The Walking Dead Season 8: 10 Most Revealing Things The Cast Have Said
5. "Maggie Is Different... Somebody That Could Run Things"
What Was Said?
“He’s getting tired; he’s been through a lot. He’s not a politician - he’s a general. He’s a sheriff’s deputy, that’s where he comes from; that’s his DNA. Maggie is different. [She is] a future political leader, somebody that could run things. She’s industrious, she’s loyal, she’s respected on principal."
Who Said It?
Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) - New York Comic Con
What Does This Mean?
Rick has been grooming Maggie for leadership for a while now, and she has shown signs of maturity on that front by seizing control of The Hilltop from Gregory.
With Ezekiel ruling The Kingdom and Rick in charge at Alexandria, it will be interesting to see the leadership dynamic of this alliance, as one of them must call the shots overall.
Lincoln’s quotes imply that Rick is still the best person to lead them through the battle against The Saviours as a wartime commander, but that Maggie would be better suited to unifying all of the communities as a peacetime politician, once the war has been won.
There is a theory that the image of a grey-bearded Rick in the trailer for the new season is a tease for a time jump at the end of the eighth instalment. If this is true, a clear handover of power from Rick to Maggie would certainly provide the show with fresh intrigue.