“If I stay alive, it’ll be in spite of you, not because of you.”
Maggie has come a long way from her family’s farm. She has loved and lost more than most of her peers and her animosity for Negan is the one of the show’s longest-standing conflicts. While fans’ opinions on Maggie’s treatment throughout the show vary, there is no disputing that she is a skilled fighter, a badass leader, and a hardened survivor.
10“Conquer” — Season 5, Episode 16
When the leaders of Alexandria are deciding what to do with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the survivors, Maggie fights hard for her people, refusing to allow her group to be broken up. Then, on a hunch, she leaves the town council meeting to find Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), ultimately saving his life from an angry Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green).
This marks Maggie’s bounce back after immense loss. She grew colder after her father was decapitated in a scene too gruesome for some viewers, her group lost the prison, she was separated from Glenn, and she found out that the sister she had presumed dead was alive until the day the two would have been reunited. But after landing within the walls of Alexandria, she comes back to herself
9“Internment” — Season 4, Episode 5
Maggie gets Rick to admit that he banished Carol (Melissa McBride) from the prison for killing two sick people. Maggie agrees with his decision but doubts whether she would have had the resolve to do it. Rick expresses confidence in her. She then rushes to the sound of a commotion in the sick ward, saves her father Hershel (Scott Wilson) from walkers, and the two, in turn, move to save Glenn (Steve Yeun).
This is one of the audience’s first indications that Rick sees a leader in Maggie. She demands honesty from him, and he acquiesces, showing trust and respect. She demonstrates her dedication to her people by fortifying the prison’s fences to keep walkers out and risking her safety to dispatch the ones attacking from inside.
8“What Comes After” — Season 9, Episode 5
Maggie finally faces Negan after refusing to set foot in Alexandria because of his internment there. She convinces Michonne (Danai Gurira) to grant her access to his cell, where she ultimately spares him due to his pitiful state, condemning him to suffer with the weight of his crimes.
This is often thought of as Rick’s exit episode, but it’s Maggie’s too. While her contempt for Negan continues on, she finally reckons with her burning desire to kill him outright, allowing her to begin the long process of moving on, which starts with her decision to get some space.
7“Bloodletting” — Season 2, Episode 2
Maggie is introduced in Season 2, regarded as one of The Walking Dead’s best seasons. She assists her father in performing surgery on Carl (Chandler Riggs) and then volunteers to find Carl’s mother, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies). When she meets the group, she fearlessly saves Andrea (Laurie Holden) from a walker by riding up on horseback and smacking it with her baseball bat.
Maggie’s introduction is undeniably cool, and it establishes her character from the very beginning. She is cautious of Rick’s approach, but immediately calls for Hershel when she notices Carl’s condition. She doesn’t hesitate to volunteer to retrieve Lori, a total stranger, and she rescues Andrea to boot.
6“Acts of God” — Season 11, Episode 16
Maggie admits that she is beginning to trust Negan and leaves her son in his care as she prepares to take down Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) and his troopers. Hornsby orders Leah (Lynn Collins) to hunt down and kill Maggie, and she does get Maggie tied up and alone. But Maggie escapes, and a brutal brawl ensues before Daryl arrives and shoots Leah.
Maggie undergoes major character development in her relationship with Negan, setting them up for their spinoff series, The Walking Dead: Dead City. Plus, her crazy fight with Leah is a big moment in the season arc and another reminder of Maggie’s fearlessness.
5“Home” — Season 3, Episode 10
Maggie is dealing with the aftermath of her interrogation at the hands of The Governor (David Morrissey), the main antagonist of seasons three and four. Nonetheless, when the very same man leads a surprise attack against the prison where the survivors are living, Maggie is the one to burst out of safety and supply her allies with guns and ammunition, leveling the state of the battle and making the critical kill of a gunman stationed in one of the guard towers.
Here, Maggie proves she is able to shake off shock when she needs to, and that she will not hesitate to take risks or commit murder if it means protecting the people she loves.
4“The Same Boat” — Season 6, Episode 13
After clearing out one of the Saviors’ compounds, Maggie and Carol are captured. They are tied up and taken to a slaughterhouse for questioning, but they manage to free themselves and take out the rest of the Saviors in the building, including the backup they had called. Maggie and Carol emerge from the slaughterhouse before Rick and the rest of their group even had the chance to move in.
Maggie once again stands up to interrogation, fearless in the face of terrible odds. Killing two whole teams of Saviors with only two people shows how capable and ruthless Maggie and Carol have become by this point, even before Glenn’s death.
3“Killer Within” — Season 3, Episode 4
The survivors are chased into the prison by a horde of walkers and get split up. Maggie finds herself with Carl and Lori, who goes into labor at the worst possible time. Knowing she will not survive the childbirth, she commands Maggie to perform an improvised c-section with only a knife. The baby survives, but Lori does not.
Making the impossible choice to save Lori’s child at the expense of her life is the first major trauma Maggie suffers on screen. She is visibly affected by it for a few episodes after, so this one proves crucial for her character arc. Facing the harsh reality of the apocalypse forces her to gather herself emotionally, and she turns herself around to ensure the new baby’s survival.
2“Go Getters” — Season 7, Episode 5
Maggie wakes in a hospital bed in Hilltop and visits Glenn’s grave site. That night, the Saviors send a car through their gates, blasting music and filling the safe haven with walkers. Maggie organizes the town’s defenses and silences the car by crushing it with a giant tractor, all while pregnant. She later punches Gregory (Xander Berkeley), the current leader of Hilltop, in the face, tells him to remember her name, and reclaims Glenn’s pocket watch from him.
This is Maggie’s first episode back since Glenn’s death in the season premiere, and she comes out swinging. The seeds are planted for her eventual replacement of Gregory after she puts him in his place here, much to the approval of Jesus (Tom Payne), Gregory’s right-hand man and an influential figure in Hilltop Colony.
1“A New Beginning” — Season 9, Episode 1
Maggie reveals that she won an election in Hilltop. When she returns, she survives an assassination attempt organized by Gregory, who then attempts to stab her himself. As punishment, she hangs him before the whole community.
Maggie’s differences from Rick are highlighted. She refuses Rick’s request to aid the other communities in constructing a crucial bridge, but some fans contend that her judgment is clouded by her hatred for Negan. When Rick asks her not to execute Gregory, she suggests that he should start listening to her now and goes through with it anyway, which many will agree constituted one of the show’s most satisfying deaths.
