Warning: This post contains MAJOR spoilers for The Walking Dead: Dead City episode 7.
If The Walking Dead franchise as a whole has taught us anything, it is that the worst of humanity comes to light when the undead rise from the ground. The walkers are, of course, a major threat to any survivor living in this horrifying post-apocalyptic world. However, humans themselves have proven to be the worst danger lurking around any corner.
Shane Walsh, the Governor, Simon, the Scavengers, and countless other villains all left their mark on the ruthless AMC franchise. However, The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 found itself in a very interesting position as it killed its two main antagonists, the Croat and the Dama, during its first two episodes. Since then, the beloved spin-off show hasn't featured a "direct threat" for Maggie and Negan to fight and has instead focused on the many challenges that arise when trying to build a community. But, at long last, a new bad guy has entered the picture, and it is the last person fans expected.
Mason Dillard officially becomes the main antagonist of The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3
Oh, Dillard. Who would've thought you'd turn to the dark side so quickly? The former police officer was Negan's closest friend, donated his bar's alcohol to the hospital, and aided Maggie and Renata's community on every occasion he could. It truly seemed he was one of the good guys (and for the first six episodes, he really was), but things quickly took a dark turn when his "friends" died.
Dillard willingly captured two walkers inside his bar and ensured they wouldn't be a threat to him. He removed the undead's teeth and nails, and then proceeded to tie them to chairs, rendering them completely harmless. Not long after, he grew attached to these creatures.
Dillard explains that he had to play multiple characters as an undercover cop when the world hadn't ended, which means he learned how to easily change his psyche to deliver believable performances. When the walkers entered the picture, Dillard was left all on his lonesome. In order to stay sane, he started pretending that the walkers in his bar were his friends. But not long after, he truly got lost in this new "character" he was portraying, and it became hard to separate fiction from reality.
Dillard named his new "friends" Cockenspiel and Titicaca. The three lived for years in the bar, but the adventure came to an end with Negan's sudden arrival. See, one of the survivors in Maggie and Renata's community, named Fabian, wasn't happy at all with the group's leadership. After a few drinks in Dillard's bar, Fabian assumed the solution to his problems was to simply kill Maggie. When Negan heard about these plans, he simply shot Fabian on the spot. The only problem? The bullet also struck the walker Cockenspiel along the way.
When Dillard found out one of his "friends" was killed, he didn't take it lightly. To make matters worse, Negan also shot Titicaca in a burst of anger. Just like that, something inside the undercover cop broke, and he became thirsty for vengeance.
Dillard cut his own face and claimed that Negan was responsible for his wounds, all of this in an attempt to convince Maggie and Renata to give him weapons and a small army to hunt his former best friend down. Unfortunately, his plan worked despite Maggie's attempt to calm the situation and give Negan the benefit of the doubt.
In a heartbeat, Dillard and a group of survivors armed themselves and went to the bar in the hopes of killing Negan. But before anyone got to pull the trigger, Renata reconsidered the situation and finally agrees with Maggie's argument that there's no need for anybody to get killed. As a result, Renata calls off the mission and asks everyone to go home. Naturally, this didn't sit well with Dillard, and he proceeded to shoot the leader of the community and claimed her spot.
In a matter of a day, Dillard swore to kill Negan, manipulated those around him, killed a person, and gathered a following. It's, quite frankly, an impressive way of becoming a villain in The Walking Dead franchise. Now, all that remains to be seen is whether he'll bite the dust in the season 3 finale or keep terrorizing Maggie and Negan for years to come.
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