7 characters we hope make an appearance in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 will premiere on September 7, 2025, picking up where it left off after the shocking events of season 2. Carol (Maggie McBride) boards the plane with Ash and Laurent, but in the last moment, disembarks to ensure their safety, leaving her and Daryl (Norman Reedus) vulnerable to bioluminescent zombies and psychedelia from bat excretion.

As one of the most successful spin-offs in the Walking Dead franchise, the show seamlessly weaves old and new storylines in Daryl and Carol's lives. So it's exciting to theorize which iconic character from the franchise will cross paths with the duo on their next adventure, irrespective of which continent they end up in. At this point, some characters like Rick Grimes have to make an appearance.

Disclaimer: All opinions about The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon belong to the writer. The list is in no particular order.

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Rick Grimes, Sophia Petelier, and other characters we hope to see in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

1) Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)

Rick and Daryl are due for a reunion in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 (Image via YouTube/The Walking Dead)

If there is a duo that fans want to see in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3, it is Daryl and Rick. Fans have faced the drought of their on-screen bromance for years, after Rick goes missing in season 9 of The Walking Dead. While Rick reunited with Michonne and got closure in The Ones Who Live, he has yet to reunite with the one he called his best friend and brother.

Daryl's quest in the show is to locate and safeguard his best friend. But unbeknownst to him, Rick has already made it to safety back home, and Daryl's problems have skyrocketed in the setup for season 3. With season 4 confirmed as the last season for Daryl and Carol's story, the apocalyptic horror show cannot end without the brothers-in-arms finding their way back to each other again.

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2) Sophia Peletier (Madeline Lintz)

Sophia becomes a walker (Image via YouTube/The Walking Dead)

Carol's daughter, Sophia, survives the initial zombie virus outbreak and escapes with her parents to join a camp of survivors. She even finds a new normal, making friends and settling in. But her life is cut tragically short when she separates from the group and is immediately bitten by a zombie. As a Walker, she is killed by Rick Grimes in Shane's (Jon Bernthal) mass destruction outside the barn.

In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2, the psychedelics cause Carol to hallucinate the moments of her daughter's death. Hallucinations give the show a chance to bring back the dead, including someone so close to Carol's heart. If the moment in the finale is an indicator, fans can expect Sophia to make a brief appearance in season 3.

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3) Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker)

Daryl could reunite with Merle in his mind (Image via YouTube/The Walking Dead)

Before Rick became Daryl's found family, there was Merle, Daryl's brother. Although he had a more morally gray personality characterized by aggression and strayed down the wrong path, the moments before his death sealed his true character. He goes down trying to protect Michonne from the Governor, and in a cruel twist of fate, Daryl had to put down his zombified brother in season 4.

With Daryl's story coming to a close in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 and the final season, it would be interesting to see him confront his past grief, just like Carol might with Sophia. He has come a long way since, and a reconciliation with his brother, even in his own head, might be just what he needs to move on.

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4) Morgan Jones (Lennie James)

Morgan is one of the longest-standing survivors (Image via YouTube/The Walking Dead)

As one of the longest-standing survivors in the Walking Dead universe, it makes sense for Morgan to cross paths with Daryl in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3. The last fans saw of him was in Fear the Walking Dead, where he embarked on a quest with his daughter, Mo, to find Rick. However, there is no word from him even after Rick returns home.

It is safe to assume that, just like Daryl and Carol, Morgan is unaware of Rick's safe return. Their reunion could give space for the characters to catch up on their lives after they went their separate ways. It would be the right dash of nostalgia and remind fans of one of the most tenacious characters in the franchise.

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5) Cyndie (Sydney Park)

Cyndie's (right) story did not have a conclusive ending (Image via YouTube/The Walking Dead)

The last fans saw of Cyndie in The Walking Dead, she was the leader of the Oceanside Community during the Survivor War, before abruptly disappearing after the beginning of season 10. Her absence after the time skip was explained as a boating expedition mishap.

However, in an interview with Where is the Buzz TV's YouTube channel published on April 13, 2020, actor Sydney Park said that she' still alive. This means that Cyndie could pop up in a spin-off, and there's no better moment for that than The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3. Her reunion with Daryl and Carol could up the stakes for their next adventure.

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6) Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

Negan would be an entertaining addition to the show (Image via YouTube/The Walking Dead)

If Negan and Daryl meet in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3, it would be one of the most meta things to happen in the franchise. Their separate spin-offs could combine as their paths cross for a small storyline. Although the megavillain-turned-redeemable anti-hero is on another quest in New York with Maggie Rhee, Daryl's next adventure could lead him to Negan.

This would be a complex, character-driven storyline because both of them have grown and changed in different ways. Daryl knows Negan as irredeemable evil, so the change will make for a riveting confrontation between the two. It would be even more interesting if they were forced to work together.

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7) Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming)

Judith is Rick's daughter (Image via YouTube/The Walking Dead)

The Walking Dead franchise is a poetic commentary on the importance of found families, and one of the best ways they showed that was how Daryl took Judith and RJ under his wing after Rick and Michonne disappeared. He stepped up to be their father figure, so it was bittersweet to watch him leave them behind in search of his best friend in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

Rick and Judith's reunion was a tearfest in The Ones Who Live, so it would tug at every fan's heartstrings to see Judith and Daryl find each other again. The family has been through intense ups and downs over the years, and Daryl's story would have a wholesome ending if he reunites with the Grimes.

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Watch The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon on AMC+ and Netflix.