Summary
As anticipation builds for AMC’sThe Walking Dead: Dead CitySeason Two, a new development has fans buzzing. Lauren Cohan recently let slip that her character Maggie will wield Lucille, Negan’s infamous barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat, at some point in the upcoming season. This revelation hints at a significant moment that could complete the arcs of both central characters.
In the first season ofThe Walking Dead:Dead City, viewers witnessed the uneasy alliance between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie as they navigated a post-apocalyptic Manhattan to rescue Maggie’s son, Hershel (Logan Kim). Their partnership was fraught with tension, stemming from their tumultuous history—most notably, Negan’s brutal killing of Maggie’s husband Glenn (Steven Yeun) in the Season Seven premiere.The first season of the sequel spinoffconcluded with Maggie betraying Negan by delivering him into the hands of The Croat (Željko Ivanek) to secure Hershel’s release. This double-cross deepened the rift between them, setting the stage for further exploration of their complex relationship. Enter Lucille.
This Weapon Has Seen Some Things
Lucille is more than just a bat; it is a symbol of terror, a weapon that defined Negan’s brutal rule inTheWalking Dead. Negan first introduced Lucille in the Season Six finale, “Last Day on Earth.” By the next episode, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” he wields the wire-wrapped bat to execute Glenn and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) in one of the most harrowing andcontroversial moments of the original series. The sound of barbed wire crunching against bone and the sick laughter that followed established Negan as one of the franchise’s most terrifying villains.
Beyond Glenn and Abraham, Lucille was used to enforce Negan’s iron grip on his people. In Season Seven’s “Sing Me a Song,” he forced a young Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) to watch as he bashed in the skull of a rebellious Savior, demonstrating his ruthlessness. The bat became a tool of psychological warfare as much as a physical weapon. Even when not in use, it sat at Negan’s side, a constant reminder to his followers that one wrong move meant a brutal death.
By Season Eight, Lucille was sointrinsically tied to Negan’s identitythat when Rick (Andrew Lincoln) attempted to burn it in “Wrath,” Negan went nuts. He called it “his wife” and fought to retrieve it. However, when Rick cut Negan’s throat and took him prisoner, Lucille was left behind. Years later, in Season Ten, Negan set out to recover his lost weapon.
Negan’s personal reckoning with Lucille came full circle in “Here’s Negan,” which revealed that the bat was named after his late wife (Hilarie Burton Morgan), whom he lost to cancer. After finding the bat, Negan cremated it, marking the true beginning of his redemption.
Negan’s Redemption Arc In The Walking Dead
No More Bat = A Nicer Negan
For years, Negan’s redemption arc unfolded as he distanced himself from his past atrocities. The absence of Lucille played a key role in this transformation. When he finally built a new life among Alexandria’s survivors, he no longer had the bat as a crutch to exert control. Instead, he began earning trust through actions,such as saving Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming)during a blizzard in “The Storm” and ultimately assassinating Alpha (Samantha Morton) in “Walk With Us.”
If Negan resurrects Lucille inDead City, it could indicate a dangerous regression. Returning to his old ways would undo years of character development. Worse, it could push Maggie and others to see him as irredeemable once again. With The Dama (Lisa Emery) pulling the strings in Manhattan, Negan’s predicament may mean once again reorienting his moral compass. The question isn’t just whether he will forge and wield a new Lucille, but what doing so will mean for the man he has become.
What The Transfer Of Ownership Could Indicate
While Negan and Maggie’s relationship has always been defined by conflict and tension, Season One ofDead Citysaw them forging an uneasy truce—until Maggie’s ultimate betrayal. In “Doma Smo,” the season finale, she handed Negan over to the Croat and The Dama to secure Hershel’s freedom, effectively selling him out despite everything they had endured together.
If Negan chooses to help Maggie retrieve Lucille or even gives it to her himself, it would be an act of remarkable trust. This would signal that, despite her betrayal, he still believes in their alliance. It could also indicate that he no longer sees Lucille as part of who he is, and is willing to let Maggie, of all people, hold it. In this scenario, Lucille could become a tool of balance, marking the moment when the scales finally even out between them. This potential development would add depth to their relationship andturn Lucille into a symbol of forgiveness, redemption, and the possibility of moving beyond the past.
Maggie’s Poetic Justice After Years Of Torment
The most compelling theory surrounding Lucille’s reappearance is that Maggie may use it to kill The Dama. If true, this moment would carry enormous symbolic weight. Glenn’s murder with Lucille was the catalyst forMaggie’s transformation from a hopeful leaderto the ruthless, hardened survivor that her son has lost respect for. If she wields the very same bat to take down one of the most powerful figures inDead City, it would be a visual representation of her finally processing her grief, reclaiming control over her past, and finding closure.
For years, Maggie has wrestled with the rage Glenn’s death left behind. If she kills The Dama with Lucille, she would be taking an instrument of her suffering and using it to enact justice—turning her pain into power. If she also uses that power to helpsaveNegan, the man who murdered her husband, it would be a massive moment for her character and a fitting, poetic completion of her arc.
The Beginning Of The End?
Negan and Maggie’s relationship has been a cycle of conflict, reluctant cooperation, and betrayal. Their interactions inDead Cityhave forced them into a brutal game of survival, where past wounds are reopened with every step forward. With Lucille now reentering the picture, the show may be setting upa final confrontation and resolutionbetween them.
If Lucille is the key to bringing them full circle, then Season Two may be the last chapter in their story together. It may also be the marker of a transformed partnership that will progress into subsequent seasons. Whether they part ways as bitter enemies or reach an understanding,Dead Cityhas built up to this moment for a reason. No matter how it plays out, fans can expect the return of Lucille to be one of themost impactful moments inTheWalking Deaduniverse.
