The Walking Dead: Dead City – All 5 Major Season 3 Deaths, Ranked

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 was a fresh start for the AMC spinoff. With new showrunner Seth Hoffman in charge, Lauren Cohan‘s Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan‘s Negan finally moved past their old feud, and the show wasted no time clearing out the baggage of its first two seasons.

That meant a lot of blood. Old villains, new allies, and one very unhinged best friend all met their end in Manhattan. Here are the five biggest deaths of Dead City Season 3, ranked by how much they shocked fans and shaped the story.

5 Benjamin Pierce Vanishes Without a Goodbye

Keir Gilchrist’s Benjamin Pierce, the New Babylon Federation historian, played a big part in Season 2 after being forced to team up with the Dama, the Croat, and Negan. However, Season 3 barely remembers him. The church explosion in the premiere wiped out the Federation soldiers, and Pierce seemingly died in the blast and was stuck in the basement rubble.

The show never confirms it on screen, and no one, not even Negan, mentions him again. Gilchrist isn’t part of the credits anymore, making his exit permanent. His death ranks last because it happened off-screen and left almost no impact on the story.

4 The Croat Dies in the Arms of His Old Frenemy

Dead City‘s very first big villain, Željko Ivanek’s The Croat, didn’t even make it past the premiere. Caught in the chaos after the church explosion, he suffers a walker bite and spends his final hours slowly dying. Before the end, he redeems himself a little by leading Maggie and Negan to a methane tank that could power their community’s future.

He finally passes away in Negan’s arms, a surprisingly emotional end for an old friend turned enemy. It ranks above Pierce because it got a proper on-screen goodbye, but it came too early to truly shake up the season.

3 The Dama’s Reign Ends at Negan’s Hands

The Dama spent two seasons as the true power pulling the strings behind the Croat. Season 3 seemed ready to make her the main villain, as she went after Hershel to get back at Maggie. Instead, the show flipped the script. Lisa Emery’s character was captured in the second episode and later killed by Negan, even though she was starting to show signs of change.

Her death ranks third because it officially changed Dead City‘s direction. With both of the show’s original villains gone so early, fans quickly realized this season would be completely different.

2 Dillard’s Betrayal Ends in a Twisted Mercy

Negan’s fun new best friend turned out to be the real villain hiding in plain sight. Jimmi Simpson’s Mason Dillard snapped after Negan killed Cockenspiel and Titicaca, the two walkers Dillard treated as his closest friends. In the finale, Maggie cuts off his arm, but Negan stops her from finishing him.

Instead, he leaves Dillard to turn into the very thing he loved. It’s one of the most fitting deaths in the franchise. It lands at second place because, unlike the top pick, fans could see Dillard’s downfall coming.

1 Renata Is One of The Walking Dead: Dead City‘s Most Shocking Deaths

No death hit harder than Renata’s. Aimee Garcia‘s character quickly became one of the season’s most important ones, as a strong leader and Maggie’s ally. In Episode 7, she chooses not to execute Negan, deciding that killing him would go against the community she wanted to build. Dillard responds by shooting her.

The finale makes it even worse. Dillard keeps her as a walker, pulls out her teeth, and plans to make her his new undead companion before her brother Luis finally puts her down. It came out of nowhere, making it easily the season’s most shocking death.

Which of these deaths shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments below!

All three seasons of The Walking Dead: Dead City are streaming on AMC+.