The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and Leah dynamic for season 11

In season 10c of The Walking Dead, the story of how Daryl Dixon spent his time during the years he spent looking for his brother Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) was told. Many fans were disappointed to learn that during that time, Daryl met and had a fling with a woman named Leah (Lynn Collins). Now it appears that she will also be present in season 11. What does this mean for Daryl?

Fans who want to see Daryl and Carol (Melissa McBride) together forever and not just as friends do not like the fact that Leah was introduced to Daryl’s story. The addition of this character makes fans question how things will line up for Daryl and Carol’s move to their own spin-off series that will happen after the final season of the flagship series airs.

There isn’t a lot of information regarding what the Daryl and Carol spin-off will be about. Norman Reedus has teased that it will look nothing like the current setting of The Walking Dead. 

Daryl Dixon season 11 The Walking Dead

There is a theory that Leah is a Reaper. She lived with her squad at the beginning of the outbreak, but once their camp was overrun, she fled with her son Matthew, who was bitten and died. From what we know about the Reapers, they are most likely military. The man who attacked in “Home Sweet Home” was dressed in a gilly suit and refused to give up any information before blowing himself up with a grenade. (something that is taught in the military)

During the most recent teaser trailer, Maggie talked about the Reapers, and as she tells her story, she comments, “By the time you see them, you are already dead.” This tells us they are a highly trained group with stealth-like skills.

During the season 10c episode “Diverged,” Daryl comes across many walkers dressed in fatigues, causing viewers to ask where these military walkers came from. One synopsis from AMC for “Acheron Part 1” states that “Daryl leads a mission team to scavenge the military base he discovered.” It seems that there are many military clues involving Daryl.

In the teaser above (at 00:11), there is a Reaper staring at Daryl with Dog standing next to them. Another synopsis talks about Daryl searching for Dog and finding more than he expects. Could his discover be Leah? And, if you remember, Leah was the first owner of Dog, and another theory is that this is Leah. It would explain why Dog runs off and why he is comfortable standing near this masked person.

Now, stay with me here; this is all my own theory, but what if Leah IS a Reaper? This means she would have been involved in the attack on Maggie’s most recent village. I am going to say Maggie means much more to Daryl than Leah. He has a long history with Maggie, and even tho he was romantically involved with Leah, she left him without any goodbye or reason for departing. Daryl has had many important people in his life abandoned him and won’t take her abandonment lightly.

Again this is all my own speculation. But why all the military references that point to Daryl?

What do you think? Does any of this make sense? Or am I completely off the mark? Please tag me on Twitter, iowamamaof3, with your thoughts.