Jeffrey Dean Morgan had an exciting and memorable run as Negan on The Walking Dead. His character and storyline were some of the most discussed, but Negan’s brutal murder of two beloved characters was also the reason many abandoned the show. In my opinion, as a fan who stuck with the show to the bitter end (and later rewatched the entire series), Negan had one of the most compelling character arcs from start to finish, so it’s no surprise that the franchise wanted that arc to continue.
His backstory episode, “Here’s Negan,” which Morgan has often said in interviews is his favorite of the show (I loved it), sheds light on who he was outside of the vicious, narcissistic façade. And as his story continues in The Walking Dead: Dead City, the upcoming third season has an alternate reality episode that suggests we might see a glimpse of the other side of Negan again, rewriting his story in a new but also telling way.
‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Alternate Reality Episode Has Promise
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 will finally shift the narrative away from the tension between Negan and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). They will finally let bygones be bygones and come together to help save a new community and build a life worth living in. Part of this story will be an alternate reality episode, as confirmed by new showrunner Seth Hoffman, who takes over for Eli Jorné.
The idea behind the alternate episode is to look at what Negan and Maggie’s stories might have been like if the apocalypse never happened. Hoffman confirms that this opens the door to returning characters who “haven’t been part of the franchise for years,” suggesting a long-awaited cast reunion. Some fans hope this could include Glenn (Steven Yeun), Maggie’s husband, who Negan brutally killed in front of her while she was pregnant with their child, Hershel (Logan Kim).
But with this episode providing a different point-of-view for Maggie and Negan, the spotlight will be on them and their unlikely alliance. And it presents another opportunity to show Negan in a different light. Did his wife Lucille, played by Morgan’s real-life wife Hilarie Burton in “Here’s Negan,” still die from cancer? Where did Negan’s life go from there? Or did she survive in this alternate reality?
Seeing Negan with a barbed wire bat leading a community of survivors like a cult is primarily how we know him. But “Here’s Negan” was a welcome departure, providing important backstory context for his character. The depiction even made some fans sympathetic towards him. In the emotional episode, he’s still an immature man who spends his nights playing video games and cheating on his wife. But something changed once he learned she was sick.
As the world began to fall, Negan dove headfirst into protecting Lucille, keeping her safe and finding the chemotherapy medication she needed in hopes that he could extend her life for as long as possible. When he ran into a tyrannical leader who prevented him from getting a new batch of medication in time, Negan lost it.
Lucille’s death was the catalyst that sent him into a tailspin, and seeing this heart-wrenching journey humanized the character in a way he hadn’t been before. With this alternate reality episode in The Walking Dead: Dead City, we might gain a new perspective on Negan once again.
Maggie & Negan Connect in Another World
Cohan described the episode and experiences in it as “emotional and uplifting” when speaking at the AMC Global Media Upfronts. The episode considers if the two main characters might have been better off if walkers didn’t ravage the Earth. The obvious answer would be yes. But for Negan, that might not be the case, whether Lucille lived or died. “Here’s Negan” had some of the best Negan moments, suggesting that Negan failed to appreciate Lucille when she was alive. He had lost his job as a high school gym teacher, and Lucille seemed to be at her wit’s end with him.
If she survived, could their romance have lasted? Would Negan have been as dedicated to her care if the circumstances were different? And if she did not survive, how would Negan have directed his anger? After beating a man in a bar fight and being charged with assault, as noted in “Here’s Negan,” it was unlikely that another school would hire him. It’s entirely possible that the apocalypse saved him.
The “what if” scenario in this episode has a great opportunity to rewrite Negan’s story. “Here’s Negan” told us who Negan was, but this episode could show us who he could have been. It’s bound to spark conversation and has the potential to become Morgan’s new favorite episode, and our favorite episode of his.
