The Walking Dead is an ever-expanding franchise with eleven seasons in its main show and multiple spin-offs that keep moving the story forward. Ever since AMC's iconic series debuted in 2010, we've followed different groups of survivors on their journey across a post-apocalyptic world and watched them face no shortage of terrifying threats along the way.
The Governor, Shane Walsh, the Whisperers, Simon, and plenty more villains have stolen the spotlight over the years. Each one of them has proven why humans can be even more dangerous than the mindless walkers around them, and some have even added new tally marks to the increasingly large death counter. That being said, there is one particular villain who has made headlines for all the wrong reasons, and that is Negan.
The ruthless survivor is infamously known for violently massacring Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead season 7. However, it's been a while since we've seen him be a true force to be reckoned with and a true antagonist. During the events of The Walking Dead: Dead City spin-off show, we've mostly seen Negan try to be a better man and save others around him along the way, rarely killing anyone unless there's a very good reason to do so. But at long last, he may go back to his ruthless ways.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 episode 5 sets up Negan as a major antagonist moving forward
Negan has been having a lot of fun in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3: He made a new friend in Mason Dillard, killed the Dama just for the sake of it, and has been going on short adventures before returning to the bar to play Xbox. Unfortunately, the time for games may be over, as episode 5 culminates in a rather shocking manner.
Maggie and Renata have been slowly but steadily building a community from the ground up, which now houses dozens of survivors. As was bound to happen with such a large group of people, some aren't too keen on the leadership—especially after a sudden earthquake destroyed the community's pantry, resulting in the loss of a lot of food.
One of the people who isn't particularly happy with the situation is Fabian. He never really wanted to move from the Bricks into Manhattan, but his wife convinced him. Since then, he has been questioning every decision made by his community and particularly blaming Maggie for every misfortune in his path. However, the food shortage was the straw that broke the camel's back.
In an attempt to keep the community happy amid this hardship, Renata, Negan, Dillard, Maggie, and a group of survivors embark on a mission to find more walkers and generate methane from their decomposing bodies to power the hospital 24/7. While the leaders were away, Fabian took the opportunity to steal what little food was left for himself and his family. Of course, this didn't last for long, and Renata eventually went to his apartment and made him return all of the supplies.
In addition to returning what he wrongfully took, Fabian had to apologize to the entire community for his actions. His wife and kids wouldn't talk to him after that, and he sought solace in alcohol, leading him straight to Dillard and Negan's bar. It is right there, in front of the man who once killed Glenn, that he starts to voice his feelings about the community and, specifically, Maggie. Fabian believes she is a "disease" and someone who "always thought was right about everything you could be wrong about."
Throughout the conversation, Negan gets visibly angrier and angrier. Things didn't get any better after he realized Fabian was carrying a gun that could potentially be used to kill Maggie. So, just before Fabian could insult Maggie any further, Negan lost it and held him at gunpoint. At that very moment, Renata entered the bar and tried to de-escalate the situation, claiming that killing people is not how complicated situations are handled in her community. But just before she could say anything else, Negan pulls the trigger.
Renata tries to arrest Negan after the murder. However, not only does he refuse, but he also says that he will "put down any soul" who even thinks about locking him in a cage again. At that point, war is declared, as Renata vows to come back with men and guns to bring him to justice.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan wanted "Negan back," and The Walking Dead delivered
It is no secret that The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 was released to mixed reactions. Even the actors involved in bringing the show to life knew something had to change moving forward, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan was among them.
During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Jeffrey Dean Morgan revealed that he was ready to jump ship after wrapping filming for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, and the reason he stayed was due to the change in direction for season 3:
"From my point of view, all I did was cry, and he'd lost his charisma and everything that made him Negan. I called Dan McDermott, who runs AMC, and (...) said, 'I can't do it like this anymore. And it's been awesome, and thank you, and I love you' (...) and luckily, we brought in Seth Hoffman, who I think injected so much [to the show], and I remember having my first phone conversation with him, kind of one-on-one and (...) I was like, 'The dynamic has to change. There has to be more to it than she [Maggie] wants to kill me and I'm trying to make her not kill me' (...) and I just wanted Negan back. I wanted his humor and charisma, and his smartness back in the show because I felt like it just vanished, and we were able to do that."
It will be interesting to see how Negan is developed through the remaining episodes of the season. After all, he and Maggie are finally on good terms, and it is unlikely they will go back to being enemies yet again. However, Negan will now face Maggie's community, which puts his character in a very interesting position. Fortunately, it won't be long before we discover how this tale comes to an end.
New episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 air every Sunday on AMC and AMC+.
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