It's hard to imagine where The Walking Dead franchise would be without Daryl Dixon. Sure, Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes is the main character of AMC's original series The Walking Dead, but Norman Reedus' gruff, monotone warrior rose up the ranks to become a quick fan-favorite - eventually leading the show for three seasons after Rick's departure and ultimately being at the forefront when it bowed out. That's arguably even more impressive when you consider the fact that Daryl wasn't in Robert Kirkman's original comic series, and existed only as an original creation of the show.
Daryl's days of leadership within the franchise are still ongoing, as Reedus' hero leads his own spinoff (along with Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier) in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. This resulted in him becoming somewhat of a leader in the TWD Universe spinoffs era, too, as Daryl Dixon is considered by many to be the strongest of the three new offshoots, positioning him and Carol as the current faces of the franchise.
But that all changed this year for a number of reasons.
Dead City makes it clear that Maggie and Negan are the face of the TWD Universe ahead of Daryl Dixon's conclusion
While Rick Grimes will always be the face of The Walking Dead franchise, we always knew that his return in spinoff The Ones Who Live was a special event. It was never going to be an ongoing, regular appearance due to Andrew Lincoln's initial decision to step away from the franchise and spend more time in the UK eight years earlier. That automatically resulted in Daryl Dixon becoming the full-time franchise lead - something that he has continued to do via his and Carol's spinoff series. But that all comes to an end in 2027.
Daryl Dixon season 4 was initially set to be a major tentpole release this year as it would mark the end of the show's run. Yes, the creative team made the decision to allow the spinoff - which has very much remained at the core of the TWD Universe spinoffs era - to bow out after its fourth season on AMC and AMC+. It was an unexpected call because of the show's popularity, but fans were looking forward to seeing how it would all end in the final season this September. But that didn't happen as the show was delayed to next year instead - despite filming wrapping last year.
Replacing it in that slot would be fellow TWD spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City - which made a very major statement with its third season this year. In doing so, it allowed Maggie Rhee and Negan to come to the forefront of the franchise in a way that they really haven't been since the original series concluded in 2022.
As intriguing as the concept was, Dead City never fully managed to capitalize on what it was, spending far too long stuck in the past of Maggie and Negan's backstory. That gave it an automatic shelf life that made it feel like the most unnecessary of the three newer spinoffs. And then new showrunner Seth Hoffman breathed new life into it season 3, resetting the status quo and dropping all lingering storylines from the first two seasons in order to allow it to fully achieve its potential. It did that with flying colors.
Dead City season 3 received critical acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the strongest - if not the strongest - seasons of the newer spinoffs, with audiences praising its decision to move forward and build something new (instead of pulling the TWD Universe back into the past). It did this by having Maggie and Negan move on from their past - with Maggie again acknowledging that, while she could never forgive Negan for killing Glenn, she could move past it - and becoming something of an unlikely duo with plans of saving New York City from the dead, and setting it up for a better future.
For once, The Walking Dead franchise isn't about just surviving, it is about moving forward. And Dead City season 3 makes it clear that Maggie and Negan are the characters to make that happen. In fact, the season 3 finale sets up a potential fourth season that highlights there is more story to be told. And it will be Maggie and Negan telling it, taking center stage at the forefront of the franchise.
Daryl Dixon ending marks the end of Daryl's time as the lead
It's quite fitting that Dead City season 3 reaffirmed Maggie and Negan's place at the front of the franchise before The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon bows out next year. In doing so, the TWD Universe has room to continue on beyond that series' conclusion - and, in a way, beyond Daryl Dixon's own tenure as the leading man of The Walking Dead.
Now, let's be clear: Nobody is saying that this is the end of Norman Reedus' time playing this character. Both he and AMC Studios president Dan McDermott have made it clear that there are plans for Daryl to return at some point in the TWD Universe's future. However, the conclusion of the spinoff marks the end of Reedus' full-time stint playing the character - a stint that has been ongoing since 2010.
Reedus made his debut as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead's third episode and very quickly became a major part of the show. He was essentially the co-lead - or supporting lead - by the time that the show was five seasons in. When Rick Grimes exited in season 9, he immediately became the lead of the franchise for the three remaining seasons. When the saga entered the spinoff era, he ended up maintaining the lead title - both because of the popularity of Reedus and Daryl and the fact that Daryl Dixon is widely regarded as the best of the newer spinoffs.
If you had told someone in 2023 that Dead City would be the last TWD spinoff standing, they probably wouldn't have believed you. Daryl Dixon came out of the gate extremely strong, The Ones Who Live brought back Rick and Michonne, and Dead City's first two seasons were very mixed. But it has stood the test of time, undergoing a major reset that has allowed it to carry on for more seasons (should AMC choose to renew it for season 4). And Daryl Dixon's impending conclusion will officially mark the end of Daryl's time as the leading man of the TWD Universe.
Until he returns, however, that franchise is now led by Maggie and Negan.
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