‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’: How Does It Connect to the Walking Dead?

After 177 episodes of The Walking Dead, the TWDUniverse continues to expand, and none of the 2023 spinoffs are as highly anticipated as Dead City. The spinoff is the next big thing in the franchise as it continues the stories of Maggie and Negan, two of the show’s all-time best badass characters. Pairing Negan and Maggie is a recipe for a wild adventure, which is why many fans wonder how Maggie and Negan’s partnership comes about and how Dead City connects to The Walking Dead.

According to the synopsis, the show starts about two years after the events in the finale of The Walking Dead, which aired in November 2022. The name was changed from Isle Of The Dead to The Walking Dead: Dead City in August 2022, with the synopsis stating that the spinoff would focus on a post-apocalyptic New York. Negan and Maggie have to make their way to Manhattan and save her son Harschel who was kidnapped by Negan’s old pal called The Croat.

What starts as a rescue mission becomes a vicious fight for survival as Negan’s past catches up with him on the island. In survival mode, Negan is forced to revert to aspects of his old self as he faces an enemy that is way more psychopathic than evil Negan at his worst. There is still tension and animosity between him and Maggie to get past and a son to save, so let’s delve into how it all comes together.

What is The Walking Dead: Dead City about?

Maggie’s home gets ransacked by Raiders, and her son Herschel gets abducted in the process.

The person behind the abduction is called The Croat (Zeljko Ivanek), who has a vendetta against Negan.

It is unclear whether The Croat is a former Savior, but he is not fond of Negan despite the two having been associates.

To locate the kidnappers, Maggie and Negan are forced to engage a group of local outlaws and seek the help of a heavy-handed Marshall.

The mission to locate Maggie’s son is also hampered by the constant mutated zombies filling the highrise buildings in Manhattan.

When The Croat learns Negan is on the island, he makes it his mission to torture him and settle old scores.

Maggie and Negan are forced to build their own army because it is impossible to defeat The Croat without some help.

Despite Maggie’s hatred of Negan for killing Glenn, she is forced to trust his plan because he knows The Croat.

The two team up in an attempt to get to Herschel and save him without falling victim to the evil forces that now rule the city.

Although zombies are dangerous, Dead City’s real villains are human beings, just like in The Walking Dead.

The harsh environment on the isolated island has turned many people into monsters, and Maggie and Negan are forced to abandon some of their morals to survive.

The test for the protagonists is fighting to stay alive against all odds without losing themselves to the dark side, and it is a huge test, especially for Negan.

Where does Dead City pick off after The Walking Dead?

The events in Dead City start about two years after the end of The Walking Dead, which means there are some changes to Negan, Maggie, and Harshel’s characters.

To account for the two-year time gap, Hershel is played by Logan Kim, who replaces Kien Michael Spiller.

It is not clear what happens to Maggie and Negan during the two-year time gap, but it is obvious they do not live together since Negan doesn’t know about the ransacking and kidnapping at the beginning of the show.

Maggie also doesn’t reveal the destination of the mission until the two of them reach New York.

Negan already asked for Maggie’s forgiveness before the end of The Walking Dead, but the tension between them still exists in Dead City.

Maggie, therefore only accepts Negan’s help because of his past affiliation with The Crout and not because she has forgiven him.

So, while the background story plays a big role in shaping the show, first-time viewers can still enjoy it because it doesn’t rely too much on the mother show.

Who stars in The Walking Dead: Dead City?

Dead City has a star-studded cast led by Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who reprise their roles as Maggie and Negan from the main show.

The veteran actor and Emmy Award winner Zeljko Ivanek plays the primary antagonist (The Croat).

Gaius Charles (who plays John in Taken) portrays the heavy-handed marshall Perlie Armstrong.

Another badass character is The Dama, who is The Croat’s partner, and she is portrayed by Lisa Emery (Ozark’s Darlene Snell).

Lisa playing The Dama feels like Dead City has an eviler version of Ozark’s Darlene Snell, which makes the battle more interesting.

Other popular faces in the show include Jonathan Higginbotham, Alex Borlo, David Chen, Eleanor Reisa, Karina Ortiz, and Mahina Napoleon.

It is not clear whether Dead City will have cross-over scenes with the other spinoffs, but all the names listed in the cast are new to the franchise.

Eli Jorne, who co-wrote and co-produced The Walking Dead, is the executive producer of Dead City, working alongside Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.