“We wanted you on the edge of your seat”: Executive Producer Scott M. Gimple unpacks Maggie’s choice in The Walking Dead: Dead City

Season 2 of The Walking Dead: Dead City takes things to a darker, more intense level as Manhattan turns into a battleground for control. The story placed Maggie and Negan on opposite ends of a rising war, both caught in a twisted maze of personal trauma, difficult choices, and political manipulation.

The two face constant challenges throughout the season, and the final episode doesn’t hold back either. The big turning point comes when Negan makes Bruegel inhale methane gas and then lights it on fire, killing him in a brutal and shocking way.

It’s a chilling moment that shows Negan slipping back into the ruthless version of himself he once tried to leave behind. Maggie sees this side of Negan again, and it shakes her. Acting on all the emotional and psychological pressure she’s been under, she stabs Negan in the back.

But in a key moment during The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 finale, she decides not to kill him. Since this was a highly unexpected decision, the show's executive producer, Scott M. Gimple, shared an explanation for Maggie's choice. He said:

"We wanted you on the edge of your seat... as much about Negan as it is about Maggie."

The EP mentioned that the purpose of this scene was to take the audience to the edge. make them believe that she might actually go through with it, and then shift the story in a new direction.

Keep reading to explore more about the finale.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 EP explains why Maggie didn't kill Negan in the finale

As explained by Scott M. Gimple, the creators never actually planned for Maggie to kill Negan. Because The Walking Dead: Dead City isn't just about Maggie's quest for revenge, but also about Negan's journey.

The show is designed to tell both of their stories equally. So instead of repeating the cycle of violence, the finale flips the script. Maggie doesn't kill Negan, not because she forgives him entirely, but because she finally realizes that carrying the hate hasn’t brought her peace.

Killing him might feel like justice, but it wouldn't restore what was lost. Glenn is gone, and taking another life wouldn’t change that. Gimple added:

"This has been a very long story. Maggie has been completely and totally justified in her hate and anger and trauma, but for the audience, we’ve been watching her live with that for so long."

However, this decision also doesn’t mean that Maggie and Negan are now allies. Gimple made it clear: they’re not suddenly close or on the same team. The EP explained:

"They’re not going to be skipping and holding hands... but hate is corrosive to the person hating, and I think that’s what this season portrayed."

He continued:

"It’s not necessarily sunshine and rainbows, but I do think this is a happy ending."

Maggie spent too long defined by her pain, and the writers of The Walking Dead: Dead City wanted to show her finally moving forward. That doesn’t erase what happened, but it allows room for something new, not just in her relationship with Negan, but in how she defines herself.

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Also Read: "First time I became aware of you was Supernatural": When The Walking Dead: Dead City stars engaged in a heartwarming co-star quiz

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