8 Spoilery 'Walking Dead' Theories to Prepare You for Next Season

This article contains spoilers – and spoiler - ish theories – for Season 6 ofThe walk Dead .

The Walking Deadwrapped its sixth season with a last - secondment point - of - view cliffhanger that will bethe field of disputation and discussionuntil the show regress by and by this twelvemonth . But there ’s more to wonder about than Negan ’s unlucky first victim . Fates give ear in the balance . friend loom on the horizon . War is in spades come in .

Here ’s where we stand – and clues about whereThe walk Deadcan go – as we guide toward Season 7 :

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The group won’t make assumptions again

“ As long as it ’s all of us , ” Rick consoled Maggie as they drove toward the Hilltop in the Season 6 finale , “ we can do anything . ” We believe that : the essence group has been together now for so long , and endured so much over the years , that nothing , dead or alive , is too much for them to handle . The Saviors prove that the group may not be as solid as its leaders think . certitude in their power perplex Rick and the others into this mussiness in the first office – had they been a little more conservative , a little more concerned with their readiness , they might not have started this war so hastily . operate forwards , you may bet our heroes will be humbled . Michonne was already cautioned ; now at Rick ’s side , the steel - wielding subsister should maintain a calming influence and keep him from act headlong ( again ) .

Gabriel will become an even bigger badass

Negan wisely pounce on Rick and Co. when they left home and hit the road . But back in Alexandria , matter are under control . Thank Father Gabriel . The suicidal milquetoast recently learned to accept the ways of the fresh cosmos , cover his vehement side in a dictation to muster up his parish during the mid - season premiere . Now he ’s a full - blown warrior , vow to protect sister Judith and lead the town in Rick ’s absence . We left him last night standing atop an Alexandrian watchtower , rifle in hand , looking all badass . There ’s a good chance that the newly weaponized Gabriel will play a large part in the refutation of the metropolis going forward . Gabriel ’s newfound strength could even clot into surprise villainy – though so far , his loyalty to Rick and the others seems steadfast .

Maggie will become a key leader

Assuming poor Maggie is n’t the one who stupefy her head caved in by Negan ’s wrathful at-bat , and take she ’s whisk to the Hilltop for aesculapian precaution , everyone ’s favorite farm girl will have a major character in time of year seven . Her gestation will exchange the dynamic of the group , even more so under the reign of the Saviors . And as Rick foretell several weeks ago , Maggie has leadership skill that can be put to good use – expect her to become the human face of Alexandrian diplomacy exit forward .

Carol will return (with a vengeance?)

What about Carol ? She had a rough go of things last Nox : not only has she given up on living among ally and family ( a means of life she says makes her too violently protective ) , the tortured widow woman ran afoul of a stray Savior who put a bullet in her sleeve and stage before drop dead . The wound , Carol is nimble to indicate out , are n’t fatal – so her survival is assured for now . But where does Carol go after recovering ? Will she be persuaded by the reaching of Negan to rejoin the group ? Will she be able to hold on keep , and conduct on killing , to do so ? Or will ennoble Morgan show her another means ? I suspect that Negan ’s violent introduction will be enough to convince her to give back to heroism and conjoin the good fight ahead . She ’ll be call for .

Who are the Friendly Mounties?

We left Carol and Morgan in the hired man of a fresh radical last night : a pair of glibly armoured dudes on horseback . Is this the mount social unit of new armed forces ? A radical equestrian troupe ? We do n’t know much about these secret people for the time being , though they do seem to be friends rather than enemy . If the chemical group lives under Savior in time of year seven , ask the duo to sympathize . They could also be of the essence allies in the state of war ahead …

Speaking of war…

Make no mistake : war is amount . Rick and the others will leave their first face-off with Negan take aback into submission – they do n’t have much choice . But can you really see Rick Grimes working for the Saviors without plot a architectural plan to overthrow them ? His hauteur is his fatal flaw , yes , but it ’s also his best defense against emerging tyranny . The 7th season ofThe Walking Deadwill focus on power plays and strategies . Passion , post - Lucille , will run high . But remember that the mail - apocalypse is far enough along now that those remaining are a cut above . pull through now , and competing with one another , has become a game of chess game . Negan and Rick are the last grandmaster stand .

Rick will defeat Negan… but how?

The Saviors did n’t simply defeat the Alexandrians last dark . They tricked them , teased them , and corral them precisely where they wanted them . They did it through numbers and provision and might . What ’s clear now is that Rick has never faced an foeman quite like this before . The Governor was vicious , flex by circumstance into a villain ; we saw office and loss make him evil . Gareth , at the short - lived Sanctuary , was a cannibalistic lunatic , a cartoon villain made that direction by despair . But Negan is n’t your average supervillain . Negan is smart . The Saviors are organized . They ’re less group than a full - blown operation . The mid - time of year premiere showed us that the Alexandrians are quick to learn to defend . The Saviors are already superior . The most pressing question as we direct toward season seven is how Rick can conduct his people to victory .

OK, but really, whom did Negan kill?

Last night ’s episode did a very good Book of Job of making Negan ’s victim a enigma – so much so that any prediction we can pop the question could be proved awry the second the next time of year begin . Smart money , though , is on Glenn take that bat to the head . Glenn , who notoriously died in the original comic , and whose portion has been predicted and refuted so often that fans would actually be surprised ifThe walk Deadwriters followed the root material at this point . There are linguistic context clues , too : Glenn made the misunderstanding of shouting at Negan when he got near Maggie . Never a smart move in a crazy - mortal - wielding - a - barbed - baseball - at-bat situation .