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'The Walking Dead' Season 10 Could Bring More Big Surprises

by Chrissy Bobic

In a surprising turn of events more surprising than the fact that Negan is still alive and Henry isn't, The Walking Dead Season 9 finale ended with some hope in the air. After a brutal winter storm hit all of the communities and the Kingdom started to crumble, things calmed down. There weren't any more deaths and the survivors even had a snowball fight toward the end of the episode. So now is the time to consider all of the theories for The Walking Dead Season 10 and think about where things go from here.

The Whisperers are still a threat, as shown when Alpha and Beta talked about the tough times ahead, and no one knows where Maggie is or if she will ever come back to Hilltop, especially now that Tara died. But the one big takeaway was the bonding of all of these communities, which might have seemed impossible a few episodes ago.

The season ended on a somewhat high note, or as high as it could be on a post-apocalyptic show, and that could mean hope for a better future or the calm before the storm. So while we wait with bated breath for Season 10, there's no time like the present to consider what comes next on The Walking Dead.

Ezekiel Will Lead People Again

With the Kingdom unlivable right now, Ezekiel and all of his people have found shelter at Hilltop. It's not all that surprising, considering Henry had planned to train to be a blacksmith there. And Redditor AnkleBender91 thinks that Ezekiel will be the de-facto leader of Hilltop in Season 10. Tara is gone and Maggie is still M.I.A., so it's entirely possible. It would also give him some purpose since he essentially lost his entire family by the end of Season 9.

Daryl Will Get All Paternal

Daryl already proved during the second part of Season 9 that he has it in him to care about more than just himself and his close inner circle. He took Lydia under his wing, worked with Connie to find both Lydia and Henry, and he's kind of adorable with Dog. Now, RayWatts03 on Reddit thinks that Daryl will get a lot more similar screentime in Season 10. They wrote that Daryl will become more of a father figure to Lydia, he and Connie will get together, and he will have his first ever Walking Dead love scene. That's a lot for one main character to take on, but after seasons of being a loner, it's probably time.

Negan Will Have An Important Role

I think it's safe to say that after Negan risked his life to save Judith and Dog in the blizzard last night, there might be a pardon in his future. Or, at the very least, maybe a work release program to better utilize his talents. Redditor SalesToMarketing posted that Negan will kill Beta in Season 10, giving him one of the most important roles of next season. In the comic books, Negan did have a role in the war against The Whisperers, so it's not that far off. Depending on how the show proceeds, Negan could have a full redemption by the end of Season 10.

Alpha Won't Last The Season

It's hard to say when the war will come or how The Whisperers will descend on Hilltop and Alexandria this time around, but on Reddit, TheGent316 thinks that either way, Alpha will die early in the season. It could be the thing that starts off the war and, according to the Redditor, "The show can't afford to drag another arc out."

Part Of Negan's Comic Book Story Will Make It To The Show

In the comics, Tammy's son frees Negan from his cell and vents to him about his mom being on one of the pikes. In the show, however, things could go a slightly different way. Rarkforpresident wrote on Reddit that Gage will be relocated to Alexandria after treating Lydia poorly and repeatedly blaming her for his friends being killed by The Whisperers. Once at Alexandria, though, Gage will angrily release Negan from his cell, thinking he can control him. Obviously no one can really control Negan, but all of the pieces would line up nicely for this one.

The Voice On The Radio Will Be Revealed

Despite a calmer season finale, The Walking Dead Season 9 ended with some big questions — one of them being, who was the voice on the radio? Redditor Lincoln3 posted that they think it was meant to be Maggie, but if she doesn't return to the show, someone else will be revealed to have called out over the radio. Either way, the person behind that help call will likely be revealed next season.

Rick Will Make Contact With The Group

Call me an optimist, but I have a feeling that, somehow, Rick will contact Michonne and the rest of the friends he inadvertently left behind. There is no word on when he will make a cameo on the show, if ever, but in February, Variety reported that Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, will be leaving The Walking Dead next season. What better way to gear up for her exit than to give her character hope that her boyfriend is still alive? This would make her exit seem plausible and would also leave the door open for a return somewhere down the line.

I don't know how I feel about losing another big character, but if Season 9 of The Walking Dead was any indication of how bananas things can get, Season 10 is about to be one intense episode after another. So can October get here already?