Michonne Hawthorne is finally returning in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, a brand new series set within the TWD universe. Danai Gurira’s iconic character is set to reunite with Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes for a series of years in the making, as the franchise finally takes the next steps in a new era of the apocalypse.

After making a cameo in The Walking Dead Season 2 finale, Michonne officially joined the series in Season 3, immediately establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with. Remaining on the series through its tenth season, Michonne has one of the richest stories in The Walking Dead, making her return all the more exciting.

Michonne Helps Bring Down The Governor

Before the apocalypse, Michonne was a lawyer with an infant son named Andre. Early in the apocalypse, Andre was killed by a walker, leaving his mother to continue surviving on her own. Michonne first appears after Hershel Greene’s farm is burned down and overrun by walkers. Joined by her two emaciated walker companions, Michonne saves the life of Andrea Harrison and helps nurse her back to health.

Michonne and Andrea eventually join a community named Woodbury, run by an individual known as the Governor. However, Michonne distrusts the Governor and escapes, eventually joining Rick’s group to help fight the villain after she realizes his true intentions. In the course of the war, Michonne puts down the Governor’s daughter, whom he had been keeping as a walker for quite some time. The Governor is defeated but escapes after killing Andrea.

Michonne Becomes An Integral Part Of Rick’s Group

Season 4 of The Walking Dead includes some of Michonne’s most important episodes, as she becomes a central part of Rick’s group. She and Daryl spend the first several months after Woodbury’s fall looking for the Governor. He finds them first, however, and manages to burn the Prison Community to the ground. Michonne finally manages to kill her vehement enemy in the ensuing battle, saving Rick’s life in the process.

After the prison’s fall, Michonne joins up with Rick and Carl as they search for a new home. On the road, she bonds with the Grimes boys, especially Carl, opening up to them for the first time. Eventually, they come to the settlement of Terminus, where they are rounded up and thrown into train cars. There, they are surprised to find most of their surviving friends held prisoner as well. With the help of Carol Peletier, the group escapes and destroys Terminus.

Rick’s Group On The Road: Losses And A New Home

Michonne joins Rick’s survivors as they wander toward Virginia over the next several weeks. This proves to be an especially difficult period for the group, as they go without food and water for quite some time. Even worse, they lose several of their members along the way, including Bob Stookey, Beth Greene, and Tyrese Williams.

Just when it seemed as though they would lose their humanity, Michonne and her friends were taken in by the people of Alexandria. Rick and Michonne serve as law enforcement officers in the community, though Michonne takes on the responsibility more heartily than Rick. Even so, Michonne and her friends gradually begin to feel at home in Alexandria.

Michonne Settles Down In Alexandria

During their stay in Alexandria, Michonne comes to live with Rick, Carl, and Judith Grimes, essentially becoming a part of their family unit. She also joins in on Rick’s elaborate plan to eliminate a horde of walkers near the community’s borders. She helps save Alexandria when its walls are overrun, becoming one of the most respected warriors in the town. She also takes Deanna’s plans to rebuild and expand Alexandria, which she puts into use after the walls are rebuilt.

Later on, Michonne and Rick begin a romantic relationship which escalates quickly as the two fall madly in love with one another. Unfortunately, their happiness is short-lived, as their community quickly becomes aware of another group known as the Saviors who turn out to be a major problem moving forward.

Early Encounters With The Saviors – Road To War

After witnessing one of the most shocking scenes in The Walking Dead in which Negan murders both Glenn Rhee and Abraham Ford, Rick is utterly broken and forced to serve the Saviors. Still willing to fight their new enemy, Michonne does her best to support Rick’s decision anyway. However, she is more than ready to join him when he finally resolves to overthrow the Saviors.

Michonne helps Rick as he struggles to gather allies, visiting communities like Hilltop, the Kingdom, and the Scavengers in search of backup against the Saviors. Things culminate in a massive battle in Alexandria, wherein Michonne is nearly killed by a traitorous Scavenger but manages to come out on top.

All-Out War With The Saviors

Michonne proved herself to be one of The Walking Dead‘s best heroes during the all-out war between Rick’s coalition of communities and the Saviors. However, things took a turn for the worse for her family when Carl revealed he had been bitten by a walker. Michonne and Rick are left to mourn his loss, changing their entire outlook on the war.

At the end of the war, Michonne is one of the only people to support Rick’s decision to spare Negan’s life. The couple make sure that the former Savior leader is securely locked away in an Alexandrian prison cell, where they hope he will rot until the end of his days.

Losing Rick And Leadership Of Alexandria

Eighteen months after the Savior conflict, Rick and Michonne struggle to keep things together as tensions between the Saviors and the other communities escalate. Tragically, Rick is seemingly killed in an explosion, leaving Michonne to raise Judith. Even more surprising, Michonne discovers that she is pregnant with Rick’s child shortly after his disappearance.

While still heavily pregnant, Michonne encountered Jocelyn, an old friend from before the apocalypse. Jocelyn turned out to be a vindictive enemy, sending a group of children to kill Michonne, who was forced to kill them to save her own life and the life of her child. This encounter left Michonne broken and remorseful, leading her to withdraw from many of her friendships. When she took on a heavier leadership role in Alexandria, Michonne even pulled back from trading with other communities, including close allies like Hilltop and the Kingdom.

Michonne Leaves In Search Of Rick

Eventually, Michonne allows herself to be pulled back into helping Hilltop and the Kingdom, especially amid the war with the Whisperers. During this conflict, however, Michonne discovers clues that Rick might still be alive. This is the catalyst for Michonne moving forward in The Walking Dead Universe.

Believing the Whisperer conflict to be resolved, Michonne leaves Judith and RJ in the care of Daryl Dixon and leaves in search of Rick. Audiences don’t get to see much of Michonne’s journey, though The Walking Dead‘s finale revealed that she still has yet to reunite with her long-lost love. This reunion will finally take place, however, during the events of The Ones Who Live, making it all the more exciting for fans of the original series.

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