The Walking Dead: Gimple calls Negan a funny bully

We have been anticipating and fearing the arrival of Negan on The Walking Dead ever since we heard his name. Scott Gimple tells us a little more about him.

If we tried to figure out who Negan is just be the clues we’ve been given from the show alone, we might even guess that there is no Negan. I won’t give comic spoilers here. I don’t read the comics. But from casting information and interviews, we know that there is, in fact, a Negan.

He is not a mythical figure. He is not anyone we’ve met so far even though many of the characters that our group met and took out claimed to be Negan. Molly even said they are all Negan.

Jesus told us that Negan’s group is called the Saviors and they extort food and supplies in exchange for allowing them to live. We know they are scary. Scary enough to make Ethan go through with a message to stab Gregory to get his brother back. Scary enough that Andy said Rick is just as scary.

He’s going to terrify you but he’s really going to make you laugh. A lot of the times you’re going to be ashamed that you’re laughing.

We can infer that Dwight was part of the Saviors at one time and maybe is again and that his facial scars represent some for of punishment for leaving. We can also infer that they have a routine of killing a person as a way to say how do you do to new people and establish dominance.

Scott Gimple finds Negan a fascinating and unique character. He calls him a bully. He described Negan recently to Entertainment Weekly:

"He does some horrible things, but ourpeople do some horrible things. He is, though, this unrepentant a-hole. He is somebody who is the ultimate bully. The worst kind of bullies in high school, and junior high, and elementary school, and kindergarten, pre-school, and the womb were the bullies that were funny. That was the worst because the bullies that were funny were show people. I’m not going to say show men because there are a lot of girl bullies in school, too. They were funny and yet they were awful. That’s such a combination. And Negan is the ultimate version of that bully. And he is an incredible strategist. He can often appear capricious. He is pure id. He is this force of nature. He’s charismatic. A lot of villains on shows and comics and everything, it’s like, “Oh they’re the villain that you love to hate.” I think Negan is the villain that you hate to love. But you just love him. And he does some horrible things, but he has a reason for them. He’s going to terrify you but he’s really going to make you laugh. A lot of the times you’re going to be ashamed that you’re laughing."

I’ve been told by my cowriter, Adam, that for a non-comic reader, I’m really excited about Negan. And I am. Before the casting and before the introduction of Hilltop and Alexandria when everyone talked about Negan I had zero interest in him.

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I was sick of hearing about him. I just wanted to enjoy my The Walking Dead as it happened and I was tired of all the snooty commenters who thought they were so cool because they read the comics and they knew what happened there and would start their comments with, “Well, if you read the comics, you’d know…,” or “Just wait, you should read the comics.”

I love to read, but I am the backwards TV purist for my The Walking Dead. I don’t want comic spoilers! Anyway, now that Negan is on his way, I’m excited and terrified. I hated the Governor. He was my love to hate character. I’m fascinated by the hate to love concept.

Next: A Timeline of The Walking Dead's 6 Seasons

It’s also a great time in our story. Our group has been surviving for a long time now. Things are becoming more complicated. People are tired. They are trying to make a life now and not just survive day to day all the time. People are facing the emotional trauma from what they’ve had to do these last few years to stay alive.

It’s a great time in The Walking Dead!

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