The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 brings Dillard’s revenge against Negan to a brutal end

Aashna Mon, September 14, 2026 at 5:26 AM UTC

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The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 ©Instagram/@amcthewalkingdead

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 finale. Reader discretion is advised.**

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 wrapped its run with an explosive finale titled "Tenebrae" on September 13.

The final episode picked up from the harrowing events of the previous episode, where Dillard and his squad had taken Luis and the armory hostage after killing Renata. Dillard's mission for the finale was clear: to kill Negan and avenge the deaths of his walker friends, Cockenspiel and Titicaca. Through a flashback, we learned that Dillard envisioned his walker friends like normal people, laughing and talking to him, as a coping mechanism in this bleak world. This gave his revenge against Negan a new meaning.

As Maggie and Negan planned to infiltrate the armory in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 finale, Dillard had revenge on his mind and was determined to kill Negan.

Did Dillard get his revenge? Here's what happened in the finale.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 ending explained - The showdown between Negan and Dillard

Negan's plan in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 finale was simple. He had to distract Dillard by leading a group of walkers to 96th and Columbus, hoping he would follow along. Negan's plan worked and once Dillard left with Kelsey in charge, Hershel infiltrated the guarded building and freed the people. Meanwhile, Maggie smashed Kelsey's head and rescued Luis, who mercifully stabbed a knife into his sister's skull to save her from becoming a walker.

With Luis and the community safe in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 finale, Maggie shifted her attention to Dillard. Negan and Dillard were in a warehouse when Maggie came and shot the latter in the leg. However, Dillard took Negan hostage and demanded that Maggie drop her gun, setting up an explosive finale.

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This was when Dillard flipped the game in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 finale. Instead of killing Negan, as he had always planned, he turned his attention to Maggie. Since Dillard wanted revenge on Negan for killing his walker friends, he pointed a gun at Maggie, maintaining that he planned on killing Negan's friend. When Negan desperately pleaded with Dillard that Maggie was not even his friend, Dillard had a brilliant idea. He asked Negan to kill Maggie to prove his claim and then they would be even. Left with no choice, Negan picked up the knife and stabbed Maggie in the gut, in a way that would do minimal damage.

Dillard became a walker in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 finale

Stills from Season 3 (Image via Instagram/@amcthewalkingdead)

While Luis saved Maggie inThe Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 finale, Dillard geared up to kill Negan. He picked up Lucille and was ready to smash Negan's head with it, before Maggie chopped his arm clean off. The scene was a brutal callback to the original series, where Negan ruthlessly executed an innocent Glenn with his barbed-wire baseball bat, while a pregnant Maggie watched in horror. Maggie might not ever be able to forgive Negan for killing her husband but her act of killing Dillard to save Negan suggests that she has moved on.

While Maggie was ready to finish off Dillard, Negan stopped her and hugged his new friend close to his heart. It was certainly the most touching scene in the finale, suggesting that the two men had clearly bonded. But Dillard's losing grip on reality pivoted him away from Negan until it was too late to come back. Since the blood loss was severe, it was too late for Dillard. Negan bid a final goodbye to his new friend with these parting words.

"I hope you find what you're looking for."

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 came full circle for Dillard, who was revealed to have transformed into a walker in the finale. Negan tossed Dillard's body to the walkers and he was seen roaming the streets as a one-armed walker. The finale flashback neatly ties up the character arc of Dillard, who just wanted connection. What started as revenge for his dear walker friends' deaths concluded with him joining their band, finally attaining a sense of peace, just as Negan had wished for him in his final moments.

The final moments of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 saw Maggie take charge of the community after Renata's death, while Negan spent his time playing video games with his new friends. Realizing Negan's need to help his community, Maggie put him in charge of security and even gave him a badge. While Manhattan was safe, Maggie had her eyes on the remaining four boroughs. She would need Negan's help if AMC renews the show for another season.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 is streaming on AMC+.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”