One of The Walking Dead's biggest mysteries revolved around Connie, a character who vanished earlier in the show's tenth season. During episode 9, titled "Squeeze," Connie was stuck in a cave alongside Magna, only for the latter to return a few episodes down the line minus her friend.
Connie appeared at the end of Sunday's Season 10 finale, so there are clearly plans for her storyline to continue moving forward.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang confirmed that the reason for Connie's absence and her somewhat disjoined story arc was indeed the result of the actress joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Eternals Makkari.
"We love Lauren Ridloff. She got an opportunity to act in The Eternals and we wanted her to be able to do it and she wanted to stay on the show, so we had to drop her out of some episodes that we did not want to drop her out of," Kang explains. "But you know, we always get actors, like, if there’s an amazing opportunity...there’s enough pie for people. If they get an opportunity to be part of something incredible and we can make it work, we’ve tried to be supportive when we can."
Many suspected Eternals was the reason for Lauren Ridloff's departure from the series, but fans of the character will likely be pleased that she will return to The Walking Dead for the show's final season. Whether she has a future as Connie beyond that remains to be seen, but commitments to the Marvel Cinematic Universe could mean she's far too busy for a television role.
We'll keep you guys updated as we learn more!