A new image from The Walking Dead season 11B shows the return of Lauren Ridloff's character Connie. Connie, who is deaf, is able to communicate silently using sign language, avoiding alerting the Walkers to the presence of humans. In the Walking Dead universe, Connie left the settlement of survivors after dealing with some personal challenges, but in real life, she was filming and promoting Eternals, the third film from Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In that film, which came to theaters in November 2021, Ridloff played Makkari, a member of the team of immortal superpowered beings who have guided humanity for thousands of years.
Lauren Ridloff first appeared as Connie on The Walking Dead in season 9, episode 5, "What Comes After" in 2018. She has appeared on the series periodically since then, and though she was still technically credited as a main cast member, she only appeared in a few episodes from season 11A. She will be making her full reappearance, unencumbered by Marvel obligations, when the final episodes of The Walking Dead begin airing on February 20, 2022.
ComicBook.com shared a brand new image from The Walking Dead that was dropped by AMC. The image doesn't show too much in the way of plot details, but it does show that Connie is set and determined. She has clearly processed the issues she was struggling with and is ready to fight. Check out the full-size image below:
Connie's strongest relationship on the series is likely with Judith Grimes, the young daughter of Rick and Lori. Judith saved Connie and her companions from a group of Walkers, greatly impressing her. Their reunion will likely be a tender one, though the fact that the series will be leading to an explosive finale might not allow either of them to have fun with each other for long before being forced to take up arms either against an unprecedented horde of Walkers or yet another opposing group of surviving humans.
The Walking Dead has several spinoff shows still running and plans to create a set of Walking Dead movies starring the character Rick Grimes. However, the main branch of the series is indeed ending in 2022, which means anything can happen. Although Ridloff is scheduled to appear as a main cast member in the second half of the season, Connie surviving through the finale will still be a long shot. That might free her up for the inevitable future Marvel projects dominating her schedule, but it would still be disappointing for her contingent of fans.
Source: ComicBook.com