WARNING: There are several SPOILERS for the comic book in this article and even one for Lost. You heard me. You’ve been warned.
We’re finally here. We’ve sat through a mixed bag of a season of The Walking Dead that included some great episodes, some not so great episodes and a handful of recent filler material to bridge the gap between major plot points. The show has felt adrift since the business with Jesus and the Hilltop with the writers trying to come up with some sort of story to tell before the big finale. Thankfully, the finale is just around the corner.
If you’ve read the comics, you know that the show is more or less in line now with issue #100. And if you’ve read issue #100, you know what’s coming…most likely. Presumably, you’ve been waiting all season for this moment. I know I have.
But forget the specific event for a second. Let’s just focus on the character that will make his first appearance. If the creators are following the comics and the casting of Jeffrey Dean Morgan isn’t some crazy hoax and the promotional material for next week showing a leather clad man with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire isn’t some sick, twisted misdirection, then we’ll be seeing Negan for the first time on the show. In other words, Negan will be on The Walking Dead this Sunday. Fanboys can breathe.
If you’re not familiar with Negan, he’s arguably the most dangerous threat the group has faced in the comics thus far. With an army of loyal and ruthless goons known as The Saviors at his side, Negan is like a self-appointed dictator, using fear and intimidation as weapons. Negan’s been known to beat or kill people if he senses treachery, feels he’s being cheated or wishes to send a ‘message’. He’s a savage man with sociopathic tendencies and occasional outbursts in between his usual jovial persona and twisted, perverse sense of humor which is exaggerated by his use of the F-word in almost every sentence (I’m not sure how AMC will handle this aspect). However, he’s also pragmatic and can be very reasonable if that will help him down the road. He’s an imposing figure who wears his iconic leather jacket and wields Lucille, the aforementioned barbed-wire-covered baseball bat.
So, yes, we’ll see this maniac very soon. Now, in the comics, just like in the show, our group has a handful of skirmishes with The Saviors before Negan even shows up. Finally, though, he shows up with a group of his followers to catch Rick and the gang off guard, pinned down and defenseless. Negan lays down the law and, right near the end of the comic, beats one of the most popular characters to death with Lucille as payback for the men he’s lost and to send one of those special ‘messages’. The character he beats is Glenn. I think this will go down almost exactly like it does in the comics. But there’s a catch.
Most fans of The Walking Dead probably suspect that Negan will show up and kill somebody. The bigger question is: who will be that lucky ‘somebody’? It’s natural to assume Glenn will die because that’s what happens in the comics. However, you have to remember that almost no one on the show dies in the same way they do in the comic. And THAT is why he will die. I believe that they’ve changed many of the deaths to give the fans a false sense of security with the belief that Glenn will escape his tragic fate. I think the surprise will be there is no surprise regarding Glenn. I hate to say it, but I think next episode is the end of the road for my namesake.
“But where’s the catch?” you ask. The catch is that it won’t end there. Negan will kill Glenn, Rick’s group will be devastated and there will be a wide shot on everyone, indicating that the show will end and go to commercial. But it won’t. There was an episode in the first season of Lost in which Jack is trying to resuscitate an unconscious Charlie. After an incredibly aggressive CPR session, it looks like he’s giving up and the show will fade to black. However, Jack is determined to save his friend’s life; the camera comes in close once again after a wide shot, and after an even more aggressive CPR, Charlie comes to. I think this will happen on Sunday, excluding the saved life. No, I think that when it appears the credits will roll, we’ll hear Negan say something like, “Oh, no, we’re not done yet.” This is when he’ll kill one more person…or maybe two or three more.
There are lots of characters on the show that have long since died in the comics or don’t exist in that medium at all. I think this will be the scene where we lose some of those people that ‘shouldn’t’ be there. Now, if the writers really had guts, they’d kill off Daryl right after Glenn. In fact, some have speculated it could just be Daryl going. However, as this show relies on ratings, killing off two of the most popular characters in one scene may not be the wisest move. So, who will it be? It could be Carol or Abraham or Morgan or even lesser characters like Tara and Sasha. This part is harder to predict, but my money is on Abraham and Morgan. I just have a hunch. In any event, it’ll be a bloodbath for sure.
So, there you have it. We’ll see exactly what we’ve seen in the comics plus a few more deaths for good measure. Welcome to The Walking Dead, Negan. Have a pleasant Sunday, folks.