The Walking Dead has become a household name in the world of horror for its hugely popular take on the zombie apocalypse. With a unique view of the proverbial end of days and the wonderfully inventive opening that sees the protagonist, Rick Grimes, wake up from a coma several weeks into the outbreak of the virus, it’s easy to see why Robert Kirkman’s comic series became beloved enough to warrant a screen adaptation. One of the reasons for the success of the franchise, however, is the cast of colourful characters Kirkman introduces readers to. With Rick himself serving as a flawed and engaging leading man, the series gets off to a strong start and after a while it has something of a reputation for its entertaining if repetitive storylines about conflict. The villains are what really make The Walking Dead and it has some particularly nasty pieces of work to choose from.
The comic’s most infamous bad guy is Negan, a huge animal of a man who is loudmouthed and swears like a sailor. In actual fact, some of the things he says would make even a sailor blush. He’s a fantastic antagonist-one of the best in modern media, in my opinion-and he manages to start on the road to redemption later down the line. One of the reasons many fans of the comic series find Negan so fascinating is that he does not see himself as the villain. Like all baddies, Negan believes he is doing the right thing and has narcissistically dubbed his group ‘the Saviours’ to reinforce the idea that they are humanity’s last hope against the degradation of the world. In some ways, Negan lives up to this self-given classification. Though the Saviours operate like a mafia running a protection racket, they do follow through on their promise to protect the communities they control. For the price of half their supplies each month, the Saviours make sure that nobody messes with the groups under their thumb. Again, this mirrors how real-world mafias operate. Businesses and establishments that pay protection money to gangs and mobs must be preserved if the criminal organisation hopes to keep extorting money from them, so the relationship almost becomes symbiotic. ‘Give us your shit, and we’ll watch your back,’ seems to be the idea.
In the comic, the communities rebel against the Saviours as they would obviously rather govern and protect themselves, but it is made clear that Negan’s system did work to an extent and, despite being a tyrannical ruler with a god complex, he resolved to keep his promise of protection and send troops to any community in a pinch. When The Walking Dead reached the point in the show where Negan made his grand appearance, there was a lot of pressure to live up to the excitement. He was a beloved character and a terrifically effective villain, after all, and the last thing AMC wanted to do was underwhelm audiences. On a sidenote, I love Negan all around and I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan does a fantastic job as the foulmouthed tyrant on the show. However, the show’s Negan fails to follow through on his promises of protection like his comic counterpart.
There is a suggestion there that the Saviours intend to serve their purpose, but the moment is fleeting and Negan seems more concerned with taking the supplies owed to him and hoarding them for his own people without ensuring the survival of the other communities he now owns. The main characters are left to fend for themselves. Furthermore, Negan treats those around him pretty poorly, that’s just a fact. Even in the comic, he clearly considers other people inferior to him. But he also knows how to manipulate and control others, so he treats them just well enough to keep them equal parts afraid of him and grateful for his protection. Show Negan, on the other hand, never finds this fine line and consistently goes overboard with his mistreatment of the main cast. The pressure of trying to live up to the comic, it seems, would be his downfall.
The Dichotomy Of Villainy
There is an obvious disconnect between Show Negan and Comic Negan and their personalities occasionally conflict with one another. While this isn’t necessarily an issue(the show’s adaptation of some characters often differs from the source material), there is so much about the show’s take on the character that has been painstakingly recreated in an attempt to make him as loyal a depiction as possible. The look, the language he uses, and even his relationship with some of the main cast, namely Rick’s son Carl. Because of these parallels, it is more glaringly obvious when Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s take on the character does not gel with the original. A small example would be when Carl sneaks into the Sanctuary in an attempt to kill Negan. In the comic, Negan insists he remove the bandage over his eye and ogles it with some macabre fascination. As a result, Carl starts to cry and Negan is immediately regretful and apologetic, stating that it is easy to forget Carl is just a child.
The show recreates this scene almost shot-for-shot, but Negan’s apology does not feel as sincere for some reason. It’s certainly believable that he regrets upsetting Carl. Again, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s acting chops are impressive as ever and he sells the intended tone of the scene well. But audiences found it harder to relate to Negan during this scene, unlike when it played out in the comic. This may be to do with the fact that Show Negan is consistently less reasonable and fair in his treatment of others. From the outset, he is painted as a horrible, sadistic lunatic with no moral compass whatsoever and audiences are quick to hate him. In Issue 100 of the comic series, Negan makes his presence known in the grisliest of ways by murdering Glenn, a moment still fresh in the minds of fans. The show’s Season 7 Premiere, though, arguably one-upped this moment by going miles upon miles further than this in a bid to cement Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan as a great bad guy. But they overshadow the moment from the comic by doing this, and outdo Issue 100’s villain introduction in the worst way.
It’s all just a bit too much to the point that it feels forced. The simplicity of the comic is far more effective, where the show’s borderline torture porn of an episode feels like a desperate grasp by AMC to fabricate a reputation for Negan…*ahem*, right off the bat. Had the line-up from the comic been recreated shot-for-shot, it would have been perfectly acceptable, but I guess AMC wanted to surprise fans who thought they knew what was coming and, in doing so, went a bridge too far.
Hollow Promises
The characters in the comic meet up and form an alliance with the plan to eventually take the fight to the Saviours and overthrow Negan’s reign of terror. As the series progresses, readers learn more about the situation with the Saviours and their history with the other communities. It becomes clear that, as previously mentioned, the Saviours did actually follow through on their promise of protection. After subjugating a community, they would clear the surrounding area of zombies to ensure the community’s safety and continued existence. Additionally, Negan and his people make light work of a group of Walkers while they wait to be let into Alexandria.
The show does depict this scene, too, where Negan dispatches a Walker by his lonesome and then gloats about how Alexandria needs him. In both the show and the comic, Negan is clearly showboating and needling Rick because that’s what he likes to do. But Comic Negan can back up his cockiness with the knowledge that the Saviours serve a very real purpose in the area of security for the local groups of survivors. Show Negan, on the other hand, is only ever described as a glorified thief who comes to collect what he is owed and then moves on without sparing the community in question a second thought.
Oh, The Humanity!
One very interesting thing Robert Kirkman does is give Comic Negan an unprecedented amount of ‘screentime’, so to speak. After he is initially introduced during one of the comic’s most harrowing scenes, he visits Alexandria to collect his tribute before subsequently leaving and returning home. Carl, unbeknownst to both his father and the Saviours alike, has stowed away on one of Negan’s trucks and is promptly disarmed after killing some of Negan’s men. There is a whole issue dedicated to Negan taking Carl through the Sanctuary and showing him how the Saviours live. It is in this issue the aforementioned scene also takes place, where Negan makes fun of Carl’s eye injury before apologising for upsetting him. It’s an unexpected side to see to the man who openly smiled as he bludgeoned Glenn to death, but there are other brief moments of humanity sprinkled throughout Negan’s run as the comic’s main villain.
This is one of the reasons people find him so engaging. Antagonists who are traditionally evil and have no redeeming qualities or complexities are ten a penny, and people are quick to dismiss them because they offer no real food for thought. Negan breaks this mould excellently, showing us that even this murderous narcissist has something more to him deep down. The show arguably does this better than the comic once the Saviours are beaten and Negan himself escapes from captivity. Through his relationship with Alpha and later her daughter, Lydia, a more human and compassionate side to him emerges and the cold, apathetic exterior he armoured himself with all these years starts to fall away. On top of this, the death of Carl-something that does not happen in the comic-is an event that totally rocks Negan’s world. His jolly bravado and mean-spirited nature disappear when Rick informs him of his son’s death. Plus, it is the mention of Carl and how the boy wanted nothing more than for Negan and Rick to lay down their weapons and work together to achieve peace that stays Negan’s hand when he is about to kill Rick during the Season 8 finale. It’s something I can’t really fault Show Negan for, despite the initial purpose of this article. As many flaws as he has, credit where credit is due. Anyone hoping to create an effective villain should learn from Negan, and his surprising but integral humanity buried deep down.
A Toxic Relationship
During the comic series, Negan is naturally despised because of his actions, and the main characters in Alexandria have a particularly powerful hatred in their hearts due to the fact that they were all close with Glenn and had to watch Negan smash his head open with his barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat that he affectionately names Lucille. He has a reputation for a reason, and there are no complaints about the universal derision aimed at him. He definitely deserves it. There are, however, several instances of him treating those he has under his thumb with a surprising amount of fairness, establishing that he can still be reasoned with to a degree, regardless of his cruel nature. Namely, he mentions that he will be leaving Alexandria with its food as he does not want them to starve. He cannot continue to collect what is owed if the community dies out, after all. After getting to know Carl, he then returns the boy to his father completely unharmed in a gesture of goodwill to reinforce the idea that he can be reasonable so that Rick might come to understand that it is possible to cooperate with Negan.
During his introduction, he also makes it clear that he does not want to kill all of the main characters. He sees the slaughtering of Glenn as a punishment for what they have done, but mentions that he wants the rest of them alive so they can work for him and supply his people. He is a man who values rules and believes punishment is an important part of a functional society. Or maybe just so the protection racket he runs remains functional. We see this at the Sanctuary, where he makes a habit of punishing those who break his rules. Namely, Dwight and Mark, who have their faces burned with a hot iron for sleeping with their former girlfriends, who now serve as Negan’s wives and members of his personal harem. It is worth noting that his wives never incur punishment, as Negan seems to treat them differently. Show Negan also mentions how he does not enjoy killing women specifically, perhaps due to some psychological issue stemming from the death of his first wife from before the zombie apocalypse. This special treatment seemingly extends to children, as well, as Carl receives no punishment for killing Negan’s men.
Negan in the show is much different. A lot of the themes carry over just the same and he certainly values the same ideals. But Show Negan is a through and through monster. Throughout his appearances in Seasons 7 and 8, Negan makes a point of abusing his power over others for his own enjoyment, and this can be seen as early as the Season 7 Premiere. After Rick tells him he is going to kill him some day, Negan takes him on a drive in the RV and both verbally and mentally tortures the man. Between forcing him outside into a swarm of Walkers and insulting him in what can only be described as an attempt to get a reaction out of him, the man is relentless. Once they return to the scene of Glenn and Abraham’s deaths(because one victim wasn’t awful enough, apparently), he also instructs Rick to cut off Carl’s arm with a hatchet. If he refuses, everyone else will be shot. Not only does this contradict Negan’s entire philosophy, that his actions are done to ‘save’ other communities and survivors, even if they don’t want to be saved, but it is also unbelievably and unnecessarily cruel. In the end, he stops Rick and it seems this was all for show in an attempt to break Rick’s will and make him subservient. Still, it again seems like a bridge too far.
It doesn’t end there, though. The Saviours also take all of the mattresses from Alexandria's beds, so the main cast have to sleep on the floor. They take Daryl back to the Sanctuary and lock him in a box room, while also feeding him dogfood sandwiches and stripping him naked to humiliate him so he will do as they say. Then, they parade him around Alexandria like a trophy and forbid him to talk to anyone. Negan also makes a big deal about Maggie after being told she has died, basically rubbing it in and poking fun at the situation. As well as that, he just generally makes a habit of insulting the other survivors and verbally prodding them as if hoping for an argument so he has an excuse to enact punishment. I stand by my previous statement. It is just a bit too much. It is also hard to appreciate Negan’s eventual redemption and believe he truly regrets the things he has done after he has been so horrible, and enjoyed doing so at that. Comic Negan finds the perfect middle ground, forcing his will onto everybody around him and punishing those who disobey his rules while also rewarding obedience and reinforcing the notion that doing what he says is the right thing and will allow them all to have peace. In turn, the communities become reliant on him in a sense.
The closest analogy would be to compare it to a toxic or abusive relationship. Negan makes it so that the other survivors are subservient to him and must obey his will. If they don’t, he reminds them there will be consequences. Punishment. But if they do as he says and follow his rules, he will treat them fairly. And that’s essentially what it is, a toxic relationship between the Saviours and the other communities. Obedience through abuse and mistreatment, but positive reinforcement for doing as the Saviours say. Comic Negan knows if he pushes the survivors and communities too far, they will see no point in obeying him as there will be no upside to the arrangement. He knows they must have some positives, and so makes it clear that they are doing a good job and takes his foot off the accelerator whenever they follow his orders. Show Negan has no such restraint. He constantly pushes people too far, almost as if that is his goal, without realising that doing so will be his downfall. If life is never-ending misery and torment without a break every once in a while, the people under your thumb will not see the point in going along with you. An effective dictator finds the balance, as Comic Negan does, but his counterpart onscreen unfortunately never understands this concept.
Eeny, Meeny, Miny…Oh
Negan is one of the most memorable and believable villains to come from modern media, and his onscreen depiction is no different, with a riveting performance by Jeffrey Dean Morgan that no other actor could have executed in the same way. But he does have his flaws when it comes to his behaviour and how he handles the arrangements in place with the communities subjugated by the Saviours. Comic Negan has his own problems, that’s for certain. Both versions of the character certainly have a questionable setup with their wives. Each of them are given food and supplies without having to work for them as a perk of sleeping with Negan. However, the ones who do not wish to be his wives anymore are coerced into staying by being reminded that they would be forced to return to work and manual labour if they wish to afford to eat. But for the most part, Comic Negan just works better as the antagonist and a perfect foil to Rick.
I’m a big lover of the character in general. In all honesty, he is my favourite fictional villain of all time, and one I would love to do a full character study on one day. And I do love Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s portrayal of the character. His talent is unmatched and he brings charisma, charm, and a sexual energy admittedly absent in the comic. But it is fairly obvious that everyone’s favourite leather jacket-wearing loudmouth didn’t quite translate to screen as well as he could have. It’s disappointing, for sure, as a more faithful depiction of the character would have been wonderful to see come to life onscreen. But Show Negan is great in his own right and AMC have taken strides when it comes to a redemptive arc and his evolving relationship with other characters. Despite the issues and flaws with him compared to the source material, it will be interesting to see how his story ends.
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