9 Things We Need From ‘The Walking Dead’ Series’ Virtual SDCC Panels
What a year it’s been, Walking Dead fans — and by “what a year,” we really mean, “what a bummer.” Plenty of franchise shows came to unexpected ends for their seasons when COVID-19 hit, but it feels like TWD lost the most. Ironic, isn’t it?
Not only were fans unable to catch the Season 10 finale, but the spinoffs, World Beyond and Fear the Walking Dead, were left unaired with either editing work to be done or, in Fear’s case, half of the season left to film. Yikes.
Thankfully, San Diego Comic-Con hasn’t been canceled (it’s just going virtual with SDCC@Home), so fans still have that to look forward to … and hopefully, the panels offer answers to questions we have. Here are nine things we’re hoping to find out when the cast and EPs take the virtual stage.
When is everything airing?
It’s hard to imagine these shows having a Comic-Con presence and NOT offering an answer to this question. Nonetheless, fans are eager to hear specific dates for all the programs that were shifted or delayed; premieres for Fear and World Beyond would be nice, as well as an airdate for “A Certain Doom.” Don’t expect a trailer for Season 11, though: it hasn’t even started filming yet.
Anything about certain character’s fates
We’re mostly talking about Morgan (Lennie James) and Connie (Lauren Ridloff) here. We’re not expecting talent to outright say whether these characters survived — Morgan’s “death” was the cliffhanger ending of Fear’s fifth season — but right now, those cliffhangers are lasting far longer than originally intended, and some of the novelty and suspense has worn off. There’s almost no way those questions won’t come up, so it’ll be interesting to see how showrunners and actors respond.
An update on Maggie
One of the biggest surprises of the trailer that was released for “A Certain Doom” was the fact that Maggie (Lauren Cohan) was in it (yay!). But aside from those few seconds, we don’t know much about the circumstances of her return, who she was with for all those years, etc. If no one wants to spoil Connie’s fate or whether the show is going to give someone Andrea’s comic death, fine. But Maggie’s a topic that could be addressed a little more directly without giving out huge spoilers.
Any new trailers?
We won’t get anything for Season 11 of TWD, but some new footage would be nice as we wait to re-enter the world of walkers and Whisperers. Maybe it’s a few new scenes from “A Certain Doom,” or a second trailer for Fear (the first trailer was pretty short), or something from World Beyond (at least it finished filming!). Talking about the shows is nice and it’ll provide some news, which fans are certainly craving. But some footage would be even better, especially considering we’re all used to Comic-Con trailers for these shows.
The comics-related elephant in the room
Anyone who’s read the comics likely felt a chill run through them when they saw the title for the finale. In the source material, “A Certain Doom” marks a HUGE death, as Andrea — who’s Rick’s love interest — is bitten by a walker. The show hasn’t always followed the comics, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating who might meet their end in the upcoming battle. Since the panel is billed as a preview of this episode, it’s possible that looming potential death might be discussed — even if just to say whether another gigantic loss is coming.
Anything about the Rick Grimes movies
COVID has caused production delays across the board, but even if they haven’t started filming, it’d be great to hear some kind of update on the Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) theatrical solo outings. Right now, we don’t even know what the plot will be! With so little to talk about given how filming schedules have been disrupted, now would be the perfect time to start chatting about the next steps in Rick’s journey.
Daryl movie rumors
This is another big announcement AMC might pull out of its hat, in the absence of filmed footage or trailers to share. A few months ago, there were rumblings that Daryl (Norman Reedus) might be getting a spin-off flick of his own. Those rumors were neither confirmed nor denied, but it makes sense that he might get a movie — after all, he’s one of the series’ most popular characters. By confirming Daryl movies are in the works, AMC would give fans something to look forward to at a time when there isn’t much televised Walking Dead to go around.
Alicia’s fate
This is another lingering question from Season 5. Is Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) really cured of her radiation exposure? It’d be nice to have the showrunners come out and say definitively “yes” or “no,” or even if that will be addressed going forward, because right now it’s a giant question mark related to one of the series’ biggest fan-favorite characters.
Sherry and Dwight
Fans already know they’ll reunite this season, since the FTWD Instagram account posted a photo of Austin Amelio and Christine Evangelista together. Since it’s not really a spoiler, maybe we’ll get an update on their relationship, or what to expect from them in the coming season.
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