The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 24, "Rest in Peace," which debuted Sunday, Nov. 20 on AMC.
The Walking Dead finally said its goodbyes to the small screen after 12 years -- but the best is yet to come. Emotions ran high amongst fans after Rosita Espinosa's death and Judith Grimes' survival. However, those moments couldn't top the return of Rick Grimes and Michonne and the fact that the finale was more of a setup for the future.
The three new spinoffs of The Walking Dead are Rick and Michonne's unnamed series, Daryl Dixon's show and The Walking Dead: Dead City featuring Maggie Rhee and Negan. They were prematurely announced before The Walking Dead ended, which ruined the finale's viewing experience by confirming that these characters would not die. However, Season 11, Episode 24, "Rest in Peace" left their futures up in the air in other ways.
Rick and Michonne's Spinoff Finally Has a Solid Premise
Eeryone was waiting for some kind of clue about the Rick and Michonne spinoff that is expected in 2023, and The Walking Dead delivered. The final scene of "Rest in Peace" jumped between Rick and Michonne in two different storylines; Rick was at the CRM as a "consignee" and found by a helicopter while he was trying to escape. Michonne was still on her journey to find Rick, but hadn't had any luck. Given that it's been several years since Rick's disappearance, the spinoff may be split into two timelines to tell Rick and Michonne's respective stories until they collide.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Is Still a Mystery
By the end of "Rest in Peace," it's still unclear how The Walking Dead: Dead City ties into the parent series. Before the one-year time jump, Maggie and Negan made amends. In one of the most beautiful and satisfying scenes of the finale, Negan finally broke down and apologized to Maggie for killing Glenn and leaving Hershel without a father. Maggie didn't forgive him, claiming that whenever she looked at Negan she saw him mocking Glenn as he beat him to death with a baseball bat. But she wanted to live on with happy memories of Glenn and show her son that Negan didn't have a hold on her, and accepting Negan's apology was the best way to do that.
One year later, there was no sign of Negan or Annie, but Negan did send Judith back her compass that he stole from her in Season 9. Maggie was at Hilltop, where she reinserted herself as leader and was rebuilding the community. While there was no mention of New York -- where Dead City will take place -- Maggie did suggest to Carol that it's time to look further out for more people. That may indicate how Maggie gets to the spinoff, which Lauren Cohan told Entertainment Weekly will be set a few years after the series finale. How Negan fits into that equation is up in the air, but a running theory is that both Hershel and Negan's child will be kidnapped and taken to New York, forcing the duo to team up and save them.
The Walking Dead Introduced Daryl Dixon's New Journey
A trip to France seems to be out of Daryl's comfort zone, but the series finale explained why he departed the group. Judith told Daryl that Michonne left to find Rick, and a year later he set off on his own to bring them both home. He didn't tell Judith and Carol where he was going as he probably had no idea where to start, but it's doubtful that France was his first idea. Norman Reedus has clarified why Daryl ends up in France, saying that it's not of his own free will. Sounds like like Rick and Daryl's respective stories will have a lot in common.
With these exciting new ventures in The Walking Dead universe, it's easy to forget that Fear the Walking Dead is still premiering its eigth season in 2023. And while there's been no official announcement about Tales of the Walking Dead Season 2, odds are that there are more stories to tell. No one's going to miss The Walking Dead for long, as its future prospects are as plentiful as the walkers that roam its world.
The first 10 seasons of The Walking Dead is streaming on Netflix. Season 11 is currently streaming on AMC+.