Despite rescuing her son in The Walking Dead: Dead City, season 1’s ominous ending set up a dark story ahead for Maggie, and a small moment from “Power Equals Power” makes her journey look even more bleak. Being reunited with her son and returning to the Bricks should have provided Maggie with a positive future, but season 2’s premiere made it clear that her life was far from perfect. The lingering animosity from Dead City season 1’s ending continued to plague Maggie and Hershel’s relationship, while New Babylon caused serious problems within the duo’s community.

To make matters worse, Maggie and Negan’s Walking Dead feud remains unresolved, something that the upcoming episodes will surely address. While these problems provide some big challenges for Maggie to overcome, a subtle scene towards the end of the recent premiere indicates that things are even worse than they seem. Lauren Cohan’s character is a veteran in the zombie franchise, meaning she can likely take down New Babylon and patch things up with Negan, but Hershel seems like he’ll be Maggie’s biggest problem, as one incident suggested he is going completely against his mother in Dead City season 2.

Hershel Throws The Knife Sideways In The Final Moments Of Dead City Season 2’s Premiere

Hershel Goes Against Maggie’s Teachings & Finds Success

Towards the closing stages of season 2, episode 1, Hershel throws a knife sideways, confirming that he is going against what Maggie is teaching him. After the opening credits, “Power Equals Power” opens with Hershel trying to hunt a deer using a knife which he is about to throw. While he initially goes to toss it sideways, Maggie convinces him to use an overhand technique since it is more accurate and has more spin. Unfortunately, Hershel misses the deer but is still encouraged by his mother, who tells him, “It’s okay, you’ll get it.”

He continues practicing this later in the episode but is unable to get the technique right; however, after Maggie leaves for Manhattan, Hershel switches back to his old method and nails his target. It may be a subtle moment that doesn’t seem overly important, but the scene appears to be symbolic of Hershel’s season 2 story. Rather than listening to Maggie’s wisdom and becoming more like her, Hershel is forging his own path, but not necessarily a positive one.

While it looked like the prospect of evil Negan returning in The Walking Dead would be Maggie’s biggest problem, ensuring her son doesn’t follow the wrong path seems like it’ll be a much greater concern in Dead City. Sadly, it looks like a conflict that will only get worse before it gets better.

Hershel Is Going To Rebel Against Maggie In The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2

His Throwing Knife Technique Is A Sign That Hershel Will Continuously Disobey His Mother In Season 2

Finding a technique that suits him may seem harmless at first glance, but Hershel’s defiance is a sign that he will rebel against Maggie in Dead City season 2. He was already upset that Maggie volunteered to join New Babylon’s mission even though it was to protect the rest of the Bricks, and there was also imagery in the trailer showing Hershel with the Dama. Likewise, his pictures at the end of the episode make it clear that he still has an attachment to Manhattan, meaning he may end up assisting the villains, rather than his own mother.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episodes
Release Date

Episode 1: “Power Equals Power”
May 4, 2025

Episode 2: “Another Shitty Lesson”
May 11, 2025

Episode 3: “Why Did the Mainlanders Cross the River?”
May 18, 2025

Episode 4: “Feisty Friendly”
May 25, 2025

Episode 5: “The Bird Always Knows”
June 1, 2025

Episode 6: “Bridge Partners are Hard to Come by These Days”
June 8, 2025

Episode 7: “Novi Dan, Novi Početak”
June 15, 2025

Episode 8: “If History Were a Conflagration”
June 22, 2025

Hershel hiding his “NYC” hat in Dead City season 2’s premiere is another indicator that he isn’t on the same page as Maggie, furthering the likelihood of the teenager going against her. His comic story also saw him play a more villainous role, and assuming The Walking Dead‘s TV franchise opts to explore this route as well, the tensions between Maggie and Hershel will only get worse. Even if he does manage to find redemption in the end, Hershel’s Dead City story seems destined to go down a dark route, which will be incredibly difficult for Maggie to watch.