Does Negan die in The Walking Dead series?

The Walking Dead series has many villains, most of which meet with a brutal death. One of the worst villains in TWDU is Negan Smith, portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Negan was one of the comic storylines that comic fans couldn’t wait to see on the screen. The comic Negan and the series Negan are very similar in many aspects, but there are quite a few differences.

In the comics, Negan is an imposing fella whose physical appearance alone could intimidate anyone. He was, after all, loosely based on the musician and actor Henry Rollins, who was considered to be cast in the series for the role. The comic Negan is also much more vulgar; his first scene contains 23 swear words.

Negan’s physical appearance is more slight in the series, but he is still quite intimidating as he carries Lucille, his barbed wire-covered bat, which happens to be his favorite weapon. He named his weapon after the love of his life and treated it better than many humans he knows.

In the series, he is also able to meet and get to know Judith (Cailey Fleming) and even goes so far as to save her life. The moral code Negan follows is protecting the weak, one trait carried out in the series and comics.

Did Negan die in The Walking Dead?

Negan did survive the final episode of the series that aired in November 2022. After being imprisoned, Negan worked hard to redeem his past sins.

He worked with Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) to ensure that Alpha (Samantha Morton), the leader of the Whisperers, was killed. He infiltrated their ranks and impressed her so much that she started to trust him. This allowed him to become VERY close to her; you remember the scene, which made it much easier for him to kill her.

He has done many things fans and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) feel are unforgivable. He has worked hard to try and redeem himself, but perhaps he is too far gone for that.

Season 11 pitted him and Maggie against one another, and sometimes, it seemed they would kill one another. But, knowing they needed the numbers to come against the Reapers, they called a truce.

After the Reapers war, Negan set out on his own and would reappear after a short time jump with a new group, Riverside, and a wife, Annie (Medina Senghore), who was pregnant with this child.

He finally gave Maggie the words she needed to hear, “I’m sorry,” about the death of her husband, Glenn (Steven Yeun). Even though she finally heard the words, she tells Negan when she remembers Glenn, all she sees is his bashed in head and Negan looking on, a smile on his face. She does tell him she is grateful for his protection of her son Hershel (Kien Michael Spiller).

Negan’s story is far from over.

In June 2023, Morgan reprised his role as Negan to team up with his enemy Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) in a new spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City. This series was a drastic change from the flagship as it was set in apocalyptic Manhattan. The duo had to put aside their differences to come against a former Savior, The Croat and the leader of criminal underground, The Dama to rescue Maggie’s son Hershel, who they abuducted.

The series has been renwed for a second season, of which the series finale set up several storylines. 

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