The Walking Dead: Who died in the season 9 premiere

The Walking Dead returned for season 9 finally and the season premiere delivered a much anticipated death straight from TWD comic.

Finally the long hiatus is over and The Walking Dead is back. And season 9 started out with the kind of intensity and focused story telling that fans have been missing for awhile thanks to new showrunner Angela Kang.

The Walking Dead season 9 premiere “A New Beginning” also delivered a death, a murder attempt, and a very satisfying end for a character that definitely deserved it. During the journey back from the Smithsonian the group across a washed out bridge. While they figured out a plan to get everyone back to their communities walkers appeared. Ken, the son of blacksmith Earl from The Hilltop, was killed by a walker.

His parents, Tammy Rose and Earl, played by newcomers to The Walking Dead Brett Butler and John Finn, didn’t take that too well. Tammy Rose in particular lit Maggie up holding her responsible. Gregory, like the vacuous suck up that he is was, stepped into the middle and offered to do the eulogy for Ken. After the funeral Gregory encouraged Earl, who had struggled with alcohol in the past, to get drunk and attack Maggie.

Gregory set Maggie up by telling her that someone had vandalized Glenn’s grave. When she went to check, with little Hershel in a stroller, Earl attacked her. Baby Hershel was thrown from his stroller but not hurt. Enid, who was nearby, jumped in and was badly hurt in the attack. Maggie managed to fight off Earl.

She went looking for Gregory and he attacked her himself with a knife. Luckily Gregory isn’t exactly a skilled fighter and despite some injuries Maggie wasn’t seriously hurt. This storyline follows Maggie’s storyline from the comic very closely, and Gregory’s punishment for mutiny and attempted murder is also straight from the comic.

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Goodbye Gregory

Maggie knows she can’t let Gregory’s attack on her go unpunished. It would open the door for further insubordination and possible attacks. And Gregory’s had a beatdown coming for a long, long time. So even though she had some personal misgivings about it Maggie assembles the people of The Hilltop and has Gregory hanged. She thinks about hanging Earl as well, but Earl’s blacksmithing skills are sorely needed by The Hilltop and the rest of the communities. Maggie instead throws Earl in prison.

So Gregory finally paid the price for his constant betrayal, backstabbing, and general asshattery. It was a satisfying moment that has been several seasons in the making. And it sends an unmistakable message that while Maggie might be pretty easygoing it’s not smart to mess with Maggie Rhee.

We may have loved to hate Gregory on The Walking Dead  but actor Xander Berkeley did a fantastic job making Gregory the slimy, opportunistic, suck up that he was. Should Maggie have killed Earl as well? Tell us what you think TWD Family. Tweet us @UndeadWalkingFS or comment on our Facebook page.