The Walking Dead season 9 premiere panel discussion

Should Rick Have Let Negan Die?

There still seems to be some tension between Rick, Maggie, and Daryl. Do you think that Rick’s decision to keep Negan alive was the right call?

Sonya says:

"This is a tough one because you could make the case for keeping him alive and you could make the case for killing him. And they’re both strong cases. While I understand Maggie’s desire to see Negan die and I fully support it I think Rick made the right call because if he had let Negan die that would have turned Negan into a martyr and I think The Saviors would have continued to fight against Rick and the others if that happened."

Sara says:

"I personally don’t think keeping Negan alive was the right call, however Rick kept him alive for Carl’s dying wish and that’s something that I can’t argue with. The group does need to move into a more stable future and if that means not killing all of their enemies then maybe that’s what they should do. I do hope that Negan can change and can leave his old ways behind."

Sarabeth says:

"It was the right call. It was meant to send a message of mercy to the Saviors that Rick could be fair. But the implementation could have been better. At that point they probably needed a council meeting to discuss the plans so it wasn’t 100% Rick calling the shots."