Never has there been a wilder time to be a fan of The Walking Dead comic books, which came to a shockingly sudden end this month with the publication of issue #193. That doesn't mean the AMC TV series is anywhere near completion of its overarching adaptation, of course. In fact, it has been confirmed by none other than showrunner Angela Kang herself that The Walking Dead Season 10 will introduce an important comic character closely connected to Maggie.
As some comic readers may have already guessed, it's The Walking Dead's Dante that will be making his grand appearance in Season 10. No worries about having to wait until the after the winter hiatus in order to meet him, either, because Angela Kang confirmed that Dante will be revealed in the Season 10 premiere airing in October.
Those hoping for an exact representation of the comic's Dante will be happy to hear that his personality will seemingly be held intact. Here's how Angela Kang described him to EW.
He is this roguish, fast-talking, sometimes charming, sometimes annoying guy who can sometimes put his foot in his mouth, but is an interesting presence in the comics.
Yeah, that sounds a lot like Dante, who got less annoying as time went on, as far as my opinions go. Of course, his overall personality will likely be inspired by how closely the rest of his story relates to the source material.
Will Maggie Return To The Walking Dead For Dante?
While it's obviously impossible to make any grand assumptions at this point about where Lauren Cohan's career is going next, fans would definitely welcome her back into The Walking Dead fold as Maggie. Her Season 9 exit was telegraphed by the same time jump that took Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes out of the picture, as well as by Cohan's starring role in ABC's short-lived genre-blender Whiskey Cavalier. But without the other series to rely on anymore, the time is right for Maggie to return.
Unfortunately, Angela Kang doesn't make it sound like The Walking Dead will be diving into Dante and Maggie's initially awkward romantic tryst. Here's how she described things on that front.
He’s actually a love interest of Maggie [in the comics]. But in our world, the context is a little different, and he will play an important role in the story in Alexandria. So we’re excited about that.
Angela Kang doesn't flat-out deny that Lauren Cohan's Maggie would return, and nor does she deny that Dante and Maggie will ever hook up one day. But the implications are clear, in any case: Dante's TV story will be changed up from his central comic narrative.
Even beyond the Maggie connection, Kang's reveal shows another way that Dante's story will be different in live-action. He'll be getting an important arc within Alexandria, despite the fact that the Maggie-run Hilltop Colony is where he laid his head on the page. In the comic, Dante was part of the first crew that discovered the existence of the Whisperers, though his introduction on the show will obviously be beyond that point.
Still, Dante's Alexandria residency doesn't necessarily supersede any and all chances of his and Maggie's potential romance. It's unclear who will be heading up Hilltop as leader in the future, since Jesus and Tara were already each killed off after taking the gig. But the opening provides the perfect instance for Maggie to return to her former role, even if a bunch of years did pass in the meantime.
Lauren Cohan has never made it sound like she's completely finished with The Walking Dead, so Maggie's return can be expected to happen at some point in the future. Although with that said, it's unclear if she would be back in a full-time capacity, or if she would just show up temporarily as part of Georgie's crew or something.
We'll likely be waiting a while longer to hear more about The Walking Dead's Dante, or the actor who will eventually play him. (My suggestion would be to cast former star Steven Yeun to play Dante, without ever calling to attention the fact that he looks just like Glenn.
The Walking Dead will return to AMC this fall for Season 10. Stay tuned for a more exact premiere date, as well as other news about the flagship series, the helicopter-focused Fear the Walking Dead, and the in-casting second spinoff.
