A subtle tease in the new Walking Dead season 10 trailer raises questions about what Maggie (Lauren Cohan) will do about Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the show’s remaining episodes. When Maggie left Hilltop in season 9, Negan was still being incarcerated for his previous crimes - but things have changed in the years since she left (in-universe, that is). Negan’s help in the fight against Alpha (Samantha Morton) has allowed key characters like Daryl (Norman Reedus) to reluctantly accept him. Now, he’s walking around free.
One character who may not know this yet is Maggie, who has been off building a new community with Georgie (Jayne Atkinson). Her absence from The Walking Dead universe ended in what was originally intended to be the season 10 finale. At the beginning of the episode, Maggie was seen reading a letter written to her by Carol (Melissa McBride) that got her up to speed on everything that had happened with their new enemies. ed by a mysterious, masked character, Maggie arrived at the nick of time to save Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) from a group of Whisperers. The episode didn’t have much time to explore the reunion between her and her old friends, but there will be plenty of time for that in the six extra episodes of season 10, which will begin airing in late February.
One point of interest about Maggie’s return to the series is what her reaction to Negan no longer being in prison will be. In the trailer for the remainder of The Walking Dead season 10, Maggie can be seen telling Daryl that she had to explain to her son that “a bad man” killed his father. She goes on to say that the child asked if the man “got what he deserved.” This conversation clearly relates to Maggie’s lingering anger about their decision not to execute Negan for killing Glenn (Steven Yuen), Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), and all the others whose deaths he’s responsible for. Since Maggie doesn’t feel that justice was done, she could attempt to rectify that herself.
Some may assume that killing Negan won’t be a consideration for Maggie because of what happened in their last scene together. However, it’s important to keep in mind that Maggie deciding not to kill Negan then doesn’t mean this option is off the table now. Circumstances aren’t the same as what they were. First of all, Maggie made this decision during an emotionally stressful and intense moment. It’s hard to say if she still believes that she did the right thing in walking away.
Also, the reason Maggie had for sparing him should not be overlooked. She was fully prepared to take revenge for Glenn when she walked into that cell, but didn’t follow through she saw that Negan was already broken. In her mind, he no longer needed to be killed because he was dead on the inside. Feeling that Negan was being punished properly had more to do with her decision than moving on or letting go.
That’s why Maggie is sure to be outraged when she sees that Negan is allowed to walk free among the other characters. Maggie will naturally struggle with this, and it remains to be seen if she can be convinced that he changed (or if she’d even care). What she thinks about Negan is likely a storyline that will play out across multiple episodes, and it could be Maggie electing to get justice for Glenn will be how The Walking Dead brings Negan’s story to a close in season 11.