With The Walking Dead running for over a decade and entering its eleventh and final season, there have been enough romances in the series for fans to pick their favorites. Despite Glenn meeting his demise in the season 7 premiere, his relationship with Maggie is largely considered to be the best the series has presented.
The two went from their no-strings-attached relationship at Hershel’s farm to being married at the prison and becoming parents in Alexandria. However, there were a few drawbacks to Glenn and Maggie’s romance, and it’s understandable if they would have broken up over them. Still, there are enough reasons to also consider them as the best couple in the history of The Walking Dead.
Break Up: During Their Disagreements Over Having Children In The Apocalypse
The timespan between seasons was separated merely by months in the first seven seasons, meaning that Maggie and Glenn were only together briefly during the prison arc. At this time, Maggie began voicing out her hope to have children, which Glenn and even Hershel weren’t in agreement with.
Although this was a bigger factor for Maggie in the comics, the TV series also made it a point of contention between her and Glenn. There wasn’t anything wrong with her wanting children, but disagreements like this during an apocalypse are a huge problem. It was only because disaster struck that their issues didn’t escalate, and it seemed better for them to separate than have such bitterness between them.
Best: Their Mature Decision To Move To The Hilltop To Start A Family
Of course, the couple did get on the same page by Season 6 when Maggie became pregnant, by which point they agreed to leave Alexandria and move to the Hilltop. While they would be leaving their friends, it was a decision they made due to the safety that Hilltop offered.
It showed that the two had discussions for their future as opposed to making emotional decisions that would put them at risk. With many other couples like Abraham and Rosita and Rick and Lori suffering from a lack of communication, Maggie and Glenn’s decision to move places for the sake of their family was definitely a mature one.
Break Up: Their Conflict Over The Secret Of The Barn
Glenn wouldn’t have been at fault for wanting to break up with Maggie for her family secret of keeping zombies at their barn. Alternatively, Maggie’s anger at him was justified since he did break his promise to her of not sharing this knowledge with anyone.
Both had good reasons to end things due to this fiasco, which ultimately led to Shane leading the others into gunning down all the zombies. While Glenn was overall in the right as Maggie and her family were delusional about walkers being alive, the two had enough resentment over the matter to want to separate.
Best: Glenn's Comforting Of Maggie After Beth's Demise
Glenn’s status as the heart of the group is among the reasons why many feel he should have lived. One of the best instances was when he was there for Maggie when she lost her sister, Beth. This was when she was the last member of her family left and needed Glenn more than ever.
Had it not been for him, then Maggie wouldn’t have been able to survive the emotional trauma. To her credit, being Maggie’s emotional crutch allowed Glenn to have a purpose in life, as he had nothing to live for before developing as a person due to his feelings for Maggie.
Break Up: When They Provoked Fear Into One Another Over Rick's Leadership
The reason why the barn situation didn't interfere with Glenn and Maggie’s relationship was due to the appearance of zombies overrunning the farm, forcing everyone to leave. There were still problems with the couple, though, mainly when they let their fears escalate around each other.
Around this time, they became convinced that Rick was leading them astray and accused him of the farm’s destruction. It took Rick’s tirade against the group to silence them all, and it proved to be right as he was the best leader. Maggie and Glenn breaking up then would have been better for them as they were only making things worse by speculating amongst themselves thinking their coupling was strong enough.
Best: Their Unwillingness To Break Under Merle's Torture
Merle and The Governor were among the most despicable villains in the series, as they resorted to torturing Rick’s group. Merle captured Glenn and Maggie and attempted to force them into revealing where their group was, only to be met with resistance.
They were both separated from one another, yet aware that their loyalty would remain as neither was willing to break. It was only after Merle was about to kill Glenn when Maggie gave in, but even then the two managed to fight their way out in the end.
Break Up: Their Extreme Codependency Could Be A Burden
Before Glenn was killed off, he and Maggie were usually mentioned in the same breath by characters due to their tendency to be around each other all the time. This led to an extreme level of codependency where they didn’t know how to function without the other around.
Although their love was true, this level of attachment isn’t exactly healthy as they were known to lose their individual identities at crucial moments. Due to this, it would’ve been better for them to break up in order to retain their true nature, and Maggie did become independent after Glenn’s demise.
Best: Their Reunion After The Prison's Destruction
After the prison was destroyed by the Governor, just about every character had lost hope other than Glenn and Maggie. They believed that they would be reunited and that was what kept them going, which also influenced the likes of Bob, Sasha, Abraham, Tara, Rosita, and Eugene, all to accompany Maggie and Glenn in their goal.
With Glenn’s belief that Rick and the others were dead, and Maggie’s that Beth was no more, the two found hope at a time where no one else could. This is what eventually brought the characters back together, meaning Glenn and Maggie’s love is the reason for their reunion.
Break Up: Maggie's Claim That She Only Wanted A Physical Relationship
The beginning of Maggie and Glenn’s relationship was similar to the comics, in that the former wanted to keep their relationship only physical with no emotions attached. Considering Glenn wasn’t the kind of person to be in such an arrangement, in the long run, he should’ve checked out right then.
It was also unfair of Maggie to demand Glenn how to feel, as she refused to acknowledge his feelings. In the same vein, Maggie shouldn’t have been pressured to be in a romance when she didn’t, so a mutual breakup would have been justified.
Best: Maggie's Tribute To Glenn
The season 7 finale was the perfect farewell to Glenn, as Maggie took on the role of the Hilltop’s leader by empowering herself with everything she’d learned from her marriage. In her narration, she claimed she was still following Glenn’s lead even after his death.
Overall, her role as a leader came about after she realized that Glenn would have wanted her to keep living, not just for the sake of their child, but because her survival was how their love would continue. Maggie’s tribute was marked with her possession of the pocket watch that her father had given to Glenn, proving it to be a token for her inner strength.