The Walking Dead: Dead City star Lauren Cohan teases that Hershel may be tugged toward difference allegiances in season 2. Hershel was rescued in The Walking Dead: Dead City episode 6, when his mother, Maggie, traded Negan to the Croat for him. However, Hershel feels resentful about Maggie’s obsession with revenge against Negan, hinting that he doesn’t fully trust his mother.

Speaking with AMC Talk prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Cohan teased that Hershel will find himself being pulled in different directions during The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2. She also hints this will involve the way the Dama pulls the strings in New York City. Check out what Cohan had to say below:

I was so happy with the way the show set up intrigue about everybody’s intentions by the end of the season because they’re all forces to be reckoned with. I mean, even Hershel and the way his heart may be pulled is going to be a huge force to reckon with. When we really understand the way that The Dama pulls the strings and the Croat’s devotion to her as well as to Negan and being pulled in between both but wanted by neither — that really sets us up to see how people will maneuver each other.

Hershel’s Importance In Dead City Season 2 Explained

The Walking Dead: Dead City season 1’s ending saw Negan captured by the Croat and brought to the Dama, the true ruler of Manhattan. The Dama tasks Negan with helping her unite all of New York under her rule, threatening Hershel’s life if Negan doesn’t help. She also says that Hershel trusts her, signaling that, if she were to lure Hershel away from the Bricks to kill him, he go willingly.

After getting Hershel back to the Bricks, Maggie finds a drawing of the Dama in his backpack, further cementing the idea that Hershel trusts her. Since Maggie plans to finish things with Negan in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, she’ll no doubt come into conflict with the Dama. This may be what pulls Hershel’s allegiances in different directions, having to choose between a mother he doesn’t trust and an antagonistic force in Manhattan.

Because the Dama pulled the strings to get Negan, manipulating Maggie’s thirst for revenge, Hershel will likely side with his mother if he becomes embroiled in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2’s conflict. However, Hershel may not do so unless he finds out about the Dama’s true intentions, which could lead to him being further manipulated in the future. While it’s unclear what part Hershel has to play in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, it will likely further drive a wedge between him and Maggie before bringing them closer together.