There are several characters within The Walking Dead franchise that have been around since the early days of the apocalypse. This plot armor is a controversial aspect of the series that has caused a lot of discussion among critics and dedicated fans. Though it can be viewed as a negative part of the horror TV series, the storyline offers justification for these characters’ survival. These strong, capable survivors have defied the odds by continuously fighting and proving they have the key characteristics needed to survive and thrive in such extraordinary circumstances.
One character that has certainly proved her worth and abilities in this post-apocalyptic world is Maggie Rhee. Throughout her timeline, Maggie adapted to the harsh realities of their existence, overcoming excruciating trauma to build communities and partnerships that ensured her survival. As Season 2 of Dead City nears its release, exploring the evolution of Maggie’s character gives viewers a deeper understanding of her life up to the current plot.
Maggie Is Established as a Main Character Early on
Season 2–5
The Greene family was introduced in The Walking Dead in Season 2 when Carl was shot by a close family friend, Otis, and Maggie’s father, Hershel, had to mend the injured child. The close-knit family was not immediately trustworthy, especially when it was revealed that they believed walkers were sick people and not dead people. Despite this, Maggie quickly becomes a likable character who proves she can survive in their dangerous world. As she developed bonds with Rick’s group and her relationship with Glenn Rhee budded, she stood up against her father, convinced their perspective of the world was misguided and dangerous. By the finale of Season 2, when the survivors are driven off the Greene Farm by a horde of walkers, Maggie, Beth, and Hershel are an important part of the original group.
While Season 2 made Maggie’s character intriguing, several major events in Season 3 highlighted her progression and agency. After the several-month time jump between the two seasons, Maggie is like the rest of the group, desperate to find a safe place and hardened by the difficult life on the road. Their arrival at the prison initially seemed like a positive but quickly tested the group dynamic and changed them forever. A defining moment for Maggie is when she has to deliver Lori’s baby by C-section, killing the woman she grew to respect and traumatizing the young woman. She’s tested once again when she’s captured by the Governor, experiencing a violation and having to listen to Glenn being brutally beaten. Though this season has some positives for Maggie, such as Glenn proposing and defeating the Governor in battle, she was forced to grow a tougher, more defensive personality.
Maggie’s character had a major evolution within Seasons 4 and 5, especially relating to losing people that influenced her arc, such as her father, Hershel, in Season 4 and then her sister, Beth, in Season 5. After the Governor once again attacks the prison, Maggie has to deal with the trauma of losing her father while showcasing her bravery and resilience when she stops at nothing to find Glenn. When she encounters the cannibalistic community of Terminus and loses her sister right after learning she survived the prison, Maggie’s characterization is stern and harsh, solely focused on survival and struggling to cope with her losses. However, Aaron leading the group to Alexandria in Season 5 was crucial for Maggie’s evolution. Being mentored by Deanna, the original leader of the community, and having a safe place gave the woman a purpose and hope for the future.
Maggie Quickly Becomes Leadership Material
Seasons 6-8
Maggie continued to be a key fighter in Season 6 of The Walking Dead, but the comfort of Alexandria changed the way she interacted with the world. With her background of growing up on a farm, Maggie not only began to learn about leadership in the new community but helped it grow by planting crops that would make Alexandria less reliant on scavenging for food. The comfort she felt in a stable environment led to a monumental moment for Maggie when she got pregnant with her son. Previously, she was more dedicated to Glenn than anything else. However, when faced with not knowing if he’s safe, she chose to remain safe to protect others, herself, and her unborn child. Her pregnancy ended up being a major plot point in Season 6 when she falls ill and the group attempts a journey to Hilltop to get her medical treatment, leading to them being captured by Negan’s Saviors.
Season 7 changed the entire dynamic of the Alexandria group, but it completely altered Maggie’s character. Glenn being killed by Negan in the premiere was a defining experience for Maggie that forced her to resort to the darker, harsher aspects of her personality. She struggled to overcome the grief of her loss, especially while expecting a child that would never know his father. Distancing herself from Alexandria allowed Maggie to grow without her old family, and staying at the Hilltop truly highlighted her ability to lead a community. Though she became obsessed and dedicated to defeating the Saviors and killing Negan to avenge Glenn, her personal changes were positive. Maggie made better and smarter decisions that kept the Hilltop safe, resulting in the community following her leadership instead of the orders of their official leader, Gregory.
The Saviors War lasted three years, but it escalated in Season 8. By this season, the communities of Alexandria, Hilltop, the Kingdom, and Oceanside worked to end Negan’s tyranny. Maggie questioned her morals when it came to her determination to end the villainous organization. When the Hilltop captured a group of Saviors, she was harsh to them and even argued with Jesus about providing them with proper care, such as food rations. Despite this, she eventually realized that many of these people were only with the Saviors for protection and security and were capable of being good people when presented with the opportunity. Her kind nature balanced out her brutal tendencies, resulting in harsh reactions to Saviors that proved to be harmful and an understanding embrace for those who wanted a second chance. However, her understanding nature ended with Negan, who she still wanted dead to avenge Glenn’s death, and she was infuriated at the end of this season when Rick chose to spare the villain’s life.
Maggie’s Character Evolution Takes a Dark Turn
Seasons 9-11
The beginning of Season 9 of The Walking Dead was all about the aftermath of the Saviors War. Tensions were high between the allied communities, especially with the leaders (mainly Rick) deciding to let the Saviors live and try to create peace with their former enemies. At this time, Maggie and Daryl were plotting to assassinate Negan while he was imprisoned in Alexandria, leading to a divide between long-running characters. This commitment to ending Negan was a positive for Maggie when she realized how much he was suffering in a cell, helping her move past this need to kill and focusing on being a good leader. A memorable moment in Season 9 is when Maggie makes a shocking decision to execute Gregory after she’s elected as Hilltop’s leader, and he attempts to have her killed. This caused a further divide with her old allies but set her apart as a complex but thoughtful leader.
After the assumed demise of Rick Grimes in Season 9, Maggie and Daryl blame themselves due to their determination to kill Negan, causing tensions throughout the communities. Maggie stepped down as leader of Hilltop, leaving the show for several years until her return in Season 10. During her absence, the world continued to harden Maggie as she focused on keeping her son, Hershel, alive and protecting a new community. While evading the Reapers, who would become an unpopular but relatively brief villain in Season 11, she returns home only to encounter a now-freed Negan. Though the former villain proved himself when he ended the Whisperers to keep people safe, Maggie was only content with letting him live if he was still suffering for the choices he’d made.
The final season of The Walking Dead truly highlighted Maggie as a leader, proving that she’s one of the best Walking Dead characters. The Reapers return to harm Maggie’s group, forcing her to act as a leader and take down the villains. She made the hard decisions after the antagonists were defeated, killing what remained of the group to ensure they couldn’t attempt to hurt the people she’s responsible for. When faced with the conflict against the Commonwealth, Maggie puts people over everything else, letting Hornsby destroy the Hilltop to keep the community’s people safe. In the final episodes, Maggie grows, accepting Negan’s help once again despite not trusting him. In a vulnerable and impactful scene, she admits to Negan that she sees his growth but is unable to get past how he killed her husband. This tension and uncertainty between the two characters set up her timeline for their spin-off series.
Dead City Needs to Do Maggie Justice
In the spin-off show, The Walking Dead: Dead City, the storyline jumps ahead another several years. Maggie hunts down Negan after a long time apart, demanding he help her get back Hershel from the Croat, a former Savior who wanted Negan dead after the former leader tried to kill him. The reluctant allies journey to Manhattan, working together to locate the villain and captured teenager. In a turn of events, Negan realizes Maggie agreed to lure him to New York in exchange for her son’s safe return. By the finale, Maggie is questioning her decision to give over Negan’s life, which could prove to be her worst error now that the Croat’s leader, the Dama, intends to use Negan’s previous tactics to take over other communities with the threat of harming Hershel if he doesn’t comply.
Dead City was an amazing addition to the wide world of The Walking Dead franchise, showcasing how a more densely populated area conformed to the dangerous new reality. There’s a lot of excitement concerning Negan’s return to his villain persona and how this could change the dynamic between the two main characters. On the other hand, Maggie’s storyline in Dead City is rife with sexism, making her character once again reliant on the men in her life. Between her obsession with harming Negan once again being a major theme and the focus on protecting her son over anything else, Maggie has little room to grow and expand beyond the confines of her previously established priorities. Hopefully, Season 2 of Dead City will expand on her character, showing how years in the post-apocalyptic world have continued to change the strong leader.
It isn’t a mystery why Maggie became a prominent character in The Walking Dead Universe. Her strong, resilient personality is a prime example of how people can survive immense trauma and go on to withstand the horrors of a dangerous reality. Though her character changed throughout the seasons, Maggie repeatedly emphasized her ability to survive and withstand the odds against her. As her storyline progresses, fans expect more impressive things from the long-running character.
