Can The Walking Dead survive without Maggie?
As we approach season 9 of The Walking Dead, Hilltop’s leader Maggie could be leaving. The cause? Not a walker bite or a blow from Lucille, but contract negotiations.
Working out a contract may not sound as dramatic as say a battle with a walker, but for The Walking Dead star Lauren Cohan, this could be what takes her out of the apocalyptic series.
Variety reports Cohan also just booked the lead role for ABC’s drama pilot Whiskey Cavalier. However, her Walking Dead contract is at a standstill as she “battles AMC over her season nine salary,” according to the The Hollywood Reporter.
When asked about the negotiations, Scott Gimple told TVLine that “Lauren is an actor who has such intuition and such power… So yeah, hopefully, it all works out.”
Hopefully, Scott? This sounds more ominous than promising.
Cohan is one of the show’s beloved survivors, having joined Rick’s group in the second season. It seems impossible that Maggie could go, especially with her being one of the group’s few moral compasses left.
Add that with the fact Maggie is pregnant with (sadly deceased) Glenn’s baby, is a strong voice within the Militia, and has taken over Gregory’s role as the leader of Hilltop — there is so much we could still see from this character. We’re also about to lose Carl, and adding Maggie to that list is heartbreaking.
Now, there is argument that Maggie’s time should be up, by way of Forbes breaking down how Cohan’s role has shrunken. Maggie’s storyline does seem to follow this constant loop of being the sad but strong widow, or arguing with Gregory or Jesus. She is absolutely ready to fight, but admittedly during season 8, we’ve seen way more action from Rick, Daryl, Carol, Ezekiel, Michonne and even Negan than Maggie.
If we look to the comics, female leads like Andrea and Michonne have had stronger roles. However, Maggie tends to have a story loop there as well, being Rick’s confidant and running the Hilltop colony. This isn’t to say her role is unimportant, but for TV, it is one that could be easily nixed or replaced.
There is some hope that Maggie’s storyline could be revitalized with Angela Kang coming on as The Walking Dead‘s new showrunner and executive producer. Gimple will be more of an overseer as chief content officer. But with no new contract, that opportunity may never happen.
Ultimately, this booking news gives us a few things to consider for Cohan and her future as Maggie on The Walking Dead. She could exit completely, the contract could work out and she stays as a regular, or she could appear a few times before being given a hopefully fitting death.
If that is going to be her fate, oh, the ways she could go. With Negan and his crew enraged and a war on the horizon, some very intense events are about to happen. Per usual, this means people will die.
Maggie could go out in battle, and with her being pregnant, that is going to hit fans hard. However, there’s opportunity for her to have some kind of heroic ride-off-into-the-sunset ending, out to search for survivors and build communities elsewhere.
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Do you think Cohan will return to the show? Or is it finally time for Maggie to say goodbye to TWD? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!