Walking Dead Secretly Sets Up A Major Maggie vs Daryl Conflict

Is The Walking Dead teeing-up a bitter feud between Maggie Rhee and Daryl Dixon in season 11? The battle lines have been drawn in The Walking Dead‘s final season, and Maggie’s mission to reclaim Meridian from the Reapers hangs by a thread. The tense trio of Negan, Elijah and Gabriel are all that’s left to help Maggie defeat those who wronged her, with Alden busy whimpering on a church floor, and the remainder of the group who left Alexandria currently in various stages of decay. Daryl, meanwhile, is sitting pretty inside Camp Reaper. The Walking Dead shockingly (to Daryl, if not the audience) revealed Leah as a member of the Reapers following her introduction as Dog’s original owner back in season 10.

Though Daryl has been inducted into the Reaper fold, he’s clearly planning a betrayal down the line – scouting their defenses, warning his allies, and plotting to steal food for Alexandria. More than just finding a way to screw over his hosts, however, Daryl is evidently hoping he can pull Leah away from Pope, bring her home to Alexandria, and pick up where they left off during those romantic early nights in the woods.

Unfortunately, Daryl’s quest for love might be destined to fail… all thanks to Maggie. In The Walking Dead season 11’s “Promises Broken,” Maggie’s fearsome foursome prepare to invade Meridian with an army of undead by their side and a royalty check to Alpha in the post. Elijah (the only member of Maggie’s original Meridian crew still standing) makes a simple request – he gets the honor of avenging his sister, taking down the Reaper who killed her. Maggie obviously agrees and the gang march forth, but the situation may prove more complicated than she expects… because all signs point toward Leah being the Reaper who killed Elijah’s sister.

The only clue Elijah offers as to the killer’s identity is that it’s a “he,” but this line could be misdirection. When the Reapers attack – as they attacked Maggie’s group several episodes back – they wear creepy masks. Until Leah removed her face covering, Daryl had no clue about her identity or her gender. If Elijah saw a masked Reaper kill his sister, he’d be none the wiser as to whether the culprit was male or female, maybe just assuming the former. Elijah will only know which Reaper he’s after when he takes a good look at who wears which mask.

Leah is the only real option for Elijah’s mystery target. The Walking Dead season 11 makes a big deal of Elijah’s request and Maggie’s promise, which implies the Reaper is a relatively significant character. But only two Reapers have been given any kind of screen time – Leah and Pope. As the Reapers’ leader, Pope tends not to see much action personally, sending his troops to do the work. One would also expect Maggie to have her own sights on Pope, given how he “marked” her. With Pope ruled out and all other Reapers mere background characters, Leah must be the villain Elijah is jonesing to slice up.

Elijah vs. Leah inevitably means Maggie vs. Daryl isn’t too far away. On one hand, Maggie will want her friend to gain closure, and not be forced to live with a person he hates (like she currently is with Negan). On the other, protecting Leah is clearly a priority for Daryl, and he won’t stand quietly by while Elijah goes to work. It’s a classic case of immovable object vs. irresistible force, with Lauren Cohan and Norman Reedus’ characters both famous for their stubbornness. Curiously, the episode title might reveal which one of them concedes. “Promises Broken” suggests Maggie will accept Daryl’s plea for mercy and hold Elijah back from getting revenge on Leah. How well this sits with Elijah, and whether Maggie ends up resenting Daryl in The Walking Dead, remains to be seen.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3658 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

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Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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