25 most polarizing The Walking Dead characters

3. Negan

Negan is a character that fans love to hate, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan has made Negan deliciously evil. Negan’s no-nonsense attitude and penchant for brutality are tempered by intelligence. There’s always a reason for his actions, and unlike Simon, he rarely acts out of emotion. Even his cruelty isn’t casual but designed to make an impression and to make a point, which it always does.

Negan’s cool practicality is what makes him an effective but terrifying and disliked leader. He knows that violence will always make an impression so that’s what he used to maintain order and to get people to accept his rule over them. He knows that people are a resource so he’d rather maim someone as a punishment, like Dwight, instead of killing them. But he will kill. He definitely will kill when he thinks it’s necessary.

Even though Rick kept Negan alive and Maggie ultimately didn’t kill him because she thought staying alive but in isolation was the worst punishment possible for someone as dramatic as Negan, he deserved to die. For killing Abe and Glenn in such a horrifying manner, he deserved to die. Maggie was not wrong.

Negan may be someone whose brutality and boldness is needed at times, but he will always be disliked for killing Abe and Glenn and his many other crimes against the survivors of Alexandria. Some things just can’t be forgiven. Killing one of the originals who was beloved by fans like Glenn is one of those things. Sorry not sorry Negan, you’re never going to get a pass for that.