Return of The Walking Dead teased with key art and synopsis

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Season 8 of AMC's The Walking Dead has been a season of "All Out War", with the show's other communities of survivors fighting back against the community known as The Saviors, which is led by the tyrannical Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). When the show returns to the air next month to finish out the second half of the season, it's time for the "last stand" in this war… at least, that's what the newly released pieces of key art claim.

In the first piece of art, we see heroes Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and Michonne (Danai Gurira) fighting yet another battle while the hands of walkers reach for them. In the other, we see a showdown between Rick and Negan.

Along with this artwork, AMC has also released a synopsis for the second half of season 8:

All out war has had a devastating impact on every person involved. The communities themselves are fractured. Alexandria has been destroyed, the Hilltop finds themselves pinned, and the Kingdom is shattered — half of them dead, the other half controlled by the Saviors.

At the very center — Rick, having been distracted by the conflict, has just returned home to learn that Carl, who heroically shepherded the Alexandrians to safety during Negan’s attack, has been bitten by a walker. Once his sole motivation in this otherwise stark existence, Rick is forced to deal with this reality. Carl has always been a beacon of hope, a symbol for the remaining thread of humanity — lessons that the survivors around him would be wise to take with them as this war surges onward.

But Rick isn’t the only person who’s living in peril. Aaron and Enid are in a dire situation at Oceanside — unclear if they’re in friendly territory, or if they’ve just made new enemies. Father Gabriel will do his part in attempting to smuggle Dr. Carson safely back to the Hilltop and a pregnant Maggie is wrestling with the many moral gray areas that come with leadership during war. In a standoff with the Saviors, she must decide how to proceed with the dozens of POW lives she’s currently in control of, as well as new complications that come with being a leader. 

In addition to the war, Negan continues to deal with struggles within his ranks as workers, traitors, and others’ thirst for power cause conflict at the Sanctuary. Having gifted the Saviors a major victory, Eugene’s loyalty is repeatedly tested as new obstacles present themselves.

As all-out-war consumes us, the line between good and evil continues to blur. People fighting for what they believe in. Everybody working together for something bigger — to feel safe and have a world worth living in.

I've found season 8 to be rather dull and underwhelming so far, and I'm hoping that it will improve in the second half… But given that the midseason premiere will be dealing with a twist that I believe to be a major misstep, my hopes aren't high.

The Walking Dead returns on February 25th.