The Walking Dead: What Happens After

We KNOW The Group will lose someone this Sunday. But, the real question isn’t just who will die, but, what will happen AFTER THAT?

The other day, I tackled who I believed the show needed to have die on Sunday’s The Walking Dead season seven premiere.

Of course, if someone on the show dies, it, in essence, leaves a vacancy, doesn’t it? A role within The Group, within the show is open, and, ostensibly, needs to be filled, right?

Well, whether one agrees with me or not, I believe that it does. I believe that, on some level, when a character dies, the position they hold on the show or in The Group needs to be filled by another person, it just does; When Shane died, the role of Rick’s best friend/right hand man fell to Daryl, I believe the same will occur regardless of who is unfortunate enough to die this Sunday.

But, naturally, just as with whoever gets killed, whoever replaces them can’t just be some random person, it has have some significance, or else…it won’t work. Who will these people be? Well, let’s take a look, shall we?

Replacing Eugene: Heath

Eugene’s greatest strength on the show is his relatability. He’s not a super badass, he’s an ordinary person who has learned to adapt and survive in the zombie apocalypse.

And, frankly, I think the most relatable person in The Group (Outside of Glenn, of course) would be Heath.

When last season started, Heath wasn’t much better at confronting the walkers than Nicholas was, nor did he understand what surviving sometimes required. It took Michonne leading him and Scott back to Alexandria after losing nearly all of their group for him to see that.

I think, given more exposure, we can see more Heath learning to adapt and adjust to the world that, only relatively recently, he has been thrust into. Furthermore, with Heath being paired with Tara, we could see her impart some of her wisdom to him much in the way she’s done before to Eugene.

Replacing Glenn and Maggie: Abraham and Sasha

I had a tough time with this one, to be honest. I honestly don’t think any pair can truly replace Glenn and Maggie, either in The Group or on the show.

Glenn is, obviously, the oldest continuous friend Rick has in The Group. Almost everything Rick has accomplished in the show is because Glenn helped him get out of that tank in Atlanta; No one can quite compare to that.

And Maggie, now that she’s pregnant, represents hope for The Group. She means that The Group can build a future, that they can have something resembling the world they once knew.

What’s more, Maggie is someone Rick relies on to handle some of the administrative roles that leadership in the zombie apocalypse requires. Maggie was the one who helped Deanna transition the Alexandrians to being survivors alongside Rick, Maggie is the one Rick relied on to negotiate with Gregory.

This means replacing them would be no simple task. It would require people who mean something to Rick, people who’ve been with him for a long time and people who can fill in those respective roles both among The Group and in the eyes of fans.

Well, Abraham and Sasha have both been with The Group for some time now. Both of them hold leadership roles in The Group. Both of them are people Rick can rely on. And both of them are pretty popular with fans.

While I don’t think they can completely replace Glenn and Maggie, but, to me, they’re the closest you could you possibly get.

…You may notice that I don’t have anyone replacing Abraham. To be quite honest…no one can. No one can quite equal Abraham’s unique combination of badassery and humor. Actually, I take that back, there is someone, but, that person…is Negan, so…

Replacing Daryl: Morgan

In the latest promo for the season premiere, Negan tells Rick that he “needs a right-hand man”. If Daryl is the person Negan kills, he will be absolutely right.

Whoever that person is has to be someone who is badass, someone who knows Rick pretty well, and someone who he will listen to should he start to go out of control.

While I think a couple of people (Glenn and Abraham, specifically) could fill that role, the person I think who would be perfect for that…is Morgan.

Morgan is the first person (Well, second, counting Duane) that Rick met in the zombie apocalypse. That tank I mentioned earlier? Rick wouldn’t have even gotten there if it weren’t for Morgan. The very reason Rick understood what he was up against at all is because of Morgan.

We saw bits of it in “East”, but, I believe it’s high time we got to see a genuine friendship between Morgan and Rick. We know that the way they met gives them a unique relationship, but, I think we need to see them really try to tackle the zombie apocalypse together, knowing where the other stands and just working with it.

Last season, we saw Morgan’s new philosophy clash with Rick’s when it comes to dealing with hostiles. However, in the season finale, we saw Morgan, apparently, finally understand what Rick was trying to convey to him all season: That, when dealing with those who are without mercy, you can’t necessarily give it them.

Of course, I don’t think Morgan is, nor would ever be willing to be, the man he was before. I think Morgan will only kill if he needs to, and never in a blind rage. With that in mind, I would love to see Morgan do for Rick what Daryl did in season five: Be the voice of reason that gets through to Rick when he’s going off the deep end. I want to see Morgan be the person that Rick relies on to keep him at something resembling an even keel.

I think, perhaps more than anyone else, Morgan would be the best fit to replace Daryl, should he be the one Negan kills this Sunday. Morgan is extremely badass, he knows Rick, and might just be the friend Rick needs to help him get through losing his “brother”. While others might be able to fill that role, I’m not sure they could do it quite as well as Morgan could.

Next: The Walking Dead: Who NEEDS To Die

Do you agree? Disagree? Is there someone you think would make a good potential replacement for whoever dies on Sunday? Let me know in the comments!

And, of course, if you like this and want to hear my thoughts on how to survive the zombie apocalypse, why not pick up a copy of my book: The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! You can get it on Kindle here and on iTunes here!