Gregory is still important in the fight against Negan on The Walking Dead

Gregory’s days as leader of Hilltop are numbered on The Walking Dead. But he’s still an important part of the plan to fight against Negan and the Saviors.

Gregory is not a great leader. He’s one of the worst leaders that has been in power on The Walking Dead.  He’s weak and ineffectual. He’s also kind of a jerk. But at the moment he’s one of the most important players in the upcoming battle against Negan. Rick and the group from Alexandria need him to stay in power. For now anyway.

That’s because Gregory is the perfect front for the uprising that Rick and the group are planning. Right now Negan thinks Maggie is dead. Simon has been the Savior that the Hilltop Colony has been dealing with. Simon and Gregory have a tepid agreement to work together.

If Maggie were to take over as leader of the Hilltop Negan would know that she’s alive and he would probably dole out some pretty intense punishment on both Hilltop and Alexandria. Right now, Negan thinks he has the upper hand in both communities.

That gives Rick and Team Family plenty of room to maneuver. They can continue building up an arsenal and crafting a plan to fight Negan and the Saviors. They can contact King Ezekiel and enlist the help of the Kingdom without arousing Negan’s suspicion.

But if a coup were to happen and Maggie or even Sasha took over at Hilltop that would force Rick to move against Negan before the group is ready. The element of surprise is right now the best weapon they have. They need to hang onto that advantage for as long as they can.

Keeping Up Appearances

As long as Gregory stays in place at Hilltop there’s no reason for Negan to bother with Hilltop. If the agreement that the Saviors have with King Ezekiel continues to be peaceful then Negan won’t be watching Kingdom either.

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Right now Negan’s attention is focused on Alexandria and bringing that community on board with the Saviors rule. It’s critically important for all the communities to continue keeping up the appearance of servitude to the Saviors.

That will give Rick and the group time to formulate a plan of attack. That will also give them the chance to go out and scavenge for weapons and ammunition. They can use the disguise of scavenging for things to give the Saviors to cover their tracks.

It’s safe to assume that the Saviors will be watching the movements of the people from Alexandria. So keeping Gregory in power is the only way that the group can take the time they need to get ready to strike.

Next: Why is Gregory an awful leader?

There’s a war coming in The Walking Dead, but Rick and the group aren’t ready to go to war just yet. Gregory keeping power at Hilltop for now is essential for Rick’s plan to succeed.