The Walking Dead season 11, episode 3 “Hunted,” just set the stage for Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) to make one last appearance on the show before it ends. The character, who was infamously killed off alongside Glenn (Steven Yuen) in the season 7 premiere, hasn’t been seen since the season 7 finale.
Though not mentioned as much as Glenn, Abraham hasn’t been forgotten by the residents of Alexandria. Having been a major member of Rick’s group for three seasons, Abraham has been discussed a few times by the characters who have been around long enough to remember him. The list of those who did fight alongside Abraham in the zombie apocalypse has grown significantly shorter over the last few years, with Daryl, Maggie, Rosita, Eugene, Father Gabriel, and Aaron being the only ones left of the old group captured by Negan in the season 6 finale. While The Walking Dead has largely moved on with several new additions to the cast, a homage to Abraham could still work if it were to occur in the show’s final season.
The latest episode of the AMC series seemingly opened the door for Abraham to get a season 11 cameo. According to Rosita, she’s been having a recurring dream about Abraham trying to give her a warning, but he ends up getting shot in the head (just like how his death happened in The Walking Dead comics). She believes that her Abraham dream is important in some way, possibly because Abraham is trying to send her a message about something that she has to do to protect Alexandria. What the dream is hasn’t been explained, but the next time she has it, Abraham could appear in the flesh.
Clearly, the point of this scene was to set up Rosita playing a vital role in season 11’s story, though it’s hard to say if this is connected to the Commonwealth or the Reapers. Either way, it looks like Rosita is going to have to take action in some way at a later point in the season. When the time for that comes closer, The Walking Dead can show a variation of Rosita’s dream and have her share a brief interaction with Abraham, who could help push her in the direction she needs to go.
Hallucinations and dreams are common ways for dead characters to return on The Walking Dead, so it would make sense for the series to take this path with Abraham. It’s also worth noting that it wouldn’t be the first time that the show has made use of the character after his death. Sasha experienced flashbacks of her time with him in the season 7 finale. Also, Michael Cudlitz getting a cameo in season 11 does feel highly plausible, especially when considering the actor’s lingering ties to the show. Beginning with season 9, Cudlitz has directed a total of three episodes, and since the actor is confirmed to get back into the director’s chair for season 11, he actually will have an opportunity to reprise his Abraham role ahead of the show’s ending.