The Walking Dead: Top 100 Moments

33. Lucille

Episode 805 “The Big Scary U”

Original Airdate: 11/19/2017

Submitted By: Sarabeth Pollock

Ever since his introduction, fans have been clamoring to learn more about the enigmatic leader of the Saviors. When Father Gabriel and Negan get trapped in a storage unit, surrounded by Walkers, in the season 8 premiere, the duo find themselves telling stories to pass the time.

It turns out that Negan’s beloved bat, Lucille, is a tribute to his late wife of the same name. She died of cancer and he was not good to her in life, cheating on her before she died. By naming his bat after her, Negan is constantly reminded of her and what she meant to him.

It was during this makeshift confession in the storage unit that we see a glimpse of the man Negan once was, and he isn’t the bad guy we think he is. Much of what’s happened is a matter of necessity, and as he tells Gabriel, the longer he’s away from the Saviors the more people that will die. What this means is that he’s the guy holding the Saviors from doing worse things. When he’s not there, bad things happen. This proves true when they manage to escape the Walkers and discover that Simon and Regina were about to sacrifice the workers to save themselves.