Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead season 11, episode 24
The Walking Dead series finale has major implications for all three of the show’s new spinoffs. While the show has seemingly concluded the arcs of several key players in The Walking Dead’s story, a handful of them will be back on the small screen in 2023. Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Maggie, and Negan all have futures that go beyond the main series.
The battle with Pamela Milton and the Commonwealth is finally over, but life will go for the people of Alexandria and the Hilltop. Presumably, most of The Walking Dead’s surviving characters will stay within the walls of their respective settlements and continue contributing to their communities. However, a few are expected to have new adventures outside of their current homes. Plus, there’s the matter of what’s going on with Rick and Michonne, who finally returned via surprise cameos in The Walking Dead series finale. Here’s what the final episode means for their forthcoming spinoff, as well as the new shows planned for Daryl, Maggie, and Negan.
Maggie & Negan Become A Walking Dead Team
It was made clear in The Walking Dead finale that in spite of Negan’s efforts to make up for his past actions and his seemingly heartfelt apology, Maggie will never forgive him for murdering Glenn in the season 7 premiere. But while that is the case, it was indicated in her conversation that they are capable of coexisting, even if it will be difficult for Maggie at times. That, combined with everything they went through in season 11, lays the groundwork for another reluctant partnership between the two in The Walking Dead: Dead City, which is confirmed to be set in New York.
The Walking Dead’s ending didn’t mention New York or directly set up her trip with Negan, but it did give her a reason to leave the Hilltop at some point in the future. During her talk with Daryl and Carol, Maggie revealed that she wants to know what else is out there. For the people of Hilltop, an excursion to New York would certainly help answer that question.
Maggie Sends Daryl On His Spinoff Mission
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Not only do Maggie’s comments shed light on what motivates her next story, but they also explain what’s next for Daryl. Maggie expressing her interest in “the future” and discovering what lies beyond their home was followed up by Daryl’s departure. A destination wasn’t specified, but it makes sense that one of the things Maggie may want to know is how the virus got started. The Walking Dead: World Beyond heavily implied that the virus began in France, which is the very location where Daryl Dixon takes place. If Maggie wants answers about the world they live in, France would be a logical place to look for them. What the show doesn’t reveal, though, is how Daryl will make it across the ocean.
Daryl Hints He’ll Reunite With Carol
When parting ways with Melissa McBride’s Carol, Daryl said, “it’s not like we’re never going to see each other again.” This line shows that Daryl does have every intention of coming back, which puts a reunion (and at least one more appearance from Carol) on the table, whether it be in a potential second season of Daryl Dixon or another Walking Dead spinoff. Such a scenario coming to pass later on was already alluded to by Daryl actor Norman Reedus. He explained that McBride, who was originally a part of his spinoff, simply wanted to take a break from the franchise. He also provided assurance that her days playing Carol aren’t over. Reedus has said that Daryl and Carol will indeed meet again.
Daryl Promises Judith To Bring Rick & Michonne Back
There’s been no confirmed link between Daryl’s show and Rick’s current predicament, but it’s long been theorized that the former’s search for his best friend would resume if he found out the truth about Michonne’s reason for not coming back to Alexandria. With Daryl exploring “the frontier” as Connie put it, it does seem likely that Daryl has been looking for him in the year that went by after the Commonwealth’s defeat. And looking at the exchange he had with Judith in the finale, the whereabouts of Rick and Michonne will be on Daryl’s mind during his travels.
When saying goodbye to Judith, Daryl said that if he heard anything about the two, he’d bring them back. Daryl’s mission in France is expected to take him far away from Rick and Michonne, but if the CRM is related in any way to the zombie activity in the area, Daryl’s exploits in the series could yield some important clues pertaining to what happened to Rick. With The Walking Dead series finale hinting at the possibility of Daryl’s journey potentially connecting with Rick, it does seem feasible that his spinoff will include a major Rick reveal and perhaps set up a Rick-Daryl reunion.
Michonne Is Still Looking For Rick
The show’s final episode confirmed Michonne is still looking for Rick in The Walking Dead universe. It’s been more than a year since she’s been around, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been busy. Clearly, she’s still hard at work scouring the landscape while on the hunt for Rick. When she left in season 10, she joined up with a new mystery group, but since she was solo in The Walking Dead’s ending, she’s either traveling solo now or is perhaps on a scouting mission for them. Either way, her objective appears to be the same, but getting through the CRM’s defenses may not be a reasonable goal without help of some kind.
Rick Grimes Is Captured By The CRM
Rick’s cameo helps explain why he hasn’t been able to make it back to Alexandria in all the years he’s been gone. Unsurprisingly, Rick hasn’t had much success when it comes to escaping from the CRM’s clutches. Apparently, he did manage to go on the run, but was apprehended by CRM operatives sometime before Michonne came across his belongings in season 10. What became of him after that hasn’t been explained, but Rick’s actions in his Walking Dead finale cameo are proof of his continued commitment to getting back home. From the looks of things, leaving the CRM behind him and reuniting with Michonne (and his children) will be the focus of his Walking Dead spinoff.
