The Walking Dead: What happens if Simon becomes his own Negan?

Steven Ogg as Simon, Tom Payne as Paul "Jesus" Rovia, Xander Berkeley as Gregory, The Walking Dead -- AMC
Steven Ogg as Simon, Tom Payne as Paul "Jesus" Rovia, Xander Berkeley as Gregory, The Walking Dead -- AMC /
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Some fans are so caught up with Steven Ogg’s performance on The Walking Dead that they think Simon is a better Negan than Negan. But what if Simon becomes his own Negan?

Now that The Walking Dead is spread out over several colonies, we don’t see everyone on a regular basis from week to week. It’s a good thing, then, that Negan has his man Simon taking control of things at the Hilltop while Negan’s attention is focused elsewhere. Simon, as we know from the Season 7 premiere, is Negan’s right hand man who helpfully provided Negan with a pen so that he could draw a line on Carl’s arm that Rick could use a chopping guide.

When Simon made his debut, some fans argued that he is more Negan than Negan is. Steven Ogg’s performance is nothing short of fun to watch, for sure. He brings a very different energy to his scenes than Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan. Whereas Negan is all big talk while waving a big stick, Simon is bravado and a side order of crazy.

My thought is that Negan was probably a pretty decent guy before the apocalypse. (Remember, I have not read the comics, so this is observation based on the show) Simon, however, was either a bad guy to start with, or he was the kid who had his lunch money stolen all the time, and the apocalypse has proved to be the perfect place to exact revenge. I mean, what better time for personal reinvention than an apocalypse?

While Negan has had some very big, very flashy moments, a lot of people are saying that Simon might be more dastardly and devious than Negan himself, and the Hilltop will be his proving ground.

One of the problems with powerful leaders is that there is always someone who wants to take that power away. Whether it is through an election or a military coup, power is not guaranteed unless you’re a dictator running a pretty tight ship. Negan’s ship seems to be running pretty well at the Sanctuary, but my political science professor was always quick to remind us of the age old adage that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

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The question really isn’t whether Simon is a better Negan than Negan. The big question is what happens if Simon starts to become his own Negan? That’s when things will start to get interesting.