In a departure from the norm, The Walking Dead TV show will have extended runs for both the tenth and eleventh seasons. This is to set up the conclusion of the series, as Season 11 is confirmed to close everything out in order to make room for more spin-offs.
While it sounds like an ambitious way to tell the story, it will be an easier job for the showrunners should they derive the plotlines told in the comic book. The TV show is positioned to use the comics’ final stories as its own, and should that be the case, there are certain angles that the final season should absolutely explore.
10 Pamela Milton's Despotic Government
The Commonwealth was introduced as the community that was the closest reflection of how society used to be. Pamela Milton was the leader, having initially been introduced as a fair authority figure who was soon revealed to be more malicious in nature as she heavily supported having social classes and treating certain people as beneath herself.
This should be portrayed in the eleventh season, with the overall arc ideally placed for this very scenario. While the TV series has had antagonistic leaders, Pamela and the Commonwealth would be the first to be shown on such a large scale.
9 Negan's Time Grieving Lucille
The comics had Negan exile himself from Alexandria after helping Rick’s people against the Whisperers. This was partially adapted in the TV show, which can take note of the exile arc and implement it in the final season.
The full story showed Negan burying the Lucille bat and fully facing his grief of the death of his wife, whom he’d named the bat after. This angle led to Negan giving up his violent ways and opening himself up to the process of reconciling his emotions with his survival instinct.
8 Negan's Origins
Before he became the best villain in the series, Negan was a common man who had to face the death of his wife just when the zombie apocalypse began. The was shown in the comic book series titled Here’s Negan, which told his origins all the way up to the beginning of the Saviors.
While this has been hinted to start from the tenth season itself, the final season is where the story of Negan’s origins should be fully told. Ideally, this should run concurrently to his arc of grieving Lucille, which would form a parallel with his earlier days depicted.
7 Maggie Beginning To Love Again
The coupling of Maggie and Dante can only be a possibility for fan fiction romance enthusiasts, as Dante was adapted as a Whisperer villain instead in the TV series. The comic book had presented him as Maggie’s confidant, who then became her lover.
Still, the final season can bring forward this storyline by replacing Dante with another character. The main point of the arc is to show that Maggie is willing to love again. In-universe, she’s been a widow for almost a decade, and the tenth season should be used to incorporate her in the story again before the eleventh season can bring her romance angle forward.
6 Eugene's Goal Of Uniting The East And The West
There are several reasons why the series should adapt the comic book ending, with Eugene’s last story a worthy scenario. This had to do with Eugene using his intellect to plan a train platform that connected the east communities with the west.
The TV show has had him floundering to an extent, as Eugene hasn’t had a solid storyline in a while. Bringing this arc forward will go a long way in establishing Eugene as a changed man who wants to help others, as creating the railway network will be for the betterment of civilization.
5 Adult Hershel's Apathy With The Apocalpyse
Glenn and Maggie’s son becoming an adult took place in the far future in the comic books. Unlike his grandfather, who was among the first major characters to die, Hershel grew up without feeling any real sense of danger since the walkers stopped being a threat.
This was only touched upon in the final comic book issue, but the eleventh season can expand on this scenario. The story can fully focus on the apathy that Hershel displayed, potentially opening up a plotline that shows how the younger generation doesn’t appreciate how dangerous the world is, as was shown in the comics.
4 A Main Character's Attempt To Seize The Commonwealth
The constant tension within the Commonwealth is something that fans would want to see in Season 11. The comics had Dwight in the center of this, as he started to realize that Pamela Milton was hungry for power and decided to plot her death.
This was also with the intention to seize the Commonwealth, which sounds like a great storyline for the final season. Dwight’s role can be given to another major character, and the growing tension can be the basis of the story that’s told from the beginning to the end of the season.
3 The Commonwealth Divided
The manner with which the tension spread in the Commonwealth was through the citizens being divided by the philosophies of Pamela Milton and Rick Grimes. Some were in favor of the class system while others felt a coup should take place.
Season 11 can break the characters apart through this angle, with even long-running friendships under threat due to the differences in beliefs. It would be a worthy storyline to look into for the show since it would impact all the communities without rehashing Season 8’s war backdrop.
2 Lydia Finding Her Place In The Community
One of the reasons why it was the right decision to end the comics when the creators did was due to the fact that several characters had been fully developed. Lydia fell under this, as she was shown to have found her place within the community and grown up to become a fully-fledged member.
It would be too early for this to happen in the tenth season, which can instead focus on Lydia feeling left out. Season 11 can place Lydia at the forefront by reflecting her comic book story where she formed more connections with the other characters and found her true calling as a messenger for the Commonwealth.
1 Sebastian Milton's Descent Into Villainy
There’s a very good way of ensuring that Sebastian Milton becomes the best secondary antagonist of the series by using his comic book storyline. The son of Pamela Milton, Sebastian was kept as a supporting character whose privileged upbringing made him believe he was entitled to be treated as a higher class person.
This led to his descent into villainy, causing him to kill Rick when he believed the latter was going to usurp Pamela’s position as the leader and make Sebastian himself irrelevant. The eleventh season can place another major character in Rick’s shoes while building up Sebastian’s villainy over the course of the story.