Maggie officially returns to The Walking Dead with season 10, episode 16 - but is she back for good? This most recent season of Walking Dead was, like many television shows, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the episode intended as the season 10 finale was delayed, and in the meantime, AMC announced season 10 would receive an additional six episodes that will air sometime next year. This expanded season 10 will then be followed by The Walking Dead season 11, which was also revealed as being the final season for the series.
Maggie Rhee née Green first appeared in The Walking Dead season 2 when Rick's group of survivors found shelter on her family's farm. Portrayed by actress Lauren Cohan, Maggie was a major player on Walking Dead for the following eight seasons until she left midway through season 9. Within the show's canon, Maggie left to join Georgie's network of communities, most likely hoping to learn new ways to better both Hilltop and the surrounding communities. For Cohan, the exit was actually about accommodating her new gig as a lead on ABC's Whiskey Cavalier, but following its cancellation, AMC announced Cohan would be returning to The Walking Dead as Maggie.
In The Walking Dead season 10, episode 16, "A Certain Doom", Maggie officially makes her return debut. Arriving in the nick of time, Maggie and her mysterious traveling partner - the masked character who wields double scythes - rescue Gabriel from the Whisperers. They bring along with them Aaron and Alden, having previously rescued them from another group of Whisperers. Once all of the Whisperers have been dealt with, Beta included, Maggie is seen reuniting with Judith and others in a heartwarming scene - but for how long will Maggie stick around?
Maggie Is Back For The Walking Dead Season 11
When it was previously announced that Cohan was returning to The Walking Dead, it was intended that her full return would come in season 11. Her appearance in what would have been the season 10 finale was likely always planned, but as more of a tease than anything else. Now, however, with AMC extending season 10 and pushing the release of The Walking Dead season 11 out another year, it appears that Maggie will in fact be part of both the new season 10 episodes and the eventual season 11.
What Maggie's Season 11 Story Might Be
When it comes to what Maggie will be doing in the remaining episodes of season 10 and the following season 11, much of that will depend on how The Walking Dead approaches adapting the Commonwealth - the group who confront Eugene and his companions in the final moments of episode 16. In the comics, this arc is what makes up the final issues of the series, and it sees Rick's group coming into contact with a community that has managed to recapture much of what life was like prior to the outbreak.
During the Commonwealth story, Maggie is still the leader of Hilltop but she has little contact with the new community. It's not until Rick is killed that she travels to the Commonwealth to help bring his body back to Alexandria. The comics then jump forward in time many years and reveal that Maggie has since been elected President of the new Commonwealth, which now includes communities like Alexandria and Hilltop. That's broadly what Maggie does in The Walking Dead comics following the Whisperer War, but the TV show can easily give Maggie a more active role in their Commonwealth story.
Without Rick, Michonne, or Hilltop, it's only natural for Maggie to assume the main leadership role over the remaining survivors. If so, this would put her in the position of dealing directly with the Commonwealth. There's also the chance that Georgie is connected to the Commonwealth. In which case, Maggie could already know about their community, making her all the more prepared to deal with the coming fallout from the capture of Eugene's traveling party. However The Walking Dead season 10 and season 11 choose to adapt the Commonwealth, there's certainly a bigger role for Maggie to play in the story now that she's back.
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