Stay tuned for Negan’s back story on The Walking Dead

SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 25: Writer/producers Scott M. Gimple (L) and Robert Kirkman attend AMC's 'The Walking Dead' panel during Comic-Con International 2014 at San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 25: Writer/producers Scott M. Gimple (L) and Robert Kirkman attend AMC's 'The Walking Dead' panel during Comic-Con International 2014 at San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images) /
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The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple teases that there is a lot more to Negan’s back story, and he has a “loose plan” for filling fans in.

Negan has made quite an impact in the seventh season of The Walking Dead. For better or for worse, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan is here to stay, at least through the show’s eighth season. The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple tells us that in Season 7’s seventh episode, “Sing Me a Song,” we learn more about the Sanctuary and how things work in Negan’s world. However, when it comes to Negan’s actual back story, it would seem that there’s a lot to tell and his story will be told.

“I do believe yes, it’s in the future. You know, I’m always careful about this [because] things can absolutely change. There’s a loose plan in place I have.”

Gimple says he’s turning to Robert Kirkman’s “Here’s Negan” introduction to Negan and his source material. The monthly four page spread in Image Comics’ Image Plus magazine spans twelve months and it debuted in April. So far fans have learned quite a bit about Negan, including the origin of his bat, Lucille. Gimple calls the source material “fairly far-flung” but he thinks “some aspects of it…will be cool [on the show].” It’s so out there, he says, that he “might need to get Damon Lindelof to do it. It might be rather Lost-ian, but we’re talking a good while away.”

What’s more is that Gimple emphasizes the importance of following rules in Negan’s world. Strict adherence to the rules is so important to Negan that it means something more than we know at this point. There is a path to follow with him, and it’s only when you step off the path that he enforces his rules. “Negan is not the Joker,” Gimple continues. “He’s not an agent of chaos. Negan is a lot like the strong men we’ve seen throughout history.” In fact, Gimple says, in the comic books Negan genuinely likes Rick, and he’s upset that the feeling isn’t mutual.

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Negan is a polarizing character for sure; it’s nice knowing that there is a plan to learn more about him in the future since he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.