The Walking Dead: Will Negan’s words return to haunt Michonne later?

In The Walking Dead 904 Negan got under Michonne’s skin after reminding her that she’s made for this world. Those words could haunt her after she loses Rick.

Negan has a way of getting under people’s skin on The Walking Dead. The former leader of the Saviors has been sitting in an Alexandria jail cell for almost two years, biding his time, and when Michonne comes to end his hunger strike in The Walking Dead 904 he makes his move. But will his words come back to haunt Michonne after she loses Rick?

Love him or hate him, or love to hate him, Negan is an intriguing character because he doesn’t lie and he’s the straightest shooter of all of The Walking Dead villains. (Yeah, I’m looking at you Gareth) He doesn’t beat around the bush because there’s no need for that. As the leader of the Saviors and the man responsible for the people living at the Sanctuary, Negan established rules and his motto is simple: You live by the rules, or you face punishment.

Given his reputation for being open and telling the truth, he isn’t wrong when he tells Michonne that they’re a lot alike. He knows that she’s a fierce killer and that family life isn’t enough. This wasn’t always the case for them until they both lost someone. For Negan it was his wife and his bat Lucille, and for Michonne it was Andre. (For what it’s worth, this would have been especially true back when we first met Michonne) Negan thinks that Michonne will tire of this life and need more than what she has now. For Michonne, the times have changed and though Michonne has been going out to hunt at night, she has a new family and a new reason to keep up the good fight.

But what will happen when Michonne believes Rick is dead?

Grief takes different forms for different people and more than anything Negan wanted Michonne to know that they formed their apocalyptic identities after experiencing loss. Losing Rick less than two years after losing Carl might prove to be one of the most difficult things Michonne has dealt with.

There won’t be much time to explore Michonne’s immediate reaction to Rick’s death because the show has already made the six-year time jump following Rick’s disappearance. Surely Rick’s loss will impact Michonne and lead her to mourn, and it’s very likely that her mourning will involve going out and killing walkers. But this will likely be a temporary situation for her.

Michonne has already proved that she’s stronger than Negan thinks, and she is so focused on creating a charter and a new way of life that she’s not going to let everything go in her grief. If anything, she’ll honor Rick by continuing to build his vision for the future.