Aahana Swrup
As ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ returns for a third season, it prepares the audience for a bumpy ride right from the get-go. Episode 1 of season 4, titled ‘Trillium,’ finds Negan and Maggie still left in a zombie-ravaged city, currently facing a gross power vacuum. Still, it doesn’t take long for them to make new enemies, Renata and Luis, whose interest in them seems mostly limited to their ability to be bargaining chips against the Croat. As the foursome enters the streets of Manhattan, they run into the former leader of the Burazi soon enough. Yet, the precursor of their meeting, which involves a giant explosion of the city’s precious methane tanks, ends up supplying new hurdles for them fairly quickly. All at once, Negan and Maggie face the possibility of teaming up with a severely injured Croat, for the supposed greater good. That is, if the antagonist in rehab can strike out long enough to serve his purpose. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Croat Secures His Legacy Before Meeting His Demise
The Croat, aka Mile Jurkovic, has been a foundational part of ‘Walking Dead: Dead City’ from the very beginning. He has been the consistent antagonist for the spin-off series, sporting a tense history with Negan and a surprisingly nuanced dynamic with the co-protagonist, Maggie. Still, the post-apocalypse comes for everyone one way or another. At the beginning of season 3, Manhattan is in a uniquely vulnerable position. The existing power structures in the city, however immoral and corrupt, have crumbled. This means the throne is ripe for New Babylon’s taking. Nonetheless, if the Croat must give up his power, he has decided that he’ll be going out swinging. As a result, he blows up the stores of methane tanks in the city, if only to ensure that they don’t fall into the hands of the New Babylon.
The ensuing explosion deals great damage. One, it attracts a swarm of the undead into the streets of the city. Furthermore, it also results in a near-fatal injury for the creator of the tanks himself. Even so, while the Croat seems willing to go out while protecting his legacy from his enemies’ greedy hands, fate has different plans for him. As Renata and Luis arrive at the location, the former decides to save the villain’s life despite the death and despair he has brought directly to her family. The pair of siblings is in need of a methane tank in order to power an incubator and ensure a safe birth for the baby in their community. After the methane tank reserves are blown up, their creator remains the only hope the duo has of success.
Luck seems to be in Renata and Luis’ favor because the Croat turns out to have one final methan tank, along with the blueprints to make more, stored away in a secret location. However, he refuses to hand over the location and instead insists on guiding the group to the location as insurance for his own dwindling life. After all, Luis is a doctor, and there might be hope to save the dying man from his infected injuries. In the end, the Croat guides the siblings, along with their new collaborators, Negan, Maggie, and Hershel, to the secret location: the Croatian consulate. While the others rush inside, the Croat finally succumbs to his demise on the steps of the building with his former mentor, Negan, beside him. The Croat’s end offers a uniquely emotional exchange between the two, closing off the tempestuous chapter between them.
Zeljko Ivanek Has Left The Walking Dead: Dead City
‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ is expected to enter a new era with a narrative reset and significant shake-ups in season 3. The Croat’s unexpected death, and subsequently Zeljko Ivanek’s unfortunate exit from the show, seems to play a huge part in the same. Since the spin-off’s inception, Mile Jurkovic, as the central antagonist, has played a crucial part in shaping the storylines, character narratives, and the overall direction of the series. Therefore, as season 3 brings his narrative to a natural end, it opens up the series to a whole new world of possibilities. Yet, the character’s departure from the show is bound to leave a mark. Moreover, given the rather concrete demise that the Croat faces, his exit from the series seems to be permanent.
Consequently, unless the series decides to indulge in the occasional flashback sequences, the possibility of Zeljko Ivanek’s return to the franchise remains unlikely. For now, the actor’s time on the show seems to have come to an end alongside his character’s storyline. At the 65th Monte-Carlo Television Festival, lead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan spoke about his co-star’s exit from the show. He said, “One thing I’ve learned is that you never get good at it. Every time somebody leaves, it hurts. You lose friends. You lose colleagues. You lose actors you care about. And it never becomes easier.” Likewise, the end of Ivanek’s time on the show will not be easy for the fans as well. Even so, in the wake of the conclusion of the Croat’s narrative, fans of the actor will continue to have exciting new projects to follow in the future.
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