The Walking Dead series featured many big bads throughout its eleven-season run, but none were ever as popular as Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan Smith. Introduced in the season 6 finale, Negan was the brutal leader of a group known as the Saviors. Is there a spinoff that continues Negan's story?
The Walking Dead: Dead City is the fourth spinoff of the main series, which serves as a continuation of Negan and Maggie's (Lauren Cohan) stories. The series was created by TWD Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple and showrunner Eli Jorné for AMC. Gimple, Jorné, Morgan, and Cohan executive produce the series with Robert Kirkman , David Alpert , Gale Anne Hurd , and Brian Bockrath.
The series is set in and around post-apocalyptic New York City, primarily in Manhattan. The island is inhabited by many fierce gangs in a world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror. In season 1, Maggie is forced into teaming up with Negan, her longtime enemy, in the rescue of her son Hershel (Logan Kim), who was abducted by the Croat (Željko Ivanek), a former member of Negan's Saviors.
AMC has scheduled the release of season 2 of Dead City for May 4. The next installment will find Maggie and Negan trapped on opposing sides in the midst of the battle for control of Manhattan. Their paths will inevitably intertwine, and they discover the way out is more complicated and harrowing than they could have ever imagined.
The Walking Dead: Dead City - Negan Smith
**Spoilers below for Dead City season 1.
At the end of The Walking Dead, Negan opted to take his wife Annie (Medina Senghore) and their child away from the communities. Over the years, Negan worked hard at redeeming himself of his past sins, but Maggie's return complicated things for me. Despite a civil conversation, Negan could never be certain Maggie wouldn't kill him to avenge Glenn's (Steven Yeun) death.
In the opening of Dead City, Maggie finds Negan on the run with an orphan girl named Ginny (Mahina Napoleon). He was wanted by the law in the New Babylon Federation for murdering a New Babylon Federation magistrate and four other men. It would later be revealed that he murdered these men for attacking his wife, and that one of the men was Ginny's father.
The series also sheds light on the fate of Negan's wife and son, Joshua, who many viewers feared had died. After Negan murdered the men, he sent his family to Missouri, far enough away to keep them safe from whatever fate awaited him.
By the conclusion of season 1, Negan was betrayed by Maggie and was traded to secure Hershel's release. This placed him at the mercy of the Dama (Lisa Emery), leader of a powerful gang in Manhattan. She blackmailed him into joining her efforts to take over the island by threatening harm to Hershel.
Fans of Negan, leader of the Saviors, are in for a treat in season 2. Negan will return to his old ways, complete with a new version of Lucille, which is gifted to him by the Croat. This will add an interesting dynamic to the storyline after Negan worked for so many years to redeem himself.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 premieres on AMC and AMC+ beginning May 4 at 9 p.m. ET.
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