Spoiler alert: The following contains major spoilers for the Season 3 finale of The Walking Dead: Dead City.
Mason Dillard became one of the walkers he spent much of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 protecting, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan tried to give Jimmi Simpson’s character another way out.
Morgan told EW that he proposed shooting two versions of Dillard’s final confrontation — one in which he died and another in which he survived. The idea would have allowed the producers to decide later whether Dillard’s story should continue.
Morgan first approached Simpson, then discussed the idea with Lauren Cohan before taking it to showrunner Seth Hoffman. His reason for fighting to keep Dillard was simple: “The only thing that I hated was losing Jimmi,” Morgan said. “I didn’t wanna lose Jimmi.”
Simpson had known before filming began that Dillard was supposed to die, and there was another obstacle to extending his stay in Manhattan. His role on Apple TV’s Dark Matter remained his contractual priority, limiting how much room there was for another season of Dead City.
Morgan Didn’t Want to Lose His Favorite Season 3 Scene Partner
Morgan spent a large part of Season 3 working with Simpson as Negan and Dillard developed an unlikely friendship. He said their scenes changed from take to take because the directors and Hoffman gave them room to improvise, with the actors frequently coming up with new lines and ideas while filming.
The two had worked together about 20 years earlier but became much closer during Dead City. Morgan said Simpson joined him for Thanksgiving during production, while Simpson described working together again as a “homecoming.” He told EW that the friendship they developed away from the set carried directly into Negan and Dillard’s scenes.
Simpson said the pair remain in regular contact and frequently tell each other they love one another. He also said he misses working opposite Morgan, while Morgan recalled how much he enjoyed never knowing exactly what Simpson might do from one take to the next. By the time the finale arrived, Morgan was lobbying to avoid ending that partnership after a single season.
Dillard’s Death Had Been Planned Before Simpson Started Filming
Every choice comes with a cost. How far will they go to survive?
Don’t miss the finale episode of #DeadCity this Sunday on AMC & AMC+. pic.twitter.com/cfMejyz5lw
— The Walking Dead (@WalkingDead_AMC) September 11, 2026
Simpson was not surprised when Dillard failed to make it out of the finale. He said Hoffman had explained the character’s full arc before he accepted the role, including Dillard’s emotional attachment to walkers, his eventual breakdown and the plan for him to become part of the same undead community he had cared for.
The breakdown comes after Negan kills two walkers Dillard had treated as companions. In the finale, “Tenebrae,” Dillard holds Negan at gunpoint and tells him they can repair their friendship if Negan proves himself by stabbing Maggie. Negan does it, but Morgan said his character is trying to save her rather than settle an old score. He knows Dillard intends to kill Maggie and believes he can wound her somewhere survivable before turning on Dillard.
Negan and Dillard fight until Maggie recovers and cuts off Dillard’s arm as he prepares to strike Negan. Dillard eventually bleeds to death with Negan beside him, then reanimates and joins the walkers roaming Manhattan. Simpson said knowing that destination in advance allowed him to play Dillard’s friendship with Negan sincerely rather than building his performance around the character’s eventual turn.
‘Dark Matter’ Left Little Room to Change the Plan
Morgan’s alternate ending also ran into a problem outside the story. Simpson told EW that he was not really able to consider staying because Dark Matter was his “legal priority.” Morgan acknowledged the same issue, joking that Simpson was simply too busy with his other show to keep around.
Simpson plays Ryan in the Apple TV sci-fi series, which began its second season on August 28. Apple lists Simpson among the returning cast and has Ryan working with Amanda, played by Alice Braga, as the two search for a way home. The 10-episode season is scheduled to continue with weekly releases through October 30.
Simpson said he was happy that Dillard received the complete arc Hoffman had described to him, even though leaving meant giving up the scenes he had enjoyed with Morgan and Cohan. Morgan also came around to the ending that ultimately aired, particularly Dillard’s final appearance after reanimation.
“I loved Dillard being with his friends at the end,” Morgan told EW. He said he could not get the image of Dillard walking down Fifth Avenue with the other walkers out of his head, describing it as the place where the character finally seemed to belong.