Negan (TV Series)

"All of this... there's no getting out of this now. I wouldn't accept your surrender if you came to me on your knees. See, winning isn't about beating you. Winning is about killing every last one of you. That is starting over. I never wanted this, Rick made this happen. You tell him that. No more talk."

- Negan to Michonne about Carl's letter

Negan (pronounced NEE-gan) is a main character and an antagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the leader of the Saviors and serves as the primary antagonist of the second half of Season 6, and the whole of Season 7 and Season 8.

Personality
Negan is shown to be a charismatic, cocky, manipulative, brutal and ferocious man with a sarcastic, inappropriate sense of humor. Negan is a brilliant strategist and a strong, effective leader, having kept hundreds of people alive and is worshipped by many and feared by others. He appears to have complete control over his vast group and is questioned by no one, acting as a complete dictator. Negan also acts like a cult leader, as the Saviors all kneel in his presence and when asked who they are, they all respond in unison "Negan". Negan appears to care about the well-being of his group as shown when he personally killed Abraham as punishment for the slaughter of many of his soldiers at the hands of Rick and his group. Negan believes that he alone can save the people around him and is willing to do whatever it takes to insure their survival.

Negan can be extremely ruthless and will do whatever it takes to obtain resources and supplies for his group by extorting from multiple communities, threatening them with death if they do not obey his demands or do not supply the necessary amount of supplies. Negan is shown to be a cold-blooded killer who kills not just for survival, but to send a message and as punishment for disobedience as seen when he brutally murdered Glenn after Daryl attacked him even after he made it very clear he would punish anyone who provoked him. He also has no respect to those he views as being weak as he brutally slaughtered Spencer after he attempted to convince him to kill Rick, claiming he had no guts to do it himself. He explained to Father Gabriel that he wants to help people through their weaknesses and by being strong he makes the world strong. This may explain why he uses fear as an instrument to keep people in line. By being hard on people he makes them stronger and more inclined to survive.

In addition, Negan has great respect for those he views as strong, both physically and emotionally, and those who show bravery and defiance against him. This is shown when he immediately took a liking towards Daryl for standing up to him and punching him in the face, even though Negan punished Daryl by killing his friend Glenn. Negan did the same thing with Rosita in "Hearts Still Beating", when she tried to shoot him but shot Lucille instead, and although he admired her bravery, he angrily punished her by killing her comrade Olivia. Moreover, despite his very harsh treatment towards Rick and doing everything he can to insult and intimidate Rick, Negan shows great respect for Rick and his leadership skills. He even explains to Spencer that although Rick hates his guts and wants him dead, Rick is swallowing his hate and gathering stuff for Negan so that he does not harm anyone else in Alexandria, and admires and respects that. After Carl tricks Negan so the people of Alexandria can escape, Negan openly admits respect and admiration for Carl's actions despite the fact that it caused Negan to lose the confrontation.

He is also shown to be capable of severe torture and will mutilate whoever does not follow his rules, such as Dwight and Mark whose faces he burned with a hot clothing iron. Negan has however stated that he hates performing this form of punishment, but also sees it as necessary as his rules matter. Negan will also employ psychological forms of torture as seen when he nearly made his enemy, Rick, chop his own son’s arm off to break him completely, being the only antagonist to do so. Negan is also highly prone to psychological warfare and is extremely good at manipulating and breaking most people into submitting to him. Furthermore, Negan has openly admitted that he enjoys killing people, especially men, while he does not enjoy killing women, but he will kill a woman if he feels that he has to. Negan doesn't kill unless he feels that it's necessary. He stated to Gregory that he likes killing people, but under the right circumstances. He was enraged by Simon's suggestion that they kill all of the Hilltop residents, because to him people are a resource.

It appears that he is not above killing children and adolescents as he allowed his group to kill a 16 year old boy when they first encountered the Hilltop Colony. However he was disgusted at Simon for massacring a all boys over the age of 10 years old from Oceanside. He also shows reluctance to kill Carl, even when Carl has killed Saviors.

Despite his jolly, childlike behavior, Negan is highly intelligent and is incredibly good at reading people and exploiting their weaknesses as seen when he almost immediately knew that Carl was Rick's son and that Rosita had been in a relationship with Abraham. He is also very good at knowing when people are lying, most of the time at least, as seen when he demanded to know who made the homemade bullet that Rosita used to shoot at him with, and Rosita falsely said that she made it, but Negan instantly did not believe her, and when Eugene confessed to making the bullet, Negan quickly knew that he was telling the truth. There were only a few times that Negan failed to see that he was being lied to. The first time was when Rick and Gabriel faked Maggie's death as to shield her from Negan's intention of taking her back to his compound and making her his wife. This could be because Rick and Gabriel managed to make Maggie's "death" extremely convincing (they even dug a fake grave of Maggie), even to someone like Negan. The second time was when Negan believed Eugene's lie of being a bio-engineer and makes him Chief Engineer to the Saviors. This could be justified because Negan sees that Eugene is a highly intelligent man, like himself, and has extreme knowledge of scientific things that can be very useful in certain circumstances; as a result, Negan needs someone like that in his group and simply takes Eugene's word for being a bio-engineer. The third time was when Dwight had framed Emmett Carson for freeing Daryl on behalf of Sherry, whom Dwight had claimed was dead. Negan believed Dwight over Carson, who honestly said that he had nothing to do with Daryl's escape and said that Dwight was lying and was framing him for the crime. Negan, however, failed to see that Carson was telling the truth and that Dwight was lying because he didn't believe that Dwight would take such a massive risk in betraying him and telling him that Sherry is dead, and that Dwight would have no way of getting out of being killed by him if Negan found out that Sherry was alive and Dwight betrayed him. Eugene concluded that Negan believed Dwight over Carson, because he was of use to him and not replaceable.

Negan seems to have an unhealthy obsession with his primary weapon “Lucille”, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire and is shown speaking to it, referring to her as if she is a person and asking it to give him strength. He is incensed when Lucille is shot, losing his usually calm and flamboyant behavior. Negan also shows panic and gets greatly upset if anyone dares damage Lucille. Negan enjoys using Lucille to kill his victims, often using her excessively to install revulsion and terror into others. He revealed to Jadis that he named the bat after his wife, who got him through the hard times before the apocalypse. The bat is a symbolic reminder of Lucille, which helps him cope during the apocalypse.

Despite his brutal nature, Negan is not completely heartless, as seen when he spared Carl, even after he killed two of Negan’s men in an attempt to assassinate him and appeared to feel remorse for taunting him over his eye injury. He has also demonstrated care and a love of babies as shown by his reaction to meeting Judith and cradling her kindly, though these kind moments are few and far between. Also, he is seemingly against killing children under 10. He also has a genuine disgust towards sexual violence and has made a strict "no rape" policy within his group and will execute anyone breaking this rule, as seen when he killed David, one of his men, for attempting to rape Sasha. He also gives second chances and can be very lenient, such as giving Rosita a chance to tell him who made the bullet, and his treatment of Carl, despite the fact that Carl killed two Saviors. He also shows Eugene kindness by gently telling him that there is no need to be scared anymore. Negan is also, like Rick, a man of his word and has never told a lie or broken a promise, and he is always open and true to who he is and never tries to hide it. This stands in complete contrast with other antagonists in the past, such as Shane Walsh, The Governor and Gareth, who used a combination of lies, manipulation and superficial charm in an attempt to hide their true inner nature.

In "The Big Scary U", Negan shows a belief that killing a few to save a hundred is justified. Negan believes that he alone can save everyone and appears to truly care for his people. He also refuses to harm the innocent, telling Gabriel "me killing the innocent? That ain't why I came here." Negan states that he sees himself as both strong and weak and appears to genuinely care about children, having helped them before the war. When talking about his first wife, his real wife, Negan shows real emotion and states that his weakness is that he couldn't bring himself to kill his wife after she turned into a walker.

Negan may not have started out with the intention to become who he did when he became the leader of the Saviors. When Carl tried to negotiate with Negan and asked if he wanted to be who he is now, Negan noticeably pauses as if Carl's words struck a nerve or reminded him of who he once intended to be. This, along with Negan's former profession of helping children indicates that Negan's time as leader of the Saviors has corrupted his original intentions and turned him into the man he currently is.

During most of his interactions with Carl Grimes, Negan shows kindness and respect towards the boy, only taking on a threatening tone when he uses Carl against Rick. In "Sing Me a Song", Negan taunts Carl about his missing eye, but sincerely apologizes after realizing that he has gone too far. Following Carl tricking him to save the residents of Alexandria, Negan openly admits respect and admiration for Carl, feeling that Carl is the future. After learning that Carl is dead, Negan is obviously grief-stricken by the news and along with his sincere remorse for Carl's loss, tells Rick that he will carry the loss of Carl too for awhile like everyone else who loved the boy. Negan is further horrified by the idea that he and the Saviors could have caused Carl's death and pushes Rick to find out that he wasn't guilty in Carl's death.

Virginia
Negan was born in the mid 1960's and grew up in Virginia. Negan experienced a troublesome childhood where he grew into a bully in high school who enjoyed humiliating others, upon where he gained a strong penchant for profanity and a crude sense of humour. As an adult, he became a man with an unknown profession who helped young kids improve upon their weaknesses and molded them into stronger individuals. Negan later met a woman named Lucille where the pair fell in love and married, over time however, Negan gradually became unfaithful towards her as he constantly lied and even engaged in an affair.

Washington, D.C.
In the onset of the outbreak, Negan was present alongside Lucille whom had succumbed to an unknown illness and eventually perished. Negan however was unable to bring himself to put his wife down, this act of weakness would continue to haunt him and thus Negan strove to become a much stronger person. Sometime later, he acquired a baseball bat. He modified the bat with barbed wire and named it "Lucille" in honor of his late wife.

At some point later, Negan formed a group of survivors he named "the Saviors," one notable member being Simon, with whom Negan formed a firm loyalty, and thus Negan later appointed him as his right-hand man, second-in-command. Negan and his group discovered an abandoned factory where they managed to seize control and took residence inside, and which Negan established as his central headquarters as well as his personal home which he titled ‘The Sanctuary’.

Over time, however, Negan gradually descended into a vicious, totalitarian leader who asserted his position of authority through forceful dominance and intimidation with which he fiercely ruled over his community which mainly consisted of thugs and bandits who operated under his command.undefined Throughout the following months, Negan and his group grew in size (consisting of well over 100 survivors), and he appointed several lieutenants, including Wade, Paula, Jiro, Gavin, Arat, Regina and eventually Dwight; additionally, he established several outposts located throughout the Washington D.C. area. These outposts operated semi-autonomously, lead by a lieutenant, and manned by a sizable number of Saviors. They were responsible for finding and terrorizing other survivors and communities, subjugating them to Negan's will. Typically, one outpost was assigned to at least one community under Savior rule.

Early on, Negan and his group discovered a community known as the Hilltop Colony. Immediately after the farming community's walls were built, Negan dispatched a group of Saviors; upon meeting the community leader, Gregory, the Saviors demanded half of the community's resources on a weekly basis. In exchange, they promised not to destroy the community and offered to clear the local area of the undead. Though the Hilltop was reluctant to comply, the Saviors showed their true motives by demonstrating their power, killing Rory, a 16 year-old boy, as a display of superiority.undefined

Some time later, Negan became aware of the existence of another community, named 'The Kingdom'. A group of Saviors met with the community leader Ezekiel and demanded a portion of supplies in exchange for leaving the community unscathed. The Kingdom complied, and the Saviors recognized Ezekiel's capabilities. A truce was quickly settled between the two groups and thus they conducted weekly trades which was kept hidden from the wider community's knowledge.

Also around this time, the Saviors had encountered and subjugated another, large group, under a similar extortion racket to that imposed on the Hilltop and Kingdom. Sometime later, the Oceanside group rebelled against the Saviors but lost the subsequent skirmish, which resulted in many deaths. Afterwards, the Saviors lined up and killed every surviving male over 10 years old, then ordered the group to continue their service. Ultimately, the group, now consisting entirely of women and children, ended their deal with the Saviors by one night leaving their original settlement on foot. Despite his harsh and violent methods, Negan was incredibly successful and kept more than a hundred people alive.

Season 6
Approximately 20 months into the apocalypse, a supply exchange was conducted between the Hilltop and the Saviors. When a group consisting of Ethan, Andy, Crystal, Craig, Tim, and Marsha were sent to deliver their share of supplies, Negan personally felt unsatisfied with the amount he received, and thus had both Tim and Marsha executed and Craig imprisoned in one of the Saviors' outposts. Negan ordered the remaining survivors to return to the Hilltop ,and, in exchange for Craig's release, kill Gregory and bring his head back as evidence of his death. This however never occurred and soon after, Negan's group came under attack by Rick Grimes and his people in order to end the subjugation of the Hilltop Colony. Rick and his group succeeded in killing a great number of Negan's men and a few of his lieutenants and even wiped out one of his outposts. Negan chose to send Dwight (who accidentally killed Denise in the process) to subjugate Rick and his people to his rule, and later Jiro, another one of his lieutenants, but both failed in doing so. Angered at the slaughter of many of his people, Negan chose to take matters into his own hands.

"Last Day on Earth"
After Rick Grimes's group of the Alexandria Safe-Zone is captured by the Saviors following several roadblocks and a failed diversion on the way to the Hilltop Colony, Negan steps out of their RV and confronts them, introducing himself as the Saviors' true leader. Pacing back and forth before the group, he lectures them on their actions against his group and the "new world order", explaining that Rick's people owe Negan's men their supplies and that he will personally deal with them if they refuse.

He goes on to inform Rick that he is keeping his group alive as he intends to make them work for him - however, in retribution for Rick and his people killing many Saviors, Negan warns that he will have to "beat the holy hell" out of one member of the group. He begins pacing up and down the line-up while considering his choice, and introduces Lucille, a wooden baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, as his weapon of choice. He threatens to put a visibly wrecked Maggie Greene out of her misery, but her husband Glenn Rhee lunges forward, only to be dragged back in line by Dwight. Negan then commands them not to attempt that again, or else he will "shut that shit down, no exceptions".

Unable to decide who to kill, Negan ultimately comes up with an idea and begins pointing at each survivor with Lucille, chanting "eeny, meeny, miny, moe". Going up and down the line-up, he eventually stops on one survivor at random - as this is seen from the victim's perspective, the identity of the survivor is left anonymous. As the rest of the group begins to yell in protest, Negan warns the group not to interfere, or he will cut Rick's son's other eye out, and feed it to Rick. He then brings the bat down hard onto the head of Abraham Ford (whose fate here is not revealed until the following episode), causing him to bleed heavily. Negan is seen standing over him as they recover from the first blow, remarking, "Look at that! Taking it like a champ!" before bringing the bat down again. As Abraham's sight goes to black, Negan is then heard mercilessly beating him repeatedly, with muffled screams and protests audible from the other members of Alexandria as the episode ends.

"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"
After seeing Negan kill two members of his own party, Rick promises the Saviors' leader that he will kill him someday. Amused, Negan acts surprised by this declaration before inquiring Simon, his right-hand, about the weapons found on Rick's being, being informed that they had found a hatchet. Negan stresses to Rick the importance of having a right-hand man in his group, asking if he has/had one of his own. He then tells Simon to give him Rick's hatchet. Standing up, Negan grabs Rick by the collar and drags him to the RV, viciously announcing that he will be back and if Rick isn't with him, his men will have permission to kill the rest of Rick's gang.

He drives Rick's axe into the table before taunting Rick over the fact that he vowed to kill him. Negan takes note of the time of day, noticing that the sun is rising, before heading to the front of the vehicle. While having his back turned, Negan challenges Rick to grab the axe and drive it into the back of his head; Rick grabs the axe and lunges at Negan, who brandishes his assault rifle and knocks Rick to the floor. Driving the axe back onto the table, Negan warns Rick not to make him get up again.

Negan then drives the RV back to the roadblocks with the burning logs, parking under the overpass next to the hanging survivor, who has since turned. He then takes Rick's axe, assuming ownership of it, before throwing it on the roof of the RV, asking Rick to retrieve it. As Rick reluctantly obeys, Negan shoves him out of the vehicle into the herd of walkers that had accumulated in response to the flames. Rick makes it to the roof with difficulty, before becoming immobilized due to his memories of the events that occurred the previous night.

Flashing back to the line-up, Rick witnesses Negan make his selection, once again playing back his "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" chant. After a long pause, Negan then closes in, selecting Abraham as his victim. After threatening the rest of the group should they try to interfere, he brings Lucille crashing down on Abraham's head, drawing blood. Abraham re assumes his defiant posture, muttering "Suck my nuts" before Negan brings the bat down a second time, cracking his skull. Negan then proceeds to continuously beat his head to a bloody pulp, much to everyone's horror.

Once he has finished Abraham off, he gleefully swings a bloody Lucille around, spattering some blood on Rick's face. After gloating to the group, he then strides over to Rosita Espinosa, having observed her particular reaction and taunting her with Abraham's remains, before he receives a right hook from Daryl Dixon, who has had enough of his insensitivity. As he reels from the hit, Daryl is subdued by several of Negan's men, including Dwight. He quickly recovers and stops his men from bringing any harm to Daryl, deciding to let him live to see the consequences of his actions.

Negan reminds the survivors of his earlier warning that he would "shut down" any kind of insubordination without exception, and that he wants the group to know exactly who he is: a man of his word. He then suddenly turns, bringing Lucille down powerfully on Glenn Rhee twice, splitting his head and causing him to bleed heavily and nearly lose an eye. Negan bends over to observe Glenn's state, taunting his feeble attempts to speak and pointing out the grievous damage to his head. After hearing him utter his final words to Maggie, Negan then shows a hint of remorse, apologizing to the rest of the distraught group for the effect that Glenn's impending demise is having on them. However, after reminding them that he had said there would be no exceptions to his punishment, Negan swings Lucille into the side of Glenn's head, knocking him to the ground, before repeatedly beating his corpse until his head is nothing but flesh, bone, brains and blood, all the while taunting the remaining survivors. After finishing Glenn, he exclaims that "Lucille is a vampire bat" and strolls over to the other survivors, asking if his "joke" was bad.

In the present, Negan informs Rick that while people die every day, his people do not have to if he would only conform to Negan's rule. Growing impatient with Rick's immobility, Negan gives him one last chance to retrieve his axe before firing several warning shots through the roof of the RV, causing Rick to spring to action and grab hold of the hanging survivor, losing the axe in the process. Just when hope seems lost for Rick, who is almost completely lowered into the hungry herd, Negan shoots down all of the walkers in Rick's area, saving him, before leading him back to the RV. He continues to taunt Rick, declaring that more of his people will die if he continues to act defiant. Rick retrieves the axe and makes it through the dense smoke to the RV, but finds it locked, Negan having locked him outside to further test and torture him. At the last moment, Negan puts down the incoming walkers and allows Rick entry. Rick begrudgingly hands the axe over to Negan, who commends him on his efforts.

Driving back to the clearing, Negan once again gleefully mocks Rick and the deaths of his group members. After cleaning the axe with a blanket and Rick's jacket, Negan hands him the axe, excitedly telling him that he has a good feeling that Rick will need it. Rick reluctantly takes the weapon, before he is forcefully dragged out of the RV and back to the group. Negan then questions Rick on whether or not he knew the purpose of the trip they had taken. He explains that he was attempting to break Rick into complying with Negan's way of living, as he saw defiance in his eyes, and defiance would only result in more conflict. He declares that Rick has failed the test and asks if he should give him another chance, to which Rick says yes. Negan then commences a final test of compliance, asking for guns to be drawn to the back of each survivor's head, specifically aimed in a way that the bullet would exit through their noses, creating a "real mess".

Negan then orders an angered Carl to walk forward. He then ties his belt around Carl's left arm as a tourniquet, asking Carl if he is left-handed (using the boxing term "south paw"), to which he replies that he isn't. Once he has tied the tourniquet around his arm, Negan asks Carl to lay next to Rick, ordering him to "spread them wings". After acquiring a pen from Simon, he then marks a black line across Carl's forearm. Noticing Rick's pleas to not go through with what he believes he is planning to do, Negan turns to him before confirming that he "ain't doing shit".

Standing up, Negan orders Rick to pick up the hatchet and chop Carl's arm off at the marked line, giving specific directions on how to make the cut to ensure that the Saviors' doctor can properly seal the wound later. Negan threatens to kill the group, Carl, all of the Alexandrian citizens and, eventually, Rick if he does not comply. Michonne attempts to come to Carl's defense, saying that the group is subjugated; Negan brushes this claim off, saying that while the group may understand how the world now works, Rick does not. Noticing that Rick is indecisive, Negan then threatens to beat Carl the same way he did Glenn and Abraham if he does not make a decision. Rick attempts to do everything in his power to avoid mutilating his son, even going so far as to offer himself up to Negan in Carl's place, but he is rejected. Seeing that Rick is showing extreme hesitance, Negan grows impatient and begins to count down from 3, causing Rick to panic and wail. As Negan reaches 1, Rick, screaming in anguish, picks up and raises the axe above his head, ready to bring it down on Carl's arm, before he is stopped at the last second.

Negan declares to Rick that he answers to, provides for and belongs to him. When he sees that Rick is compliant but silent, Negan angrily grapples him, yelling that he should speak when spoken to, before repeating his commands for Rick to properly acknowledge. Seeing that he has finally broken Rick and that he is now submissive to his rule, Negan cheerfully declares this to be a productive day, thanking the rest of the group, including the now-deceased, for their participation. Negan then orders for Daryl to be taken back with them as a prisoner because he likes Daryl's bravery and wants him to become a member of the Saviors. Negan also informs Rick that any further insubordination will result in the mutilation of Daryl, either by his or Rick's hand. Before leaving, Negan leaves a truck with the survivors for them to cart the supplies they owe the Saviors in the following week. He welcomes the group into his new order, warning them to never try to betray him, before leaving them in shambles, giving them a final "ta-ta" before returning with his men to their base.

"The Cell"
Negan first appears wandering around the Sanctuary’s garden area. Dwight, among other Saviors in the area, kneel before Negan as he passes.

Negan later approaches Dwight, who has Daryl in custody, and encourages him to be pulled aside for a talk. Once Daryl is secured back in his cell, Negan discusses their efforts in trying to break him with Dwight. As a reward, Negan offers Dwight to sleep with one of his wives with Sherry being the first option. However, Dwight declines. Negan is slightly angered by Dwight’s refusal but allows him to follow through on his choice. Arat radios Dwight to inform him that Gordon had fled the Sanctuary. Negan answers Arat and lets her know that Dwight will meet her at the gate. Negan tells Dwight to send someone else to take care of the grunt work, but he assures Negan he enjoys doing it. After a while Negan laughs and sends Dwight to find the runaway.

Negan and some of his men later corner Daryl who was attempting to escape from the Sanctuary and they anticipated his escape. Negan asks the Saviors surrounding Daryl “Who are you?” They all respond, “Negan.” Negan reprimands Daryl’s attempt at escaping a failure and presents him with three options: Daryl either becomes a walker for the Sanctuary’s fence line, earn points or work alongside Negan with beneficial privileges. Daryl doesn’t reply. Negan is annoyed and swings Lucille at Daryl, stopping just short of hitting him, but Daryl doesn’t flinch. Negan notes and is intrigued by Daryl’s resolve in that he cannot be “scared easy” despite his dire circumstances. Negan leaves while his men restrain Daryl and return him to his cell.

Dwight having returned from his mission, wakes Daryl and leads him to an efficiency apartment where Negan awaits. Negan explains to Daryl how Dwight became one of his top men. Dwight, Sherry, and her sister (Tina) used to work for points. When Tina fell behind on points, on account of her costly medication, he asked her to marry him. Dwight, Sherry, and Tina stole the medicine and ran away.

They returned after Tina’s death. Dwight asked for forgiveness and begged Negan not to kill Sherry. Sherry offered to marry Negan if he spared Dwight’s life. He agreed — after burning Dwight’s face with an iron. Dwight has been on board ever since.

Negan tells Daryl he can be one of his top men and he can live in this apartment. “All you’ve got to do, is answer one, simple question: "Who are you?” Negan asks Daryl. “Who are you?” he asks again. After a long silence, Daryl responds with his own name. Negan simply orders Dwight to return Daryl to his cell.

"Service"
Negan arrives at the Alexandria Safe-Zone with a large group of Saviors – and Daryl – and demands to be let in. He is disappointed when Spencer questions who he is, having made such a ‘strong first impression’. Rick meets Negan at the gate and notes that he came earlier than planned. Negan strides into Alexandria and thrusts Lucille into Rick’s hands, saying, “Hold this.”

Negan forbids Rick or any of the Alexandrians from speaking to Daryl or they will face consequences. Rick tells Negan that they already set aside half of their supplies, but Negan says he’ll be the one to decide which supplies to take.

As the Saviors haul furniture and mattresses out of residents’ homes, Negan inquires about Maggie’s whereabouts. Father Gabriel Stokes appears suddenly and asks if Negan wants to pay his respects. “She didn’t make it?” Negan asks. Rick says nothing but shakes his head hesitantly. Gabriel leads Negan to the graveyard where Glenn, Abraham, and supposedly Maggie are buried. Negan rues Maggie’s death, telling a seething Rick he’d planned on asking her to join him as his wife at his compound. Rick quietly seethes with anger and tightens his grip on Lucille, but swiftly relaxes. Moments later, they hear a gunshot.

In the infirmary, Carl holds David at gunpoint. He orders David to return some of the medicine he took. Negan jokes about Carl's fearlessness, and Carl finally lowers his gun after Negan threatens to harm more people. As a precaution, Negan declares that he’s confiscating all the guns in Alexandria.

Negan tells Rick he’ll leave their food untouched to ensure that they remain strong enough to collect for him. Negan commands Rick to thank him, but Rick refuses. Negan says that Rick is the one who forced his hand and that is why he should thank him. Negan asks if anyone keeps guns outside of the armory. Rick assures him that all guns are kept in storage.

Arat informs Negan that two guns are missing from the armory. A disappointed Negan threatens to kill Olivia if Rick doesn’t find the missing guns.

Later, Rick brings the missing guns to Negan. He gathers his group at the gate and the Saviors prepare to leave. When Rick sees Michonne lurking in a dilapidated house nearby, Rick asks Negan if he can give him "a second." Negan refuses, and Rick rephrases and says, "Please, can you just give me a second?". Negan does permits Rick to speak with her. He brings back her rifle and gives it to Negan, before asking if Daryl can stay since they’ve followed the rules and gave Negan half of their supplies. Negan asks Daryl if he wants to stay. Daryl remains obediently silent.

Negan refuses to leave Alexandria until Rick thanks him. “Thank you,” Rick concedes. A walker approaches and Negan turns to kill it. Negan retrieves Lucille from Rick. “In case you haven’t caught on, I just slid my dick down your throat and you thanked me for it.”, he says to Rick. He and the Saviors leave with half of the Alexandrian’s belongings and Daryl in tow.

"Sing Me a Song"
Negan appears after Carl calls him out, having killed one of the Saviors. He taunts Carl, who shoots another Savior and is tackled by Dwight. Negan tells Dwight to back off and offers to show Carl around the compound.

From a catwalk, Negan addresses the crowd kneeling on the factory floor. He announces that the Saviors secured a big load of goods and everyone will get fresh vegetables at dinner, regardless of how many points they have. Everyone cheers. He whispers to Carl, “You see that? Respect.”

Negan takes Carl to a nicely appointed room and introduces him to his “harem.” Negan pulls Sherry aside; she reluctantly concedes that Mark, a Savior, shirked his work duties to be with Amber, one of Negan’s wives. Sherry asks Negan to go easy on Amber. He admonishes Amber for cheating on him; she tears up and assures Negan that she loves him. Negan boasts to Sherry that he went easy on her, and then kisses her.

Negan takes Carl to his apartment; he orders Carl to sit across from him and remove his hat and eye bandage. Carl is reluctant but Negan reminds him that he killed two of his men and must repay him. When Carl removes the bandage, “That is disgusting,” Negan says and gleefully mocks Carl’s scarred eye socket. Humiliated, Carl starts crying. Negan, in a rare act, apologizes for hurting his feelings, and tells him that he forgot he was a kid.

Fat Joey stops by Negan’s apartment to give him Lucille, which Negan left by the cargo truck. After laughing along with Negan's jokes on how he handled Lucille, he dismisses Joey harshly. Negan tells Carl that his eye is “rad as hell” and advises Carl to leave the bandage off so nobody will mess with him. He orders Carl to sing him a song, who reluctantly complies. Negan asks if his mother used to sing that to him, correctly guessing she is dead. Carl explains that he shot her to prevent her from turning. Negan remarks that no wonder he is a future serial killer in the making. Negan and Carl leave the room, with Negan claiming that the iron is ready.

Later, Saviors gather around a furnace on the factory floor, where Mark is tied to a chair. Negan orders Carl to hold Lucille as he reiterates the importance of rules. He brands Mark’s face with a hot iron as punishment for his infraction. He orders Emmett Carson to tend to Mark and takes Carl away.

Back in Negan’s apartment, Carl taunts Negan for being unable to kill him, Rick or Daryl and tells Negan he should jump out of the window so he doesn’t have to kill him. Negan suggests they take a car ride.

Negan and Carl prepare to leave in the cargo truck. On their way out, Daryl warns Negan against hurting Carl. Negan immediately tells Dwight to put Daryl back in his cell and drives off.

Negan and Carl knock on Rick’s door in Alexandria. Olivia answers and nervously tells Negan that Rick is out scavenging and might not return that day. She tells him that they are practically starving in order to provide for him. Negan mocks her weight and she starts to cry. He crudely proposes having sex with her to make it up to her and Olivia slaps him. Instead of being angry, Negan simply smiles and notes that he is "about 50% more into her now", showing that he actually admires her newfound feisty attitude. He then tells her to go and make some lemonade for him, and she reluctantly does so.

Negan takes a tour of Rick’s house, and is impressed with their living arrangements. Carl tries to keep him away from Judith’s bedroom, but Negan opens the door and discovers her nursery. He lifts Judith out of her crib.

Negan and Carl sit on the porch. Negan rocks Judith in his lap as he contemplates killing Rick and Carl, maybe even settling in the suburbs. Negan smiles and kisses Judith’s nose.

"Hearts Still Beating"
Negan enjoys a shave in Rick’s bathroom. He then cooks spaghetti in the kitchen with Carl, instructing him to place a setting for Rick as Olivia pours him some lemonade. They sit at the table in silence, waiting for Rick to return. Negan grows tired and places Lucille in Rick's chair, he then asks Carl to pass the bread rolls to which he says please the second time after he is ignored the first time.

Later, Negan is sitting on the porch when Spencer approaches and Arat refuses to let him see him until Negan tells her to not be an asshole. Spencer introduces himself. They share a drink as Negan pines for a pool table. Spencer tells him where they can find one. Negan smiles and calls Spencer his "new best friend".

As Negan and Spencer play pool in the middle of the street, residents gather around to watch. Spencer tells Negan that Rick’s ego is out of control and proposes that Negan appoint Spencer the new leader of Alexandria. Negan considers Spencer’s betrayal. He points out that Rick is swallowing his hatred to gather goods for Negan so he won’t kill anyone else. “That takes guts,” he says. Negan wonders why Spencer doesn’t just kill Rick himself instead of sneaking around. When he tries to speak, Negan answers his own question: “It’s because you’ve got no guts,” he says as he plunges a knife into Spencer’s abdomen, disemboweling him. “There they are. They were inside you the whole time,” Negan jokes as Spencer’s guts spill out onto the asphalt, asking if someone wants to finish the game with him.

Angered, Rosita whips out her gun and shoots at Negan; however, the bullet hits Lucille instead. Negan, enraged at the damage done to Lucille, and the attempt on his life, screams out "SHIT! WHAT THE SHIT?! SHIT! YOU JUST... YOU TRIED TO KILL ME?! YOU SHOT LUCILLE!" and demands to know who made the bullet. Rosita lies and claims she made it herself. Negan doesn't believe her and orders Arat to put the knife to her face. Rosita again claims it was her as she presses her cheek against Arat's knife, cutting her own face. Negan simply doesn't fall for it, and then orders Arat to kill someone; she then turns and shoots Olivia in the face.

Rick appears and yells at Negan that they had an agreement. Negan tells him about how Carl infiltrated the Sanctuary and killed two of his men, how Spencer was plotting to have him killed, so he could be put in charge. He also tells Rick that Rosita shot Lucille trying to kill him and did not want Olivia to die even though he ordered Arat to kill someone. Negan agrees to go as soon as he learns who made the bullet. Tara says it was her, but a tearful Eugene confesses. Negan approaches him and tells him he believes him and Negan in his frustration asks Lucille to give him strength then angrily says that Rick's finds are not good enough after today and he warns Rick he will not forget what happened that day. Negan and his crew leave with Eugene in tow.

"Rock in the Road"
Although he isn't seen, Negan is heard on the radio Jesus took from the Sanctuary, he gives Fat Joey an eulogy, and he tells Simon to look for Daryl in Alexandria as he knows he escaped.

"Hostiles and Calamities"
Negan returns to the Sanctuary with his new prisoner, Eugene, who shakes with terror as Laura, a female Savior, walks him deep into the bowels of the Sanctuary. Negan discovers that Daryl killed Fat Joey and escaped. He then has the Saviors barge in and beat up Dwight as Negan watches from the doorway.

Dwight sits in Daryl’s dark cell, now his cell. Negan informs him that Sherry ran away and wonders if she helped Daryl escape. Dwight defends Sherry. Negan continues hypothesizing and questions whether Dwight changed his stripes and helped Daryl himself; he then orders Dwight to find Sherry and bring her back.

Outside, by the Sanctuary fence-line, Negan orders that Simon go lead a search party to Alexandria to search for Daryl. Eugene is brought before him and is given an intimidating introduction. When asked for his name, Eugene responds with “Eugene.” Negan then prompts the Saviors for their names and they respond in unison: “Negan.” Negan grills Eugene about his credentials. Scared, Eugene falls back on an old lie and claims he has multiple PhDs and was part of the Human Genome Project. Negan asks Eugene for advice on how to prevent his fence-line walkers from deteriorating. Eugene impresses Negan with his proposed solution: covering them in a shell of liquefied metal that will make the walkers indestructible once it dries. As a reward for his ingenuity, Negan offers to send several of his wives to Eugene’s apartment.

Negan enters the factory floor, where a crowd has gathered around the furnace and he points Lucille directly at Eugene. “You are gonna wanna pay close attention to this,” he says.

Negan turns and whacks Lucille against Emmett Carson’s shoulder. Negan accuses Carson of helping Daryl escape in order to impress Sherry. He shows Carson a note from Sherry, which Dwight clipped from her farewell letter and planted in Dr. Carson’s desk. “Goodbye - Honey,” it reads. Carson accuses Dwight of lying, but he quickly folds and falsely confesses when Negan threatens him with the iron.

Negan stares intently at Eugene before he grabs Dr. Carson and throws him face-first into the furnace, burning him alive. Negan puts his arm around Dwight, saying “Good thing we have a spare Dr. Carson.” Negan pays Eugene a visit. He tells Eugene that he doesn’t make his invitation lightly and explains that he doesn’t need to be scared anymore. Negan asks Eugene “Who are –” but Eugene interrupts before he can finish the question. “I’m Negan,” Eugene says.

"The Other Side"
Negan emerges with Lucille outside the Sanctuary and greets Harlan Carson, who was taken from the Hilltop by Simon and his men. He hugs Eugene and hands him a walkie-talkie before he walks back inside the Sanctuary.

"Something They Need"
Negan arrives at Sasha’s cell as one of the Saviors, David, is about to rape her. He angrily reminds him that rape is forbidden and that he crossed the line. When David apologizes, Negan stabs him through the neck, refusing to accept his apology.

Negan asks Sasha if Rick sent her to kill him but she assures him he didn’t. Negan, impressed by Sasha’s “lady nuts,” asks her to join the Saviors. He unties her wrists, gives her his knife and presents his proposition: she can choose not to use the knife, allowing David to reanimate and kill her, or she can save herself and use the knife against David, but she’ll have to join Negan’s cause. He leaves the cell.

Negan opens the door to Sasha’s cell and sees the knife protruding from David’s forehead. “You win,” Sasha says, agreeing to join him. Negan retrieves the knife and says that Sasha needs to further convince him of her loyalty. He tells her that he knows Rick is formulating a plot against him and that he plans to enlist her help in stopping him.

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"
Negan brings a tray of food to Sasha’s cell. He assures her she doesn’t have to die that day but warns that someone from Rick’s group does. She asks him what he needs from her. Negan tells Sasha how he plans to use her in his attack against Alexandria. He insists on executing three people, but Sasha bargains him down to one. He complies.

Meanwhile, Negan and his crew works to remove chopped down trees blocking the road, delaying their arrival at Alexandria; a diversionary tactic secretly employed by Dwight. Negan suspects Alexandria is responsible, and reminds Simon that they have a Plan B. Eugene asks Negan’s permission to approach Rick and try to defuse the situation before resorting to warfare.

Earlier, As Negan’s group mobilizes to attack Alexandria, Sasha tells Negan that she wants to travel to Alexandria in the casket so she can rest. She requests a bottle of water. Inside the coffin, Sasha selects a song from the iPod Eugene gave her. As music begins to play, she pops the suicide pill in her mouth and chases it with water.

A Scavenger alerts everyone in Alexandria to the Saviors’ arrival. Rick assumes his position at the front gate, with Jadis crouching by his feet, hidden from view. Negan’s caravan arrives. Eugene steps out and tries to convince Rick to surrender. Rick hesitates, stricken by Eugene’s betrayal, then gives Rosita the signal to detonate the explosives. Rosita pushes the detonator, but there is no explosion. Before Rick can reach for his gun, Jadis leaps up and aims her gun at Rick. Simultaneously, the Scavengers all turn their guns on the Alexandrians.

Negan emerges from a truck and taunts Rick as his Saviors open the truck that holds the explosives. Negan's men remove a coffin from their flatbed; he announces that Sasha is inside, alive and well. He tells him that he was aware of Rick's plan to defy and attack him, as Jadis was the "little birdle" that revealed his plans and offers to let her live if Rick turns over all their guns, and Daryl. Even then, Negan will still execute one Alexandrian of Rick’s choosing. If he refuses, Negan will kill them all. Rick insists on seeing Sasha. Negan taps Lucille against the casket, knocking.

Negan opens the casket door. Sasha, now a walker, lunges at him. Rick’s group takes advantage of the ensuing chaos and turns their guns on the Scavengers. Those on the guard posts open fire on the Saviors outside. Michonne fights Farron on the balcony. In the chaos, Rosita is shot, and shortly after is escorted away by Tara. Rick tries to join the fight, but Jadis holds him at gunpoint. Meanwhile, Roy removes the zombified Sasha from Negan, but she then proceeds to devour Roy's face as Negan and Simon hide from gunfire behind a truck. Negan screams to Simon that they need to put Plan B into action.

In the streets below, The Saviors and Scavengers have gained control of the situation; some Alexandrians have been killed, and the rest are in custody. Jadis leads Rick to Negan and orders him to kneel beside Carl, who is surrounded by over a dozen Saviors. She reminds Negan of their deal, twelve people in exchange for the Scavengers’ help in the attack. Negan swiftly bargains her down to 10.

Rick and Carl look on in horror as a body plummets to the ground, from Michonne’s balcony post. Negan vows to kill Carl and cut off Rick’s hands as punishment for Rick’s collusion. Rick swallows his fear and furiously reiterates his pledge to kill Negan, regardless of the threats he makes. Negan stares at him for a moment, before smiling. As Negan prepares to strike Carl with Lucille, Shiva leaps onto and mauls a nearby Scavenger. Carol and Ezekiel arrive at the head of the Kingdom regiment in an attack, as Maggie arrives with the Hilltop fighters. A battle ensues as the Saviors and Scavengers are caught off guard. Rick and Carl join the fight. Negan orders a retreat as Shiva mauls another of his men to death. Before he escapes, Negan is furious and is surprised to see Maggie, alive and well, leading the Hilltop warriors. Negan and his men leave under a hail of bullets and gives his attackers the middle finger before escaping.

Back at the Sanctuary, Simon and Dwight inform Negan that preparations are underway for plan B. Negan asks Eugene how Sasha managed to die in the casket. Eugene surmises that she ran out of air. Negan looks doubtful, but concedes it's possible. Negan then addresses his Saviors amassed in the courtyard. “We are going to war,” he declares.

"Mercy"
Negan along with Dwight, Regina, Eugene, Simon and Gavin emerge from the Sanctuary after Rick and his army arrive outside. Negan wonders if Rick is going to kill him and Rick insists he is after he told him twice already. Negan berates Rick saying that he doesn't have "the numbers" to fight the Saviors. Negan has Simon bring out Gregory who under Negan's coercion says that the Hilltop "stands with Negan and the Sanctuary". Rick offers all of the Saviors the chance to live if they surrender, however Negan won't have the same chance. The lieutenants refuse to surrender.

Negan becomes frustrated when Rick and his army refuse to back down. Negan has Simon push Gregory off the platform. Rick continues to offer the lieutenants a way out. Gavin wants to talk but Rick insists this is the only way. "You're gonna make me count?" Rick asks. He starts at 10, but unleashes his gunfire at 7.

When Rick opens fire Negan and his lieutenants run for cover. All of the Lieutenants run back inside, however Negan remains outside. He gets shot in the leg and limps towards a sheet of metal for cover as Rick continues firing on him and the Sanctuary windows. Gabriel urges Rick to evacuate. Negan is next seen when Gabriel finds shelter in an outbuilding and Negan is revealed to be there too. Negan smiles at Gabriel and tells him that he is "about to shit his pants".

"The Big Scary U"
In a flashback, Negan is present at a crisis meeting with Gregory, Simon, Regina, Dwight and Eugene concerning the rebellion at Alexandria. Gregory thanks them for listening to him. He understands how hard it is to manage people in this environment and the big scary u. He explains it as "the unknown." Negan tells Gregory he likes killing people and killing the right people and the right time makes things fall into place. "You kill one and you could be saving hundreds more," Negan tells him. "We save people." Gregory realizes that's why they're called the Saviors. Dwight gets up to leave for a cigarette but Negan questions he wouldn't want to hear Gregory. Dwight says it doesn't matter because he's just going to do what he's told.

Gregory continues, describing the conflict and claiming he can stop it before it gets started. He offers to kick everyone out of the Hilltop who side with Rick. Negan asks if he can exile people. "Hilltop is my house," Gregory said. He claims he's still "the guy" there. Negan questions it, though, because he saw Maggie alive and is leading an army of his people. Gregory insists he didn't know about Maggie until now. Gregory tells him the Hilltop is his home.

Simon suggests a strong raid on the Hilltop, which could end in killing everyone there if they don't cooperate, which would send a message to the other communities. "People are a resource," Negan insists. "Money on the table. People are the foundation of what we are doing here!" He questions Simon and if he remembers who they are and who is in charge. Simon pledges his allegiance.

Negan says they have to capture Rick, Maggie and Ezekiel and kill them horribly in front of their people. Suddenly, The Militia's gunshots ring out outside. Simon suggests shooting at them but Negan says it would be a waste of ammo. Instead, he will go talk to everyone. They all walk outside. The events of Mercy then take place.

In the present, Negan is in a trailer with Gabriel. He tackles and disarms him. His handgun was fully loaded. Gabriel says he didn't have enough bullets to take out the walkers. Negan calls it a "smart play" and helps him then sits down and indicates Gabriel should be quiet. "Your friend Rick is an asshole," Negan says. But Father Gabriel says Negan is. "Yeah, I am, but he's gonna get people killed." Negan explains that he killed Abraham and Glenn, but Rick got them killed for killing his people. Negan then questions Gabriel why he saved Gregory after he tried to sell them out. Gabriel reveals he fears a fruitless death. "There had to be some reason I did what I did," Gabriel said. "Maybe this is the reason." Gabriel says he wants to take Negan's offer.

Back in the trailer, Negan and Gabriel continue their conversation. Negan insists they wait it out. Gabriel asks Negan to confess, "I don't have shit to confess," Negan said. "Except for the fact that I rubbed one out right where you're sitting just to calm down a bit." He questions Gabriel on why he became a priest. "I love god and I love people," Gabriel said. "I wanted to bring them together." "I like to help people through their weaknesses too," Negan said. "Been doing it one way or another my whole life. You wanna know why people are gonna start dying in there? Because I'm not there to stop it." Negan begins whistling and the walker presence intensifies.

Negan goes on about being weak but also being strong. He claims everyone is a mix. "I took this place and it was a damn free for all," Negan said. "A confederation of assholes. An army made up of gangs of animals. The last guy that was in charge? He wasn't in charge of shit. He allowed people to be weak. I don't, I make them strong, which makes this world strong. You're gonna see Gabey. I'm gonna make you my special project."

Gabriel insists he is strong. He confess that he was at the Satellite Outpost. Negan is surprised and criticizes him for killing people in their sleep. "Tell me how you're weak," Gabriel responds. "I haven't killed anyone that didn't need it," Negan said. Gabriel questions him about the workers and the wives. Negan calls the workers an economy and insists "every one of those ladies made the choice." Gabriel asks if Negan had a wife before before all of this. Negan holds Lucille and says, "Lucille, give me strength!" Negan lets his guard down as Gabriel grabs his gun before locking himself in the trailer's second room. Negan takes out walkers which barged through and says it's time to go.

Back in the trailer, Negan explains how they will get inside, using Lucille and each other. Negan grabs the walker and pulls it toward him but Gabriel is hiding on the other side of the wall. He is armed with a gun. Negan asks Gabriel for his help. Gabriel says he killed before, but that's not his greatest sin, he confess he locked his congregation out of his church when all this started, he listened to the people die. Everyday he works to lessen that failure and be of service and purpose. "Now, I offer you the assurance of a pardon," Gabriel said. "I will go with you." He wants to show Negan that working together is the best move but he'll only do it if Negan confesses.

Negan finally opens up about his first wife, prior to the epidemic, how he treated her badly and how he couldn't put her down after she died and convinces Gabriel they have to work together to get out of this mess. Gabriel emerges and gives Negan the gun, saying, "You're forgiven." Negan punches him in the face once and says "thanks." Negan rips apart the walker and explains how the insides can be used to walk among the dead.

Negan and Gabriel make a bunch of noise and lets walkers enter the trailer until it is full and they can find a way out. Slowly, the two manoeuvre through the crowd until Gabriel trips. They work together, saving one another, until they get to an edge where walkers fall on them.

Negan and Gabriel have made it safely inside that Sanctuary, he whistles his way in as he witness Regina killing a worker. Negan criticizes her for doing that. Negan reaffirms his power, and reminds them who he is. "I wear a leatherjacket, I have Lucille, and my nutsack is made of steel!" He excuses himself to a shower and some service from Frankie. He will then get back to business and saving everyone. Negan orders Gabriel to be kept in a cell.

Later, Negan and the lieutenants find some of the weapon bags left by Rick's group, and realize that the weapons they had were stolen from the Sanctuary. Privately, Negan tells Eugene he will reward him handsomely if he can figure out the mole within the Saviors, but at the same time, he will kill him if he can't, albeit quickly.

"Time for After"
Negan is met by Eugene in the conference room. Negan expresses an increasing worry for the safety of his community, while praising Eugene and his efforts in the compound. He reminds Eugene that he is aware of how smart he is, prompting Eugene to remind him of his loyalty. Negan reaches out his hand and Eugene attempts to kiss it but Negan was looking for a handshake. It's a sign of mutual respect which not many people get from Negan. Eugene accepts this, declaring that there is work that needs to be done before leaving the room.

Negan and Eugene propose a plan to clear out the walkers with whatever firearms they have left, with Eugene affirming that he will be able to stock the Saviors up on freshly-made ammo should they run low. He then proposes another solution to deal with the issue. Negan again praises Eugene on his initiative, but before he can hear the plan, Dwight and the other lieutenants report to Negan about the situation with the herd. Negan has high hopes that Eugene's plan will give them the upper hand. Eugene stares intently at Dwight, instead of ratting him out, he informs Negan that he intends to repair the intercom system, giving them an advantage in communications with the rest of the community. Negan is underwhelmed by Eugene's words.

"How It's Gotta Be”
Negan is first seen banging Lucille against the safeheaven's gates and offers them a deal over a loudspeaker: either the people of Alexandria can line up in front of their homes, decide who's going to be the offering for Lucille, have Rick killed in front of everyone and then everyone can move on with their lives, or the Saviors will bomb Alexandria with grenade launchers. Negan gives the survivors three minutes for them to decide.

As three minutes have passed, Negan and over two dozen Saviors are preparing to torch Alexandria to the ground, but Negan is interrupted by Carl who tries to defuse the situation. He says that there are children and his sister taking refuge at the town; however, Negan states that they also have young people at the Sanctuary, as well as a baby at an outpostwhose fate Negan is wondering about. Negan tells Carl that he needs to be in charge because the communities need someone who will do whatever it takes. Carl says that, if there has to be punishment, Negan should kill him to pay for what Rick has done. Carl says he doesn't want to die, but he'll do it if he has to so everyone can continue living. He asks Negan if this is who he wanted to be, taking him off guard.

As they talk, the people of Alexandria break out in a convoy. Negan gets angry at Carl for tricking him and orders the Saviors to blow up Alexandria and the Saviors launch grenades into Alexandria, destroying it. Negan's troops smash their way through Alexandria's gates. He orders the Saviors to capture Carl alive, destroy every other house, and send Rick to him when he arrives.

Rick heads towards his house in search of Carl, Judith, and Michonne. Negan ambushes him, catching him by surprise and hitting him in the abdomen and arm with Lucille. Rick dodges subsequent blows as Negan tells him he will torture Rick before he hills him. To Rick's anger, Negan claims he will train Carl to be one of his lieutenants. They exchange punches but Rick is tackled to the ground. He gains the upper hand by grabbing a piece of metal and striking Negan in the face, knocking him on his back. He grabs Lucille and begins hitting Negan with her, which enrages him to the point he is able to knock Rick back. Rick grabs his gun from the floor but is unable to draw it quickly enough as he gets pushed out a window, before fleeing down the road.

"Honor"
In the future, Carl envisioned for Rick, Negan is tending the gardens in Alexandria when Judith walks up to him. Negan warmly greets Judith.

"The Lost and the Plunderers"
Negan recounts to Simon the situation that unfurled at Alexandria, impressed with Carl's efforts to assist the residents. He inquires Simon of his handling of the travelling Hilltop residents, Simon reports that the situation was settled and asks about Gavin's group, from whom neither of them have heard. Negan seats Simon and tasks him with handling the Scavengers. Initially delighted at the thought of wiping out their traitors, Simon is shut down by Negan, who reminds him that they are still a valuable resource. He orders Simon to only deliver the standard "kill one, spare the rest" message, as a reminder that their earlier alliance is a deal made final.

Simon argues that their methods are not working, in that Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom and the Scavengers do not seem to realize how serious the Saviors are. To this end, he proposes they cut their losses and find other communities who would join their cause rather than bring Rick's people to submission. Negan, not happy with the idea, retorts that while their current methods prove difficult, they are still effective. He affirms his belief that once Rick is disposed of, everyone will fall back into line.

Before the conversation can continue, Gary and two other Saviors haul in a large crate, the same box Maggie requested from Simon following their encounter on the road, and set it on the table. Negan and Simon open the box to reveal a zombified Dean, who is quickly put down. Furious, Simon realizes that the remaining 38 Saviors mentioned on the crate cover are those stationed at the satellite outpost. He flies into a rage and vows to eliminate the Hilltop Colony, but Negan angrily shuts him down, and tells him to do his job, leaving him silent.

After Simon deals with the Scavengers and returning to the Sanctuary, Simon and Negan discuss the fact that Gavin has still not reported back, both unaware that he is dead. On Negan's inquiry of the Scavengers, Simon reports that his mission was a success, lying that he delivered the standard message and adding that "there was remorse". Negan is called by another Savior, informing him that Rick is calling from a walkie.

Hearing his voice on the other end, Rick reports Carl's death, much to Negan's obvious shock and grief. He reveals the contents of their letters, Carl wishes for the both of them to end their war and make peace. Rick, however, believes that peace is now impossible to achieve. Negan asks if Carl's death was of the Saviors' doing, but Rick angrily denies this, explaining that he died trying to help someone. Negan reveals his sincere remorse, expressing that Carl represented their future, but also iterates that Carl's death was because Rick, in leading the revolt against the Saviors, was not present to keep Carl safe from doing something that would bring harm to himself.

Negan condemns Rick's decisions and insists that he stop the war, lest he lose more of his loved ones and have to live with the fact that they died fighting a losing battle. He explains that all of his losses could have been avoided had he just submitted. Negan deems Rick a failure as both a leader and a father and implores him to surrender, seeing that the war has caused him to lose more than he has gained.

"Dead or Alive Or"
Negan talks to Eugene, disappointed that Eugene's efforts have not completely alleviated the issues at hand and that Gabriel and Carson have somehow escaped undetected, unaware that Eugene was responsible. Negan affirms to that once Carson and Gabriel are caught and brought back to the Sanctuary, he will find out about their escapades. A nervous Eugene inquires about the events that occurred at Alexandria, Negan questions his inquiry, asking if he cares despite Alexandria's actions against him since his defection.

Negan then places Eugene in charge of his own outpost - a small team in charge of crafting munitions for the Saviors. Eugene shows concern and questions why the Alexandrians are no longer resources and why Negan wants to kill everyone, as Negan claims to view people as a valuable resource. Negan explains that the bullets are a last resort, should Rick's group refuse to come to terms with the Saviors. After Negan explains Eugene's security detail, Eugene asks if there will be a wine supply, he confirms this.

Negan later bursts into Eugene's new outpost, followed by two Saviors bringing in a recaptured Gabriel. Negan claims to have a story from Gabriel on the circumstances of his and Carson's escape. To Eugene's relief, Gabriel does not hold Eugene responsible for the planning of their escape, but rather Carson. Negan then leaves Gabriel in charge of arranging Eugene's bullet casings. Eugene reports that while his munitions have been of great quality, the quantity of supplies is running low. He suggests the possibility of launching walker viscera at the opposing forces in a last-resort effort to dissuade them from fighting.

Gaining a new set of ideas from this otherwise-ludicrous scenario, Negan leaves, satisfied. Negan has the remaining Saviors at the Sanctuary (including Dwight) gathered at the courtyard, with several walkers chained to the fences. He relays the process of turning when getting bit by a walker and proposes they use that to their advantage - coating their weapons in walker remains will effectively "taint" them, and while the weapon may not kill the enemy, the viscera will create a surefire way for the victim to become infected. He then coats Lucille in a thick coat of blood and flesh from one of the walkers and displays it to the crowd.

"The Key"
Negan stops by Dwight’s apartment and welcomes him back to the Sanctuary. Dwight explains that he was heading towards Hilltop in hopes of running into Saviors. Negan orders Dwight back to work. Simon directs his crew as they gut yard walkers and collect entrails to immerse their weapons in, which they plan to use in their attack against Hilltop. Negan predicts Rick’s group will surrender once they comprehend his new strategy. Negan dips Lucille in a bucket of walker guts. Dwight and Simon drive off with a convoy of Saviors.

As they are on their way to Hilltop, Rick suddenly rams his car into Negan’s then pursues him down city streets. Simon instructs the rest of the Saviors to stay behind and set up a perimeter while he and Dwight search for Negan. Negan comes to in his overturned car, which is covered in walker guts. Rick approaches and shoots at Negan, who uses the car for cover. Negan escapes into an abandoned building with Rick hot on his heels.

Inside, Rick continues firing at Negan, but quickly runs out of bullets. He throws his hatchet at Negan and narrowly misses. Negan falls off a landing and dangles from the ledge by his fingers. Rick grabs his hatchet and chops at Negan's hands. Negan plummets into the basement. Rick hunts for Negan in the basement. He discovers a barricaded storage room full of walkers. Negan makes Rick an offer: If Alexandria, Hilltop and the Kingdom fall in line, they'll only be required to send the Saviors a quarter of their supplies as long as Rick works at the Sanctuary as a janitor. Rick retorts that Negan lost his credibility after the Saviors killed all the Scavengers. Negan reels at the news of the massacre and is mad upon realizing Simon killed them all. Rick finds Lucille on the ground.

Rick tells Negan he has Lucille. Negan forbids Rick from touching her. Rick sets Lucille on fire and bashes the barricade to the storage room, busting it open. Negan charges at him. Rick swings at Negan. Meanwhile, walkers flood out of the storage room and attack. Negan tackles Rick, grabs his beloved bat and escapes. Rick chases him through a window. He runs outside and finds his car gone. Negan wakes up in a car and finds Jadis behind the steering wheel, holding him at gunpoint. He chuckles and Jadis knocks him unconscious.

"Still Gotta Mean Something"
Negan is first seen at the Junkyard, being chained to a board. He questions Jadis what is going on as she drags him out. Jadis prepares a fire beside Negan, attempting to burn Lucille in full view of Negan to psychologically hurt him. He tells her he can smell what happened here and he doesn't throw resources like people away. Negan apologizes for the massacre and insists that he wasn't responsible. Jadis cuts him off by crashing Lucille down to about an inch from his face.

Jadis's watch beeps. She leaves Negan alone for a moment and returns with a walker tied to a cart. Negan fires at her with a gun he managed to get hold of, and threatens to burn a pile of sentimental photos with a flare that he found in her bag. Jadis emerges from her cover and orders Negan to leave the pictures alone. Negan questions her that is how she kills people slow with Winslow, but Jadis tells him people are resources.

Jadis begs Negan not to burn her photos. Negan explains that Lucille is all he has left of his wife, whom he named the bat after. Jadis's watch beeps again. She rams the walker into Negan and wrestles the flare away. To her dismay, the flare falls in a puddle of water and the flame is snuffed. A helicopter appears overhead. She tries to hail it to no avail. Jadis rushes over to burn the bat. Negan begs her not to and he offers to "settle it." Jadis drops the flare and they're both painfully relieved. He vows to settle things with the perpetrator of the massacre.

Negan is dressed and ready to leave the Junkyard. He wants to know what just happened here. She is silent, though. He invites her with him to join the Saviors, but she rejects it. "I'll swing back by sometime," Negan tells her. "Who knows, maybe you'll wanna share." Negan is shown driving himself back to the Sanctuary, when he comes across someone on the road and orders them into the car. They arrive at the Sanctuary, where D.J. and the Saviors greet them. D.J. tells him that he knew he wasn't dead to which Negan replies that he knows and then tells D.J., to keep his arrival a secret as he wants it to be a surprise for everyone else.

"Worth"
Negan surprises Dwight in the Sanctuary courtyard. He interrogates Dwight as to why they didn’t search for him while he was attacked by Rick. Dwight insists he only stopped searching for him on Simon's orders. He reminds Negan about his loyalty to the Saviors.

Negan meets Simon and his other lieutenants. Simon asks Negan to forgive him for his actions against the Hilltop. Negan orders Simon to his knees, but spares his life. Negan outlines a plan to surround Hilltop and slaughter anyone who tries to leave. He pulls Dwight aside and commends him for doing whatever it takes to stay alive.

Negan later appears at the courtyard where Simon, Gary, Dwight and Gregroy are. He whistles in response and emerges from his hiding place. He orders his hidden men to kill all of the conspirators, including Gary. Negan tells Simon that Dwight had informed him of his entire plot to kill him. Negan rebukes Simon of going against his orders by wiping out the Scavengers, reminding him that he also led to the massacre of all the men of the Oceanside community, something that Negan needed to keep in check. Negan offers Simon a chance to fight him hand-to-hand.

Negan and Simon face off in a grudge match, surrounded by everyone in The Sanctuary. Fists fly in a knockout brawl. Negan eventually knocks Simon to the ground and begins to strangle him. As Simon struggles, Negan laments that because of his actions at Hilltop, those people can no longer be controlled. “So now I have to kill them all, just like I have to kill you” he shouts, before crushing Simon’s throat, killing him.

Negan walks Dwight back to his room and appoints him his new right-hand man. Dwight opens the door only to find Laura waiting inside. Negan explains that he picked Laura up on his way back to the Sanctuary and learned everything about Dwight's treachery. He deduces that Dwight was responsible for many of Rick's attacks on the Saviors and he knows he lied to him about killing Sherry. He explains that he was playing Dwight along and Negan makes it clear that he knew Dwight would let Rick know of the plan, which was purposely made up to lead Rick and his allies into a trap. Instead of killing him, he keeps Dwight alive, knowing he might be useful in the future.

Negan is later contacted by Michonne over walkie-talkie, who reads Carl's letter to him, again reiterating his same request to end the war peacefully and starting over. However, Negan refuses the offer, saying that Rick pushed him too far, and said that the only way to end the war was to kill every one of Rick's allies, and finished by saying that "no more talk" before destroying the walkie-talkie.

"Wrath"
Negan will appear in this episode.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Negan has killed:
 * Rory (Caused)
 * Marsha (Caused or Direct)
 * Tim (Caused or Direct)
 * Ethan (Indirectly Caused)
 * Denise Cloyd (Caused)
 * Abraham Ford
 * Glenn Rhee
 * Spencer Monroe (Alive)
 * Olivia (Caused)
 * Emmett Carson
 * David (Alive)
 * Sasha Williams (Indirectly Caused)
 * Mikey (Indirectly Caused)
 * Dean (Zombified)
 * Brion (Indirectly Caused)
 * Tamiel (Indirectly Caused)
 * Harlan Carson (Indirectly Caused)
 * Tobin (Indirectly Caused)
 * Kurt (Indirectly Caused)
 * Kevin (Indirectly Caused)
 * Dana (Indirectly Caused)
 * Wesley (Indirectly Caused)
 * Katy (Indirectly Caused)
 * Bruce (Indirectly Caused)
 * Gary (Caused, Before Reanimation)
 * Simon (Alive)
 * At least 20 unnamed people
 * All male Oceanside residents above the age of ten (Indirectly Caused)
 * At least 12 unnamed residents of the Alexandria Safe-Zone (Caused)
 * At least 130 unnamed Scavengers (Indirectly Caused)
 * 13 unnamed Hilltop residents and refugees (Indirectly Caused)
 * 14 unnamed Saviors (12 Caused, 2 Indirectly Caused)
 * Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people (Caused and Direct)

Relationships
{{Scroll-1|content = ===Lucille=== {{Quote|My first wife was a real wife. My only real wife. Till death did us apart. It was before this. I lied to her, I screwed around her. And she was sick. And when she went, it was during this. I couldn't put her down.|Negan confessing to Gabriel about Lucille.|The Big Scary U}} Not much is known except Lucille was Negan's true wife prior to the apocalypse. However, In "The Big Scary U", Negan solemnly confesses his past transgressions to Gabriel on how he unfaithfully cheated and lied to his wife while she was sick and later unable to put her down when she had died and reanimated during the onset of the outbreak, thus blaming himself for being weak from failing to do so. At some point after the outbreak, Negan names his baseball bat wrapped with barbered wire Lucille as a personal remembrance of his late wife showing that he still greatly remembers and loves her as well as oftenly "conversing" to it, referring to her as if she is a person and still alive. In "Still Gotta Mean Something", Negan admits that the bat is the "last piece" of his former wife that he got left.

Dwight
"It all makes sense now. You told Rick when to attack. How to get to the outposts You keep us locked in here, slipping them workers guns. Maybe you even lied to me about killing Sherry. Oh, hell. You, for sure, lied to me about that. So, what? Hmm? You think you're some sort of a hero? No. You are nothing. A nobody in way over your head."

- Negan after learning of Dwight's betrayal.

Negan and Dwight have a civil, yet strained, relationship. As revealed by Negan in the episode "The Cell", Dwight and his wife fled from the Saviors and simultaneously stole insulin for Sherry's sister, Tina, who was diabetic, after the points price for the medicine became unmanageable for them. After Tina's death, Dwight and Sherry returned to Negan and pleaded for forgiveness. Negan decided to marry Sherry at her request on the condition Dwight lived; he was, however, still punished by being badly scorched on his left cheek with an iron. Since that incident, Dwight has been unfavorably loyal to Negan and worked his way up the Saviors' ranks, becoming one of Negan's top men. This is seen in "Last Day On Earth" when Dwight goes so far as to almost kill Glenn after Glenn desperately jumps towards Negan after he threatens to kill Maggie. Negan orders Dwight to get Glenn back in line, which he does without question.

Hence, Negan puts intense trust in Dwight and occasionally jokes with him, much to Dwight's dismay (as most jokes are at Dwight's expense).

However, their relationship may have been severed when Dwight witnesses Negan kissing Sherry, showing jealousy and reaffirming his strong disdain for Negan.

Currently Negan is unaware of Dwight's secret betrayal and plot to overthrow him by joining forces with Rick's group as a double agent.

Sherry
Negan and Sherry have a forced, unstable relationship. Before being one of Negan's "wives", Dwight, Sherry and her sister, Tina, used to work for points until they decided to steal some insulin and flee. After Tina was killed, Sherry and Dwight returned to The Sanctuary and, as punishment for their acts, Negan was going to kill Dwight until Sherry proposed that she will marry Negan if he let Dwight live. Negan accepted the offer but still punished Dwight by burning his face with a hot iron.

With her becoming one of Negan's harem and Dwight eventually appointed as a high ranking member of The Saviors, they are separated from seeing each other though they still manage to secretly meet up occasionally. It is implied that Negan views Sherry higher compared to the rest of his harems. Despite this, it is likely that Sherry deeply despises Negan for his actions towards her and Dwight as she escapes the Sanctuary just to get away from Negan once and for all. Had Dwight not lied about her death, Negan would most likely hunt her down and kill her.

Negan, after learning of Dwight's betrayal, correctly guesses that Sherry is not in fact not dead after all.

Tina
Originally, Tina alongside her sister, Sherry and brother in-law, Dwight worked for points under Negan at The Sanctuary until she began to fall behind on points and was unable to purchase insulin to treat her diabetes. Negan then offered to marry her to solve her problem. After telling him she would consider his proposal, Dwight stole all the medicine and fled with both Tina and Sherry. It is implied Negan did desire her to such an extent that he sent a search party led by Wade to capture the trio and bring them back, and was later furious that Tina got killed.

Simon
"You went for it all at the Hilltop. You got Saviors killed. And then you ran away like a coward! You got shown up one too many times. Those people are always going to know there's a loophole, a way to escape, they are always going to be looking for that chance to push back, SO NOW I'VE GOT TO KILL ALL OF 'EM, JUST LIKE I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!."

- Negan berating Simon for his betrayal before killing him.

Simon is Negan's right-hand man, and the two have a strong relationship. Simon is extremely loyal to his leader and obeys his orders without question. It is evident that Negan views Simon very highly and claims that if he wasn't around, there would be a lot more work to do. During an ambush by Alexandria, Kingdom, and The Hilltop, it can be seen that Negan and Simon like to stay close to each other during war. This is most likely due to both working well together and trusting each other completely.

Despite this, it was eventually revealed that Negan was extremely weary of keeping Simon within his fold after the Oceanside massacre, an act that disgusted Negan. Nonetheless, Negan still had great respect for Simon's loyalty, intelligence, organization, and ruthlessness, so long as each of those traits were kept in check. Due to this, Negan kept Simon as one of his top guys and, over time, Simon's effective following of orders cemented his loyalty to Negan as his right-hand man, earning his complete trust as an equal.

During the meeting at the Sanctuary, Negan becomes enraged at Simon's suggestion that the Saviors kill all the Hilltop residents, perhaps putting a strain on their relationship. Despite his trust in him as a right hand, Negan has little belief in Simon as a leader.

Negan was further angered when he found out about the Scavengers massacre. He promised Jadis to take care of him. Upon Negan's return, Negan proceeds to humilate Simon in front of the rest of his inner group, having Simon get down on his knees and taunting him, asking him if he's going to make a move. When Simon responds that he has no move to make, Negan seemingly forgives him. After this Simon begins plotting against Negan, showing that their relationship has been completely and utterly severed. Negan eventually puts down the plot and fights Simon one on one in front of all the Saviors, ultimately overpowering him and then strangling his former right-hand man to death.

Gregory
"You know what I think, Gregory? I think you're playing both sides. I think you are a thin-dicked politician threading the needle with your thin, thin dick. Now, is listening to you the right way to go, or is it the right place and time for something else?"

- Negan threatening Gregory.

Negan has a complete lack of respect for Gregory due to the cowardice and incompetence of the supposed leader of the Hilltop Colony.

Gregory is shown to be quite fearful of Negan and becomes submissive to his demands, giving him half of his community supplies, after Negan and the Saviors killed a member from the Hilltop. Negan takes advantage of Gregory's cowardice and begins demanding more supplies. After some time, he can't keep up to the amount that Negan wants, so Negan kidnaps Craig and sends Ethan to kill Gregory for failing to follow his orders. After the attempt of taking Gregory's life fails, the leader of the Hilltop decides to make a deal with Rick Grimes's group to eliminate Negan and the Saviors once and for all. Instead of doing it himself, he sends Simon to deal with Gregory at the Hilltop after Rick's people had killed every Savior from one of the outpost.

Ezekiel
"Plan A is taking Rick, the Widow, and King Assface alive and making them dead in a very, very public and instructive way. We kill the right people in the wrongest way possible, and we make them all watch!"

- Negan mentioning Ezekiel.

Negan and Ezekiel have not interacted on-screen once, though since the attack on Alexandria, Negan wants to capture Ezekiel, Rick and Maggie and touture and kill them horribly in front of their people.

Rick Grimes
"This shit isn't funny anymore. Don't make me do this now, Rick. I got plans for you. Cut you up in little bitty pieces, feed you to the dead, and make you watch. Then, when you're some sort of screwed-up, creepy stump with a head, that's when I'm gonna kill you - in front of everybody. (...) When I am done with you, nobody will ever try to do what you did - not ever again! Not your friends, not your son."

- Negan to Rick.

Negan and Rick have a spiteful relationship.

Negan was first made aware of Rick Grimes and his group of survivors after Rick led a raid on a Savior outpost which resulted in the deaths of all its inhabitants. Hence he personally sent Dwight with a group to retaliate in whichever form possible which resulted in more deaths and the murder of Denise Cloyd.

Negan was able to organize a joint effort of roadblocks and psychological intimidation to trap Rick Grimes with a portion of his group to exact his revenge and break them into servitude. Once captured, Negan bludgeons Abraham Ford and Glenn Rhee to death hoping to display authority but Rick still remains defiant, threatening to kill him. Amused and unsatisfied, Negan forces Rick to risk his life to attain a hatchet among a large group of walkers whilst verbally mocking Rick for thinking he could live a safe life with his group. Negan eventually breaks Rick when he forces him to attempt to cut off his son's arm after he notices that Rick is still defiant, stopping Rick shortly before the amputation could occur. Satisfied, Negan leaves the group in a shattered state.

Negan continues to converse with Rick in the style of a laid back bully whenever they meet such as when Negan arrives at Alexandria for Rick's first tribute. Negan clearly observes Rick's hatred towards him for his actions but remains unconcerned and continues his dark sense of humor. However, whenever Rick makes a statement or action that Negan disagrees with his cheerful tone becomes stern and serious to remind Rick who's in charge - such as the case of the missing guns.

Negan respects Rick to a degree for his leadership and survival skills but ultimately for being a selfless individual. Negan makes this point to Spencer that Rick is 'swallowing' his hate for him for the sake of everyone in Alexandria and being a proactive survivor.

However, when Negan learns of Rick's plot to revolt against him from Jadis - leader of the Scavengers - he becomes so irritated by his defiance that he returns to Alexandria to quell any notion of rebellion. Rick and his group manage to thwart his plan and cause him and a few of the Saviors to retreat. Disappointed and enraged, Negan resorts to "Plan B": go to war with Alexandria and eliminate Rick Grimes.

Carl Grimes
"Look at you. Answering the door like a big boy. I am so proud. Daddy's not home, huh? Well, I guess he's gonna get back to a big old smoky surprise. (...) Well, that shit just breaks my heart. There's kids at the Sanctuary. You must've seen 'em. Even had a little baby at one of the outposts. I wonder what happened to her. None of this shit's fair, kid. Hell, you know that. You had to kill your own mom. That is screwed up. Ergo, we need someone in charge who's willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that shit doesn't happen. Oh. Wait. That's me. (...) Oh, now you want to talk? See, your dad had it that I died, no matter what. He gave my people a choice. Not me. Now we're gonna need a new understanding. Apologies, punishment."

- Negan to Carl. Upon encountering Carl for the first time, Negan takes an immediate interest in the teenager. Carl, however, shows nothing but anger and hatred for him, something that impresses Negan. When he gives a speech to the group, unlike the rest of the group including his own father, Negan bends his knees in front of Carl to talk to him, showing he somehow respects him. When he learns that Carl is Rick's son, he further taunts that he wishes not to kill the "little future serial killer". After choosing the first Lucille victim, he warns the group to not interfere least he will bring more harm by cutting Carl's other eye and feeding it to his father. Carl then witnesses the brutal death of first Abraham, then Glenn, at the hands of Negan. Later, he is brought upfront by Negan who unbuckles his belt and uses it to tie Carl's left arm. Negan then forces him to lay on the ground, draws a line on his arm and forces a fearstricken Rick to decide to chop it off. Whilst Rick is emotionally broken and pleading, Carl is scared but resolute, telling his father to "just do it". When Rick is about to do so, Negan halts him, telling him that he has proven his point. When Carl later attempts to kill him, Negan shows him around the Saviors compound and makes Carl show him his missing eye. Negan asks to touch Carl's eye socket and delights in it at first until he sees that he's driven Carl to tears. In an uncharacteristic move, Negan stops and apologizes for driving Carl to tears and begins teaching him about what he thinks it takes to be a man. He also shows some sympathy for Carl having to kill his mother.

In "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life", Negan tries to kill Carl as a lesson to Rick, but is stopped when the Kingdom and the Hilltop attack and force him to retreat. Before he attempts to kill Carl, Negan expresses regret at having to do so, telling Rick that he actually likes Carl. Negan has had a change of heart since his attempt to kill Carl. During the second attack on Alexandria, Negan sees Carl as someone Rick has made weak, and wants to raise Carl as a potential lieutenant of the Saviors.

In "How It's Gotta Be", Negan shows a willingness to negotiate with Carl and appears impressed by Carl's willingness to sacrifice himself to save his community, something Negan admits to Rick. While Negan brings up Carl having to kill his own mother, Negan doesn't taunt Carl with the fact but instead admits that he finds it "screwed up." When Carl asks Negan about his original intentions in becoming the leader of the Saviors, his words actually give Negan pause before Negan realizes that Carl is just distracting him which enrages Negan.

In "Honor", it is indicated that Carl sees redeeming qualities in Negan since in the peaceful future he envisions, Negan is apart of it and sharing a friendly relationship with Rick and Judith.

In "The Lost and the Plunderers", Negan expresses admiration for Carl's actions to Simon. When Rick later calls Negan over the radio, he informs Negan of Carl's death and that Carl wrote a letter to Negan asking him to stop and make peace. Negan is genuinely grief-stricken to learn that Carl is dead and is horrified by the idea that he and the Saviors might have caused it. Though Negan blames Rick for not being there to stop Carl from doing something stupid, he admits that he's feeling the weight of Carl's death and will be for a while.

In "The Key", Negan even offers Rick a new deal in a memory of Carl, as Carl was someone he actually respected.

Abraham Ford
"Red - and hell, he was, is, and will ever be red. He just took one or six or seven for the team!"

- Negan explaining Abraham's death. Negan was intimidated by Abraham and felt it was too dangerous to keep the larger man alive. After being captured by Negan and his Saviors, unlike the rest of the members, Abraham shows completely no fear in facing them. When Negan stands and glances right at him, Abraham continues to stare at him which slightly amuses Negan before remarking that he needs to “shave his shit”. After simply unable to decide who to kill, Abraham then watches Negan who is chanting "eeny, meeny, miney, moe" and walking one person to another while pointing his bat at them before finally picking Abraham. After warning them not to interfere, Negan then slams the bat to Abraham’s head, causing him to bleed heavily. Before his death, Abraham utters “suck my nuts” to Negan, who then proceeds to bash his head several more times, completely mutilating his head before mocking his last words.

Glenn Rhee
"Buddy, are you still there? I just don't know. It seems like you're trying to speak... but you just took a hell of a hit! I just popped your skull so hard your eyeball just popped out... and it is gross as shit!"

- Negan in amusement of Glenn's disfigurement. Negan and Glenn hardly knew each other but Negan shows amusement for him after Glenn desperately tries to intervene him from harming Maggie. He warns them all not to do that again or he will “shut down that shit, no exceptions”. After Negan finally picks Abraham as the Lucille victim, Glenn watches in horror as Abraham is smashed by Negan to death. After Daryl attempts to retaliate against Negan for taunting Rosita, Negan teaches the group another brutal lesson by hitting Glenn in the same fashion as Abraham, and reiterating his earlier statement that one insubordination would be pardoned but any other would be halted with no exceptions. He further taunts Glenn’s mutilated face who is trying to speak to Maggie before delivering more blows to his head. His head is totally destroyed.

Maggie Greene
"That widow is alive guns a'blazin!...You taste that, Simon? That is the taste of shit!"

- Negan angrily discovering that Maggie is alive.

Negan and Maggie have an extremely poor history with each other.

Negan first meets Maggie along with her group members when he and the Saviors capture them in a remote forest. Upon first inspection, he teases her with some rude remarks and calls her appearance “shitty” without knowing of her pregnancy. Negan even considers her a potential victim before her husband, Glenn Rhee, intervenes.

Negan eventually selects Abraham Ford as his victim as punishment for the deaths of his men at the group's hands and beats his head to a bloody pulp, horrifying her. Maggie become completely heartbroken when she witnessed her husband be executed in the exact same fashion, punishment for Daryl punching Negan shortly after Abraham's death. After breaking Rick Grimes into his servitude, Negan leaves her and the group in a shattered mess. Despite being utterly distraught, Maggie tells Rick to get ready to fight Negan and the Saviors, wanting immediate revenge.

When Negan arrives at Alexandria for their first offering he asks Rick where the 'sick girl' is, expressing an interest in her, before explaining that he was intending to take her back with him further saying that he has an interest in widows because they're special. Negan is then led to believe that she had died of her condition with a grave as supposed proof, unaware of her living safely at the Hilltop Colony.

Negan later discovers that Maggie is actually alive and well, enraged he had been tricked of her demise. Ever since then, Negan wants Maggie, Rick and Ezekiel captured alive, and making them dead in their people and kill them.

Maggie is resolute in her desire to end Negan and the Saviors, both to preserve a future free from tyranny and ultimately avenge her husband.

Rosita Espinosa
"Shit.. What the shit?! Shit! You just.. You tried to kill me?! You shot Lucille!"

- Negan to Rosita after she tries to kill him Rosita looks to show fear of Negan after being captured by him and his Saviors. She is shocked and heartbroken when he beats Abraham to death with Lucille. Negan senses they were together and taunts her by forcing her to look at his bat, now covered in Abraham’s blood. When Negan then kills Glenn as a result of Daryl sticking up for Rosita, she watches in horror and sadness.

When Negan orders Alexandria to give half of their supplies over, Rosita refuses to scavenge for him. Instead, she insists that Eugene make her a bullet, most likely with the intention to kill Negan.

After Negan kills Spencer, an angry Rosita tries and fails to kill him with the bullet Eugene made for her. He is furious when Rosita shoots Lucille instead, and has Arat hold a knife to her face. As punishment for her actions, Olivia is killed. Rosita deeply despises Negan and has made it a personal mission to kill him in order to avenge Abraham and Glenn.

Daryl Dixon
"We got ourselves a red situation. I need a search party. See if Daryl ran home like the dumb animal that he is."

- Negan over the radio when he learns of Daryl's escape

At first Negan does not show any sort of interest in Daryl. However, when Daryl punches Negan after killing Abraham and taunting Rosita, Negan is shocked and impressed. Despite this, Negan brutally kills Glenn as punishment for his action, much to Daryl's horror and sadness.

Still intrigued from earlier, Negan orders Dwight to capture Daryl before the group is released, as he wants to develop Daryl into another soldier. While in his capture, Negan finds Daryl's defiance and resolve both amusing and astounding. Despite having trouble breaking him into the Savior's ranks, Negan continued to enjoy having Daryl in his servitude up until Daryl's escape. It is evident that Daryl hates Negan deeply and wants to fight him and the saviors and kill them all.

Spencer Monroe
"Oh, how embarrassing, there they are! They were inside you the whole time. You DID have guts! I've never been so wrong in my whole life!"

- Negan to Spencer after killing him. Negan first meets Spencer at the front gate of Alexandria Safe-Zone to collect his first 'offering' to which Spencer questions who is he. Negan immediately shows displeasure, having made such a 'strong first impression'.

In "Hearts Still Beating", when Negan returns to Alexandria for the second time, Spencer introduces himself and the two share a drink on Rick's porch to which Negan acknowledges Spencer as his best friend. Later, they are seen playing pool outside while being watched by the Alexandrians and the Saviors. Spencer tells him that Rick is a bad leader and proposes that Negan put him in charge once Rick is killed. Negan is irritated that Spencer would wait for Rick to be gone before approaching and asking him to do his dirty work. He tells Spencer it's because he has no guts before stabbing him in the stomach and disemboweling him.

Negan shows no remorse for killing Spencer as he mocks him for having guts after killing him.

Michonne
"Man, I love a gal that buys me dinner and doesn't expect me to put out."

- Negan to Rick on Michonne

Michonne at first appears to be extremely afraid of Negan when he and the Saviors capture her and the group and is shocked when he kills Abraham and Glenn. When Negan arrives at Alexandria, Michonne is reluctant to give up her gun for him, but allows Rick to hand it over and wordlessly drops the deer she shot on the ground when Negan orders Arat to get it. Michonne most likely despises Negan deeply and wants to fight him and kill him in order to end the subjugation of her community.

Sasha Williams
"You got me wrapped around your little finger. You know that? And it's not a man/woman thing. I mean, if you had a dick, I would still have these feelings."

- Negan praising Sasha.

Negan and Sasha shared a brief relationship.

Negan first meets Sasha when she is captured along with her fellow group members in a remote forest. When Negan selects and kills Abraham among them as punishment for the slaughter of his men at their hands, Sasha becomes distraught and horrified as the two had a romantic relationship. Fueled with rage, Sasha would try to take ever chance she could to take down Negan and avenge Abraham and fellow friend Glenn Rhee who also died in the forest.

Sasha eventually falls under Negan's capture again when she tries to assassinate him on a suicide mission. Despite the attempt on his life, Negan openly admires Sasha for her bravery and sees a potential recruit in her. Negan even notes to Sasha that he thinks she's "something else".

When Sasha commits suicide to reanimate as a walker and attack Negan he laments on her demise as her potential for serving at his side was now wasted.

Olivia
"I'm about 50 percent more into you now. Just sayin'."

- Negan to Olivia after she slaps him. Negan and Olivia have a soured relationship with Negan initially thinking very little of her and Olivia being terrified of him.

Upon their first encounter, Negan makes jokes and insults about Olivia’s weight privately to Rick. Olivia however soon becomes his hostage when it's discovered two handguns from Alexandria's armory have been misplaced as Negan wished to take all of Alexandria's firearms. When the guns have been found, he happily releases her.

Negan encounters Olivia a second time when returning Carl back from the Sanctuary. When Olivia expresses the community's dire food situation, Negan mocks her obesity by claiming it hard to believe she's "practically starving" which causes her to cry. Negan is perplexed by her sensitivity but eventually relents for his abusive behavior and apologizes, offering sex until Rick returns from a supply run. Offended, Olivia slaps Negan. Surprisingly, Negan rubs it off and says his interest in her has increased then orders her to make him some lemonade.

In "Hearts Still Beating", Olivia is shot and killed by Arat after Negan ordered her to kill somebody after Rosita refused to tell who made the bullet. However, Negan tells Rick that personally he wouldn't have picked her to go.

Judith Grimes
"Oh, my! Look at THIS little angel!"

- Negan, when he first encounters Judith.

When Negan stumbles into Judith's room, despite Carl's attempts to conceal her existence, he is immediately delighted and lifts her out of her crib. She is then shown asleep in his arms on the porch as he calls her precious.

Eugene Porter
"I know how hard it can be to accept change, to get on the right team. But I need you to understand something. I do not make this invitation to everyone."

- Negan to Eugene

Negan first meets Eugene when he captures him in the RV and lines him up with Rick group and he watched Negan beats Glenn and Abraham to death with the baseball bat.

Later, after Rosita's failed attempt to kill Negan, he furiously tries to find who made the bullet. Eugene confesses that he was the one who did it and thus he and his men took him as hostage.

After arriving at the Savior's base, Negan was impressed by Eugene's intelligence and believes his lie about being a bio engineer. Thus he makes Eugene become a Chief-Engineer of the Saviors.

Surprisingly, Eugene is one of few people that Negan does not directly threaten or harm, and Negan mostly gives him respect, hospitality, and even kindness to an extent.

Gabriel Stokes
TBA

Emmett Carson
"You left the door open and let my puppy out! You knew Sherry hated Daryl being here, so you let him out for her, be the hero. Then you could move in. That is some weaselly shit right there."

- Negan blaming Emmett for Daryl's escape.

Negan and Emmet Carson's relationship were considered neutral. He sees him useful for treating his injured men and considers him a great doctor.

However after Dwight frames him for falsely aiding Sherry for Daryl's escape, Negan becomes furious at Emmett and shows Dr. Carson a note from Sherry, which Dwight planted on his desk. After Dr. Carson falsely confesses that he did it to avoid the iron, Negan grabs him and throws him into the furnace, burning him alive.

Amber
Although being one of his "wifes", Amber seems to strongly dislike Negan, due to her having to become his wife for free medication for her mother, and being forced to break up with her boyfriend, Mark. In "Sing Me a Song", Amber is deeply upset about her situation with Negan. When Negan gives her the option to no longer be his wife, she is frightened to say yes, knowing that if she is no longer his wife, she must go work for the medication for her ill mother. She forcefully agrees to stay as Negan's wife, telling him she loves him. Later on, Amber watches in horror as Negan burns Mark's face with an iron.

Mark
"Mark, I'm sorry. But it is what it is."

- Negan to Mark before ironing his face.

Negan and Mark associate with one another as business associates in the Savior Compound. It is assumed that Mark doesn't respect Negan enough to avoid seeing Amber behind his back. Once found out, Negan punished Mark and scarred the left side of his face. It is assumed that Mark resents Negan for both interfering with the relationship between he and Amber, and now for the disfigurement of his face.

Tanya
Although their relationship has not been explored, Negan seems to be attracted to Tanya, since she's one of his many wives. However, it can be assumed Tanya dislikes Negan when she tells Eugene that he's the only "good man" she knows. When Eugene refuses to give pills to Tanya, it is revealed that the pills Frankie and Tanya wanted weren't for Amber, but for Negan. This shows that Tanya wants Negan dead and therefore doesn't care for him.

Arat
"Arat, kill somebody."

- Negan to Arat

Arat is shown to be completely loyal to Negan and is one of his closest associates. He clearly trusts her to carry out his orders without question, such as when she mercilessly killed Olivia on his orders. She also tackled Rosita to the ground after she attempted to assassinate Negan, showing that Arat is willing to protect her leader from danger.

Laura
Little is known about the relationship between Negan and Laura, but she has proved to be loyal to Negan. Thus, she become one of the Savior's members. Later, Negan picks her up walking along the side of the road. Laura then reveals Dwight's betrayal to him and delights in angrily telling Dwight what she has done while Negan reveals that he used Dwight to pass a fake plan to the Militia so Negan could lead them into a trap. Negan then promotes Laura to the position of his second-in-command.

Gary
Little is known about the relationship between Negan and Gary but he does see him as one of his loyal and trusted men. When Simon infers that Negan is most likely dead, Gary appears to be somewhat saddened. It is later shown that Gary's loyalties are to Simon and not Negan, he (alongside fellow Saviors) were gunned down on Negan's command for their betrayal. Negan shows no remorse for his demise.

David
"You were trying to rape this woman, weren't you? This is some unacceptable behavior. Rape is against the rules here. I wouldn't wanna be somewhere where it wasn't."

- Negan confronting David.

Negan and David's relationship was neutral at best. Negan knew that David was the threatening type. However, their relationship becomes hostile when David tried to rape Sasha and broke one of his most important rules. Because of this, Negan kills David, not even accepting his apology for his wrongdoing.

Gavin
Little is known about the relationship between Negan and Gavin as they haven't been seen interacting on-screen so far. However, it can be assumed that Negan holds enough trust and respect for him to become one his lieutenants and being in charge of the weekly tribute from The Kingdom. His reaction to Gavin's death is yet to be seen, though he is showing great concern as to why he hasn't heard from him in a few days.

Regina
"Ah Regina, now why'd you have to go and do that?"

- Negan scolding Regina.

Regina and Negan seem to have a good relationship and as one of Negan's top Lieutenants it is clear that Negan trusts her. Their relationship may have been strained due to Regina shooting one of the Savior workers commenting on why she killed a worker.}}

Appearances
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 * content =

Season 6

 * "Last Day on Earth"

Season 7

 * "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"
 * "The Cell"
 * "Service"
 * "Sing Me a Song"
 * "Hearts Still Beating"
 * "Rock in the Road" (Voice Only)
 * "Hostiles and Calamities"
 * "The Other Side" (No Lines)
 * "Something They Need"
 * "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"

Season 8

 * "Mercy"
 * "The Big Scary U"
 * "Time for After"
 * "How It's Gotta Be"
 * "Honor" (Dream)
 * "The Lost and the Plunderers"
 * "Dead or Alive Or"
 * "The Key"
 * "Still Gotta Mean Something"
 * "Worth"
 * "Wrath"
 * }}

Trivia

 * Negan is the fourth major recurring antagonist in the TV Series, the first being Shane Walsh, the second being The Governor, and the third being Gareth.
 * Negan has the most appearances in the TV Series, appearing in a total of 20 episodes alive (he appeared in a dream sequence in "Honor"), out of the other primary antagonists.
 * Negan is the first major recurring antagonist to appear in more than two and a half seasons, making him the longest recurring antagonist on The Walking Dead.
 * Henry Rollins, who partially inspired the character's design, auditioned for the role. However it was ultimately handed down to Jeffrey Dean Morgan instead.
 * Negan was originally called Nagus by Kirkman: "Every now and then I just make up a word and then I look it up and it's a name. So he was Nagus for a long time, and then I realized that the Ferengi high commander on Deep Space Nine was called the Grand Nagus. And I was like, 'Oh, that's where I got that! Oh, okay. Uhh, maybe he's Negan.' So that's how that happened."
 * Negan's signature weapon is a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire he calls "Lucille".
 * Negan very rarely uses a gun, preferring his baseball bat.
 * Upon describing the character, Kirkman stated that "Negan is kind of an atomic bomb that's going to be dropped onto the show and the show will probably never be the same after that".
 * Negan's outfit was designed by costume designer Eulyn Womble, who custom made his jacket, belt and hand wraps in order to specifically match his comic book counterpart.
 * Upon discussing Negan's foul-mouthed nature, Jeffery Dean Morgan stated: "We're going to push AMC- the plan is to push them as far as they can because it's who Negan is. He uses some colorful language. And I use some colorful language. And reading the comic, it's important. So we'll see where that lands. It's our intention that this character is going to leap off the pages of the comic book. It's very important that that's who it is. Some of the characters there's much more leeway, but Negan is a guy that you want to keep as true as possible, and that would be how I want to play him as well."
 * Negan's first appearance in "Last Day on Earth" featured no use of the word "fuck", and Negan's general language was kept tame. However, in the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Season 6, his debut was partially a re-shot, featuring speech almost identical to his comic counterpart.
 * According to Robert Kirkman, he expressed that Negan and Rick share several similarities as the pair have even been described as 'two sides of the same coin, only Negan's moral compass is a little more out of whack'.
 * Negan currently possess the largest kill count out of any character on The Walking Dead and the entire Walking Dead universe, with a total of at least 212 victims.
 * Negan currently possess the highest kill count of any antagonist encountered on The Walking Dead.
 * In an interview with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, upon being questioned regarding any insight into Negan's backstory, he elaborated that Kirkman is creating a prequel story solely dedicated to the character titled Here's Negan. Morgan expressed hope of divulging into this, however nothing is confirmed as of yet. Scott Gimple has stated he has an idea to show Negan's backstory however it's unknown when it will be shown.
 * The casting call name for this character was "Orin". He is described as being a "A physically imposing, charismatic, brutal, smart, ferocious, frightening, hilarious, inappropriate, oddly friendly, fun loving sociopath that is both a leader of men and a killer of men. He has both a practical and emotional intelligence, he's a brilliant strategist, he's pure, dangerous, murderous, often gleeful, that still has both discipline and a code. And he has a temper that can vaporize people. He's truly one of the strongest personalities ever."
 * Negan despises sexual violence. This is shown when he kills David for attempting to rape Sasha.
 * Negan exhibits several symptoms of what is known as a God complex, living a life of total and uninhibited dominion over any form of life he sees, people who will follow his every command.
 * Negan has officially killed more main characters than any other character both directly and caused. He is responsible for the deaths of 5 main characters: Abraham Ford, Glenn Rhee, Spencer Monroe, Sasha Williams and Simon.
 * Negan is also the first main antagonist to kill more than one main character in one episode (Abraham Ford and Glenn Rhee).