Why The Walking Dead Comics Fans Are Worried About Maggie In The Show

The Walking Dead has proven time and time again that no one is safe from death – well, unless they have an upcoming spinoff show, that is. And that's what fans are counting on as they speculate about who's going to die in the final season of AMC's The Walking Dead. As the show enters the final arc of the comics, in which Rick Grimes tragically dies, everyone is wondering who might fill his role, and so far the consensus is coming up Maggie (Lauren Cohan).

The last we saw of the Walking Dead crew, survivors Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Princess were awaiting a meetup with a new community of people when they found themselves surrounded by armored soldiers. The comics fans know exactly where they are headed, as the armor is indicative of the large community The Commonwealth. It's a safe haven that manages to come close to life before the zombies, but has its own issues that inevitably impact our protagonists. In the comics, Rick and Michonne are major players in this part of the story, but they're long gone on the TV show. So, who will fill their narrative role? 

In the comics, The Commonwealth is a huge community that is thriving in the post-apocalyptic world. It's made up of some 50,000 people, which is a big step up from the hundreds that populate the show's survivor communities. The Commonwealth is well-developed, with its own government, restaurants, and even sports. It is, however, largely organized around a social system rife with inequality that's based on people's jobs from before the apocalypse. The more prestigious a person's old job, the more perks they get within the community. In the comics, this leads to ex-lawyer Michonne being warmly welcomed by the Commonwealth's Governor Pamela Milton, while Eugene is given little respect because of his high school teacher past.

Violent conflict doesn't break out between the two communities, but the knowledge of the newcomers' lifestyle fuels the already present unrest in the Commonwealth. The military eventually rises up to overthrow Milton. Rick, who was trying to not get involved, helps the community organize democratic elections. He then visits the ex-governor Pamela Milton in jail, where she says she doesn't harbor ill will toward him. Her son Sebastian, however, doesn't feel the same. He sneaks into Rick's home at night and shoots the man in his bed.

The show is now heading into this arc with no Rick (Andrew Lincoln), as he's left the series for a trilogy of Walking Dead films. So, fans are speculating how the TV series will change things up. User u/RiZing_Prodigy commented in a Reddit thread, "It'll be interesting to see who they have instead of Rick in this case," suggesting that someone will die in his stead. Reddit user u/RaginRepublican responded, "Maggie probably, biggest character left not involved in a future spinoff and already a community leader." Someone else said it would have been Daryl or Carol, except they have a spinoff show coming up for which they must be alive.

Maggie has only just reunited with the show's survivors, but with 30 episodes of the series left, her end may be fast approaching.