'The Walking Dead' showrunner teases they will do a twist on a Michonne story from the comics on the final season
- Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Walking Dead" comic.
- "TWD" teasers have hinted at a comic story line featuring Michonne's long lost daughter.
- Showrunner Angela Kang says they're "planning to do some version of that" story.
The final season of "The Walking Dead" is going to adapt a big moment from the comics.
But expect it to have a twist.
A teaser for the final season of "TWD" has hinted at a very popular comic story line featuring Michonne's long-lost child, Elodie. On the show, Michonne never had a daughter. Instead, the AMC series gave Michonne a young son who died early in the apocalypse.
When asked if viewers may see some version of the popular Michonne/Elodie comic story line adapted to "TWD," but perhaps with another character, showrunner Angela Kang said, "Yes, I think for comic-book fans that definitely means something specific."
"We're planning to do some version of that, but, since we don't have Michonne, we'll see what form that takes," Kang added.
Danai Gurira, who played fan-favorite Michonne, previously left "TWD" on season 10 of the series.
If you're not familiar with the comic story line in question, we'll catch you up to speed.
What happens in the comics: Michonne and others are brought back to the Commonwealth where her daughter has lived.
"The Walking Dead" season 11 teaser released on March 14 showed brief glimpses of a board with photos.
Fans recognized it as very similar to something seen in the comics.
When Eugene, Michonne, and others first arrived at the Commonwealth in the comics, they come across a massive board filled with photos of missing people.
In one of the comic's most surprising moments, Michonne spots a photo of herself on the board. The words, "If you have information please contact Elodie at the bakery" are visible under her name. She's later reunited with her grown-up daughter in an emotional moment.
The very same "TWD" teaser juxtaposed the imagery of the missing person's board with a cake, presumably, in a bakery.
Who could get the Michonne and Elodie story line? Not Duane.
From our conversation with Kang, it doesn't sound like Danai Gurira is coming back anytime soon to "TWD."
With Michonne out of the picture, who does that leave to take on this story arc?
One recent theory was that the show may somehow bring Morgan Jones' son, Duane, back into the fold. A bottle of whiskey seen on season 10, episode 20 showed a label with the name "Duane Jones" making fans wonder if this was purely an Easter egg or a nod to something more.
The timing was more suspicious because the episode aired the same night as "TWD" season 11 trailer with the Elodie story line tease.
The problem there? Viewers were told Morgan's son died years ago when he was bit by his mother.
When Insider asked Kang whether or not the "Duane Jones" bottle was simply an Easter egg or a wink and nod to something to come, Kang said it "was just an Easter egg." "It's not anything to do with something to come."
If we're not seeing Morgan Jones' son, who could we see get some version of this story arc?
Of the people heading to the Commonwealth, it would make the most sense for Ezekiel or Yumiko to get some grand reveal.
Eugene is currently waiting to meet his pen pal Stephanie. We know Margot Bingham was previously cast on the series. Bingham was voicing the character on episodes of season 10, appearing in the show credits.
Princess (Paola Lázaro), meanwhile, will likely meet Mercer (Michael James Shaw), the head of the Commonwealth army. In the comics, the two start a relationship. Lázaro recently told Insider she has spoken with Shaw and hopes "to hopefully have some deep scenes with him."
Ezekiel is really seeking help and treatment from a medical unit. We learned on season 10 he has thyroid cancer, which has run in his family.
If the show is going to make some big reveal with one of the characters, that leaves Yumiko, who the show has never focused on too much. Maybe Connie will wind up being at the Commonwealth somehow and that's how everyone will be reunited with her. It's not as much of a surprising reveal, but it would be a way to reintroduce a missing character.
The main reason we think Yumiko could get at least part of Michonne's story arc is because another season 11 teaser showed a gavel in a courtroom.
Before the apocalypse, Yumiko was a criminal defense lawyer. In the comics, Michonne winds up becoming a judge at the Commonwealth. Maybe that role will go to Yumiko.
If Connie doesn't get the Elodie reveal, maybe the group discovers some long lost relative to someone connected back in Alexandria or the series finally starts to give us some hints about Rick or Heath's (remember him?) whereabouts with the Civic Republic Military. We'd be shocked if a group as large as the Commonwealth (in the comics they're 50,000 strong) doesn't know about the CRM.
The final season of "The Walking Dead" will kick off with eight new episodes on August 22.