Dead City shows how The Walking Dead keeps repeating the same harmful gender tropes

The franchise has evolved in many ways since The Walking Dead's premiere in 2010. Though the storylines might be fresh, the gender dynamics across the series remain the same even in the show's most recent spin-off, Dead City. It attempts to resolve its long-standing issues with female representation, particularly mothers, only to revert to them once again. Women take on leadership roles while the universe expands, the tone is altered, and the franchise attempts to experiment.

Maggie Rhee has remained a powerful fighter and survivor, but now she is being viewed through a different lens: that of a “bad mother.” Her son, Hershel, holds onto resentment for the emotional vacuum he perceives her to be. As the series progresses, this conflict is used to explore the darker sides of Maggie’s character. Instead of being a nuanced portrayal of a woman, Dead City reaffirms outdated beliefs—maternal shortcomings are inexcusable, and emotional burden renders a woman frail.

Simultaneously, we have Negan, who gets the redemptive father arc despite being a brutish figure who was littered with violence and abandonment in his past. Negan’s hard choices come off as noble sacrifices, while Maggie’s choices are seen as selfish or bad. This difference reveals a lot about the show’s obliviousness. Here we go again with The Walking Dead franchise showing us that they really have a lot more to work on when it comes to gender.

Mothers are still held to impossible standards

Maggie, in Dead City, is not only critiqued by her son, but is also evaluated by the show’s structure which paradoxically judges all her actions. Every decision she takes, whether it’s trying to save Hershel from captivity or paying too much attention to his captor Negan, is seen as an act of maternal incompetence. Even worse, the show presents such crude reasoning as emotional depth. Such attempts only magnify feelings of undue persecution.

This scrutiny brings to mind the analysis of Lori Grimes from the early seasons of The Walking Dead. She was treated as problematic and fans did not hold back in slandering her attempts, be it an effort to shield her son or a candid decision concerning a pregnancy. In comparison, Rick enjoyed unrestricted freedom to make dubious decisions in the name of leadership. Dead City maintains this trend where mothers are bashed for exercising humanity and men for their absence are let off the hook.

Negan's redemption arc reinforces a double standard

In comparison, Dead City has created a very intricate and sympathetic portrayal of Negan. He is depicted as an anti-hero in the framework of the story as he owes his wife and son a selfless, albeit problematic, act of sending them away to safety. This self-contained act of care does create conflict as it parallels his previous decision of separation over protection.

This is not a new dynamic. The overall evolution of Negan’s redemption arc has been progressively chronicled throughout the series, but Dead City arguably speeds it up by glossing over the trauma he inflicts, particularly on Maggie.

The same action— withdrawal from a young child for what’s perceived as benevolent altruism—profoundly alters in meaning based solely on the identity of the adult in question. It’s brave when Negan does it, and neglectful when it’s Maggie.

This is not nuance.

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This is bias.

The Walking Dead universe, fifteen years into its run, still fails to grasp the depth of these gendered double standards. And instead of learning from its mistakes, Dead City reiterates them, clad in new character designs but built on the same outdated formula.

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