Summary
The Walking Dead season 11 callback to Glenn Rhee was Norman Reedus’ idea. Originally based on the Robert Kirkman long-running comic book series of the same name, the horror-drama debuted October 2010 and centered a small group of survivors shortly after the onset of a global zombie apocalypse. Throughout the course of its 12 years and 11 seasons, The Walking Dead featured an expansive revolving cast as each season routinely killed off beloved characters. One such character was the fan-favorite Glenn, played by Minari’s Steven Yeun.
Glenn was a season 1 survivor who fell in love and married Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan). He, unfortunately, did not live to see the birth of his son due to his brutal death at the hands of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the ruthless leader of the Saviors. This happened in one of the most heartbreaking moments in The Walking Dead history, as Maggie had to watch as Negan bashed Glenn’s head, killing him to make a point. This also remains why Maggie and Negan have always had a complicated relationship, all the way to their team-up in The Walking Dead: Dead City.
What Was The Walking Dead Glenn Callback?
The Walking Dead season 11 found Maggie leading a team consisting of Daryl, Gabriel, Alden, and Negan on a mission to return to an old community in search of food. They encounter a group known as the Reapers, a violent militia with Daryl’s former love interest, Leah, as a high-ranking member of the group. Following a series of encounters leaving the Reapers destroyed and Leah out for revenge, Daryl is forced to kill Leah to save Maggie from certain death.
While on the run from the Commonwealth’s troops in episode 17, Maggie apologizes to Daryl for putting herself in the position to force him to kill Leah. Daryl then tells Maggie, “Glenn would have wanted me to look after you. You don’t ever have to say sorry. Not to me.” I was a nice callback that made sure that fans never forgot about Glenn and his importance to both Maggie and Daryl Dixon.
How Norman Reedus Came Up With The Idea
During an episode of Talking Dead (via ComicBook.com), The Walking Dead season 11, episode 17 director, Greg Nicotero, revealed that it was Norman Reedus who had the idea to bring up Glenn. Reedus further explained that he felt that having Maggie and Daryl briefly discuss Glenn was needed at that moment in the story as they had yet to really talk about his death since The Walking Dead season 7. Read what the actor said below:
“[Maggie had] just gone rogue, shot my ‘girlfriend’ sort of, and now these people are after us. But that scene got altered a little bit. I brought it up, ‘We haven’t spoken about it. We should say something.’ The Glenn thing was, I think, my idea.”
“[Maggie and Daryl are] so close to each other, and they don’t have to apologize or explain themselves. I just thought it was important to let her know, ‘I’ve got your back, you’ve got my back.'”
Will Maggie Forgive Negan?
Daryl is one of the few remaining characters that has survived The Walking Dead since season 1. Standoffish and quiet by nature, Daryl has proven to be compassionate, developing a strong relationship with both Maggie and Glenn over the years. His friend’s death affected him deeply, just as it had Maggie who had wanted nothing but revenge. The Walking Dead season 11’s brief moment between the two really shows that their bond has not wavered since and the memory of Glenn still holds strong. Following the conclusion of The Walking Dead, Daryl and Maggie’s stories continued in spinoff shows.
Daryl set off to Europe in a series titled Daryl Dixon, while Maggie and Negan joined forces as they enter the island of Manhattan in Dead City. Although Maggie and Negan had a tentative alliance, Maggie never truly forgave the man who robbed her son of a father. The Walking Dead: Dead City showed that she still held a grudge, despite it seeming they put their issues behind them in the main series. When a group kidnapped Maggie’s son, she traded Negan to save him rather than trusting him to help her. She betrayed him and even earned her son’s scorn. The death happened many years ago, but Maggie still holds on to this anger and pain.
