Throughout the eleven-season run of The Walking Dead, many characters left the series for one reason or another. In season 9, Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) took her infant son and left the communities to join the mysterious, and never heard from again, Georgie (Jayne Atkinson) in her efforts to build other communities. Maggie is one character who returned. How long was she gone?
Maggie Greene, daughter of Hershel (Scott Wilson), was introduced in season 2 of the main series. Throughout her story, she transformed from farmer's daughter to a true survivor who suffered significant losses. Her greatest loss was that of her husband Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) who was bludgeoned by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), while she was forced to watch.
When Maggie decided to leave the communities to assist Georgie, she was the leader of Hilltop. It seemed a strange decision, considering she had a young child to take care of and was surrounded by friends and family. After Rick (Andrew Lincoln) spared Negan's life, Maggie wasn't the same. She didn't believe he deserved mercy and needed to distance herself to get him out of her head. She also didn't want to force her son to face the man who killed his father.
In reality, there was a dispute with Cohan's contract, and she had been cast in a new ABC series, Whiskey Cavalier, which aired for one 13-part season and starred fellow TWD alum Tyler James Williams, who portrayed Noah.
Maggie returns to The Walking Dead
In season 10, at the end of the Whisperer War, Maggie would return to the communities. She had maintained correspondence with Carol (Melissa McBride), and when she learned of Jesus' (Tom Payne) death and the war, she returned after being away for approximately six years.
She once again became a main cast member and her story now continues in The Walking Dead: Dead City. This spinoff features the unlikely pairing of Maggie and Negan but fans knew there had to be a catch. In season 1, Maggie would betray Negan to save her, now teenaged son, after he was captured by a former member of Negan's Saviors.
Dead City is currently airing its second season on AMC and AMC+, with the season finale set to air on June 22.