WARNING: Spoilers ahead from "The Walking Dead" Season 8 finale, and also TWD comic book.

Is "The Walking Dead" going straight from All Out War to Civil War?

Season 8 finally ended the war between Team Rick and Team Negan, with Rick Grimes taking a page right out of Robert Kirkman's comic book series and slashing Negan's throat. To many viewers, it looked like Negan was going to die. But Rick called for Siddiq to save Negan, much to Maggie Greene Rhee's anguish and fury.

That part stuck to the books. In the comic, Rick does jail Negan as a sign of doing things differently, and Hilltop leader Maggie does feel betrayed by that decision, since she wants revenge for Negan Lucille-ing Glenn. (In the comic, Carl Grimes is still alive, and Andrea is Rick's girlfriend, not Michonne. Also, Daryl Dixon does not exist in the comic.)

However, the TV version did a pretty big departure by making the end scene an ominous threat scene from Maggie to Jesus and Daryl, that they plan to bite their tongues and play nice, then eventually show Rick and Michonne how they were wrong.


Some fans even interpreted that as a threat on Rick and Michonne's lives, which doesn't seem to be what Maggie is saying. She just wants Negan dead. But it does suggest a civil war mutiny storyline that no one wants.

Outgoing showrunner Scott M. Gimple even compared the scene to "The Godfather" (via EW):

Gimple on if Maggie, Jesus, and Daryl are now in a civil war plot against Rick for giving Negan alive

Gimple: "It looks like that to me. Lauren [Cohan] is so amazing in that scene. She's full Maggie Corleone. And Jesus, you know, he would not have killed the surrendering Saviors, but he's not Morgan. Like, he could kill Negan. That certainly isn't off the menu for Jesus."

Fans were not happy about this questionable twist. So we have a new war brewing on top of Negan being kept alive, Morgan leaving, and Dwight apparently leaving? (At least Eugene found some redemption.)

Gimple has been emphasizing a "very, very different" world in Season 9, although there's no confirmation of a major time jump, as there is at this point in Kirkman's comic book. If years go by, it's possible the "civil war" angle will shift. But at this point, fans are not thrilled about the idea of Maggie/Daryl/Jesus vs. Rick/Michonne storyline in Season 9:


Yeah, the other ball in play here is Lauren Cohan's contract as Maggie. She's been in negotiations for a while now, asking for more money -- and you can't really blame her. Not only is her character (STILL) pregnant with Glenn's baby, she's at the heart of this sill civil war storyline. They can't do too much on either front without her.

TWD tends to film from early May to late November, with seasons premiering Octobers on AMC. Stay tuned for updates on what happens from here ... unless you're giving up.

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