Look, as a huge fan of The Walking Dead, Glenn’s death was a real turning point – honestly, it changed the show in some pretty big ways, both good and bad. Losing Steven Yeun definitely opened the door for Jeffrey Dean Morgan to really shine as Negan, and we started seeing these massive, sprawling stories. But adapting that moment from the comics? It wasn’t perfect. After Glenn was gone, The Walking Dead just…felt different. It kind of lost something, you know? The show never quite recaptured that earlier magic for me.
Even after ten years, Glenn’s memory continues to powerfully affect The Walking Dead, particularly in The Walking Dead: Dead City. The first two seasons of the Maggie and Negan spin-off largely focused on Maggie’s struggle to cope with Glenn’s death and her desire for revenge against Negan. Simultaneously, the show explored Negan’s own feelings about what happened, showing his connection with Glenn and Maggie’s son, Hershel. Throughout Dead City, Glenn has remained a central figure in their story.
Despite Glenn Rhee still being a major character, the start of Dead City season 3 makes a very clear connection to his death – it actually recreates the scene with new characters playing all the roles. The episode features Renata and her brother Luis, who are survivors from a small hospital group that was previously protected by the Dama.
Renata and Luis are introduced in Dead City while trying to steal a methane tank from the Croat. The season then flashes back four months to reveal the history between them, explaining how the Croat was enforcing rules for Dama at the time. When the group protecting Dama couldn’t pay what they owed, the Croat retaliated with a punishment similar to one delivered by Negan in The Walking Dead‘s sixth season finale.
Similar to the villain Negan, the Croat believed someone in the community had to die to force obedience, and he openly admitted Negan was his inspiration. Like his mentor, who used a bat to instill fear, the Croat decided to kill two people, hoping the shocking act would send a message. The most striking parallel to the past occurred when the Croat recreated Glenn’s execution almost exactly. He chose a man who was about to become a father and killed him slowly and painfully in front of everyone, including the man’s pregnant partner.
Our new arrival, Maggie, screamed as Glenn suffered a fatal injury. The rest of the group stood paralyzed with fear while a man repeated the children’s rhyme “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe” to choose someone else to harm.
When Glenn died, the Savior group had already kicked out the man who killed him from their base, known as the Sanctuary. However, this brutal act clearly set a pattern – it became how the Saviors controlled other groups through fear.
The Croat Also Repeats Negan’s Biggest Mistake
Negan taught the Croat that strategically eliminating key opponents could subdue an entire enemy group. This approach demonstrably worked for both of them many times.
Negan quickly found out that killing the wrong person could backfire spectacularly. In The Walking Dead, he mistakenly targeted a beloved expectant father, and Glenn’s death ultimately led to the Saviors’ defeat when Rick Grimes retaliated against his killer.
The Croat didn’t stick around to face the consequences of his actions, and it’s striking to see him repeating the same error. Four months ago, he publicly selected someone to be executed in front of their loved ones. Now, in season 3 of The Walking Dead: Dead City, the Croat is facing the victim’s family, who are determined to get information from him before letting him meet a terrible end. Negan, having already learned this lesson, watches with a hint of satisfaction as history repeats itself with the Croat.
2026-07-27 18:48