie appears to bury the hatchet with him, but in reality, she spends the season leading Negan into a trap, trading him for Herschel. Herschel accuses Maggie of being so obsessed with Negan that sometimes he thinks she’s more concerned with the man who killed his father than she is with him. There might be truth to Herschel’s accusations, as Maggie and Negan remain connected even when the season ends.

That’s because Maggie knows that the same people who have Negan and want to use his skills are willing to come after her son again. Though the two might remain at odds, they both care for the well-being of Herschel, which could still help them find common ground in the future of the franchise. The Walking Dead: Dead City has been renewed for a second season, allowing the two of them to continue their story in the future.