The Walking Dead’s comic book universe spawned plenty of unforgettable heroes and unforgivable villains before its almost 200-issue run concluded, with one of the most terrible characters the series ever introduced — the foul-mouthed bat-wielding character namedNegan— being a divisive addition to a sprawling cast that already numbered in the dozens. According to the creator and writer ofThe Walking Dead,RobertKirkman knows exactly why Negan is as infamous as he is among readers, and it has nothing to do with the character killing off Glenn!
Immediately becoming a bad guy fans loved to hate, Negan was introduced with a bang in 2012’sThe Walking Dead #100, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, after he and his loyal Saviors capture Rick and crew and outright murder Glenn using Negan’s signaturebarbed wire-wrapped bat named Lucille. In the latest issue ofThe Walking Dead Deluxe, Robert Kirkman reveals that he knows why some longtime fans wish Negan were never introduced, saying he understands thatthe character was someone who was “kind of pissing all over what was a very serious book for a very long time.”
Talking about the end of this issue in the supplemental “Cutting Room Floor” material, Kirkman speaks on Negan and how he totally understands why people hated him at times, going so far as to admit thatNegan can be “very off-putting and can alienate readers,” especially since he added some silliness to an otherwise extremely serious story. Explaining how “I’ve been there, when a thing you love slowly starts to turn into something you no longer enjoy,” Kirkman understands that it can be a “bummer” but still notes how Negan, at least to him, represented a “breath of fresh air.”
Mentioning howWalking Deadhad been criticized for being “repetitious” in the sense that Rick was always wandering around, meeting new groups, ruining said group’s settlements, and then moving on again ad nauseam, Kirkman says that with the introduction of Negan he could suddenly end issues on NSFW jokes and cringe one-liners, providing him with “no end of excitement” while writing something new and all but ensuringNegan would get more materialas Kirkman went on. Admitting how much he loves Negan next,Kirkman says the Negan character is the detail that makes all the difference, despite his valid criticisms.
Some Fans Still Haven’t Forgiven Him for Killing Glenn
Acting as the central antagonist of the “Something to Fear” and “All Out War” storylines and playing integral roles in most other arcs that followed, specifically “The Whisperer War” where Negan finally becomes more than just a villain,Negan is known for mixing crude and vulgar off-the-cuff comments with a sense of humor that fits nicely in between, making fans laugh almost as much as they’re revolted. Couple this withNegan’s penchant for swinging Lucille firstand asking questions later, and it’s not hard to see why some fans couldn’t get past all of Negan’s character flaws and unflattering tendencies.
“Again, I totally see why some longtime readers hated Negan. I get it.”
Acknowledging in the “Cutting Room Floor” that Negan turned a “very serious book” into something more tonally different than what had come before — there’s no denying Negan added some questionable silliness toThe Walking Dead’s mostly dour proceedings with his dialogue alone — the fact that Kirkman sympathizes with fans whodidn’tlike the tonal shift Negan caused says something about him as a writer, despiteNegan becoming a necessary evilparamount to telling this zombie-themed story. Making Negan’s character as important as he was irritating,Kirkman successfully turned Negan into a villain worthy of The Governor, inappropriate quips and all.
But the controversial energy Negan brought toThe Walking Dead’s story wasn’t the only thing that put him at the top of longtime readers’ most hated lists. Constantly cussing up a storm while making hard R-rated jokes and disparaging innuendos that would make even the most vile person blush,Negankicked off hisWalking Deadtenureby braining Glenn and threatening Rick and the residents of Alexandria with war, instantly making him a character worth hating evenwithoutthe added tonal whiplash he brought asWalking Dead’s vulgar funnyman, ensuring Negan’s debut would alienate some fans right off the bat.
Negan Lives!is a one-shot comic that focuses on Negan afterThe Walking Dead #174.
And whileNegan’s introduction did help boostThe Walking Dead’s comic book sales in overwhelmingly positive ways—The Walking Dead #100sold over 380,000 copies and became the top-selling independent comic of 2012 and one of Image Comics’ highest-selling non-Spawn-related single issues ever — not everyone, especially longtime fans who hadn’t jumped into the series with Negan’s debut, cared for the character. And despite Robert Kirkman admitting in thisWalking Dead Deluxeissue that he understands why people felt this way, that clearly didn’t stop him fromusing Negan to the fullestin future comic chapters leading up to its finale.
Negan Has Done Some Terrible Things Since His Introduction but Has Changed as a Character
To make matters worse for those who didn’t care for the character’s on-page presence,the tonal differences Negan affected in the comicsalsocame to pass in the live-action spaceafter Negan made his way from the panel to the small screen inAMC’sThe Walking Deadseries. Played to perfection by the spot-on Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the meteoric success of the television show made Negan’s patented snark almost impossible to escape in any medium, further proving why some fans ofThe Walking Dead’s brutal zombie tale would have rathernotbeen introduced to Negan’s brand of humor at all.
The Walking Deadconcluded over five years ago after Rick bit the big one in a cruel twist of fate brought on by the desperation of Sebastian Milton, the son of the disgraced leader of the Commonwealth, withNegan somehow outliving the book’s longtime protagonist as a secluded loner on the outskirts of town. Now a mournful mess of a man,The Walking DeadleftNeganin a totally different place than where he started, with his violent nature, rough-around-the-edges personality, and, of course, shocking sense of humor still rubbing fans the wrong way by the time it all ended.
