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This article is about the TV Universe character. You may be looking for his No Man's Land, Our World, Comic Series, March to War, Rick Grimes 2000, Road to Survival, Survivors, or Secret Lair counterparts.

Here's what I'm thinking. The Croat never took your grain, just your kid. For collateral, sure, but he was never coming back for no harvest. He wanted me. And for what? Who the hell knows. But whatever that crazy son of a bitch wants with me, I sure as shit ain't gonna like it. You and I both know that much. The shit thing is, Maggie, we could have done it. We could have saved Hershel. Because you and I together, we made one hell of a badass team. But you know that, don't you? Maybe some part of you always wanted it to end this way. The fact is, Maggie, it doesn't matter what excuses I give you or how many apologies I offer, you can't get over it. And you shouldn't.
―Negan to Maggie after realizing she planned to trade him to the Croat for Hershel's freedom.[src]

Negan Smith (pronounced /ni:gen/) is a former antagonist and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's Television Universe. He is a main character in The Walking Dead and one of two protagonists in The Walking Dead: Dead City. He served as the primary antagonist for the second half of Season 6, and for all of Season 7 and Season 8, but has also been present as a recurring antagonist, bordering on anti-hero, since Season 9 in The Walking Dead.

He was the leader of the Saviors, who used his authority and resources to subjugate other communities and gather tribute in exchange for protection against walkers. After a war against the Militia of his formerly subjugated communities, he was defeated, which ended up with Daryl Dixon taking charge of the Saviors, now willing to cooperate with the communities before its disbanding. He was taken as a prisoner to the Alexandria Safe-Zone, receiving a life sentence.

Negan remained imprisoned in Alexandria for seven and a half years, until Gabriel Stokes failed to properly close his cell door, allowing him to escape. After seeing how the world had changed, Negan chose to return to Alexandria and his cell rather than be alone. He has also developed a close bond with Judith Grimes. After saving Judith during a massive blizzard, Negan was allowed to take on a role in the community under supervision.

During the Whisperer War, Negan is freed from his cell by Carol Peletier and sent to infiltrate the Whisperers in order to kill their leader, Alpha. After helping the Coalition to achieve the victory in the war, Negan came to terms with his past and chose to stay in Alexandria despite the danger of Maggie Rhee seeking revenge upon him for his earlier actions. In a search for supplies for the communities, he is forced to confront with Maggie as they work closely together throughout the ordeal. Knowing his fate is inevitable when the conflict against the Reapers concludes, Negan decided to leave Alexandria to find another shelter to inhabit.

Following his departure from Alexandria, Negan joins Riverbend where he marries Annie who becomes pregnant with his child. Drawn into the conflict with the Commonwealth, Negan is reunited with his allies. After expressing genuine remorse for his murder of Glenn, Negan and Maggie make some peace with each other and Negan and Annie departed to find a new life with their child elsewhere.

Years later, Negan sent Annie and their son, Joshua on a wagon train to Missouri after killing five men to protect his wife. He forms a parental bond with Ginny, the daughter of one of the men he killed. They both reunite with Maggie, who seeks Negan's help in rescuing Hershel from the Croat, a former member of the Saviors whom Negan exiled years ago.

Overview[]

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. When he was leader of the Saviors, he was shown to have had complete control over his vast group and was questioned by no one, acting as a complete dictator. Negan also acted like a cult leader, as the Saviors all knelt in his presence and when asked who they are, they all responded in unison "Negan". Negan appeared 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 was willing to do whatever it takes to ensure their survival.

Negan was also an extremely ruthless leader, willing to do whatever it took to obtain resources and supplies for his group by extorting from multiple communities, threatening them with death if they did not obey his demands or did not gather 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 the latter 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. Negan tells Maggie years later that this version of him was just a show that he put on when Negan needed to protect his people and that Negan was only ever a monster when he absolutely had to be.

On the other hand, 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. When Brandon tells Negan he heard that Negan was the one who killed Carl, Negan becomes visibly emotional and states that he never harmed Carl and never would've.

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 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.

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 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 have anyone caught breaking this rule killed on the spot, as seen when he killed David, one of his men, for attempting to rape Sasha. He is also generous when it comes to 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 even allowed Simon a chance to lead the Saviors by engaging into a fight to the death, despite Simon's treacherous behavior. 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 does not lie or breaks 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.

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 was also able to deduce that Alpha was looking for her daughter Lydia, and used this to lure her into a trap.

Negan lives by a moral code that forbids the killing of innocent people especially children. He shows reluctance to kill Carl, even when Carl has killed Saviors. Negan tells Brandon in "What It Always Is" that he has never killed a child and never will. Negan was shown to bond with young Milo, mentoring the boy and planning to take Milo and his mother Amelia to Hilltop for their own safety, though he asked Milo not to tell anyone that it was Negan who did it. When Brandon murdered Milo, Negan flew into a rage and killed the young man for what he did. When Daryl tells Negan that a bunch of children almost died at Hilltop because of him, Negan is visibly upset to hear it. Negan later tells Daryl that one of the things that pushed him over the edge to kill Alpha was that she was targeting innocent people and children. Negan outright states to Daryl his belief that you never harm a child no matter what. There is however contradiction to Negan's claim of not harming children as in the past he was going to kill Carl as a last attempt to break Rick into submission. This contradiction can be seen as a change from what Negan was willing to do before as to opposed to now.

Negan loved his wife Lucille dearly, despite treating her badly he claims that she got him through life. After her death he named his primary weapon "Lucille", a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. The bat is a symbolic reminder of Lucille, which helps him cope during the apocalypse. Negan refers to the bat as her as if she is a person and asking it to give him strength. He was 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. Negan explained that the bat is the last thing he has left of his wife.

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 job as high school gym teacher indicates that Negan's time as leader of the Saviors has corrupted his original intentions and turned him into the man he currently is. In "Here's Negan", it is also shown how Negan can be much less ruthless in the early days of the apocalypse. He was kinder and less willing to resort to extreme methods unless pushed, and even then it took losing his wife to bring out the more ruthless side of him.

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. Negan's fondness for Carl is clearly displayed in "Wrath" in which he becomes momentarily distracted by Rick telling him what Carl had hoped the two of them could have eventually achieved, which was peace. However he is seriously injured by Rick as a result and is taken as a prisoner to Alexandria in order to spend the rest of his days as a prisoner as punishment for the atrocities he has committed and to serve as a reminder that people are capable of change.

By the start of Season 9, Negan is now completely powerless and trapped in a degraded form of existence as a prisoner in Alexandria. Despite this however, he is still shown to be strong and has maintained his sanity despite his captivity as well as his menacing attitude. He is even shown to be brave enough to still taunt his jailer, Rick, about his late son Carl even though he is completely at Rick's mercy and can potentially be killed in an instant and appears to have hopes for freedom as he tells Rick that he is not saving the world in the least, but that he is simply getting it ready for him.

Despite this, Negan confides in Michonne that he greatly misses his wife, appreciating the fact that she is not alive to see him in such a state, and admits to her that, since losing the war, he has lost everything. When Negan desperately asks Michonne to see Lucille, he is horrified and broken when she gleefully tells him that his bat is still where he was defeated, causing him to bash his head repeatedly into one of the cell's walls. This illustrates that, while Negan continues to put on a fierce exterior when conversing with Rick, being locked up for nearly two years without an audience, power, and especially Lucille has begun to eat away at him.

This finally culminates in a complete breakdown during a confrontation with Maggie, who came to his cell to finally kill him, purposely trying to goad her into killing him before begging her to do so. Pulling Negan from his cell, Maggie demanded to know why he wants her to kill him. Sobbing, Negan finally admits he wants to be with his wife and can no longer live his life as a prisoner with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company. Realizing how broken Negan is, Maggie lets him live and demands that he get back in his cell, telling him that imprisonment is the worst fate for someone like him. Walking back into his cell, Negan continues to cry, muttering that his life wasn't meant to turn out like this, showing just how broken he has become over the last year and a half.

Six years after Rick's apparent death, Negan appears to have adopted a friendlier personality, helping Judith with math problems and offering her advice on Magna's group. While interacting with the young girl, Negan's advice appears to be completely genuine and not manipulative and he even gives a fond smile at Judith's take on the situation. He has retained his sense of humor and some of his manipulative personality, which he uses to tease Gabriel. When he sees Gabriel is upset about Rosita, he seems to genuinely sympathize with him, though Gabriel doesn't believe him.

Negan's change of heart and attitude was further proven during a blizzard, when Negan willingly abandoned his group of survivors and risked his own life to chase after Judith, who herself began chasing Daryl's dog after it ran off, desperately calling out to her, and used his own winter clothes to keep Judith warm. Nonetheless, Negan still retained his rather crude and straight-forward sense of humor, joking about the "love triangle" between Gabriel, Rosita and Siddiq, and poking fun at Gabriel not being the father of Rosita's child, sarcastically referring to him as "Father, not the father". Instead of rising to the bait however, the Alexandrians tell Negan they know his mannerisms all too well and as a result, no longer fall for such things from him. As a result of his crude humor however, only moments later they mistake Negan sensing a genuine danger as yet another attempt at antagonism before they realize he's not kidding for once. Regardless, Negan seems to have completely changed his ways, showing genuine concern about the well-being of The Kingdom's residents after the storm, asking Michonne about their status. Negan openly admits sympathy for their situation as well, stating that while he doesn't know the people, he knows what they're going through having lost a kingdom.

After killing Alpha, Negan admits to Daryl that he did enjoy working with the Whisperers because it allowed him to do something that mattered again and be needed. After spending seven years behind bars, Negan claims that even his memories have prison bars in them now. However, what pushed Negan over the edge to fulfil his deal with Carol and kill Alpha was when Alpha started killing innocent people and wanted to kill her own daughter Lydia. Negan states that Alpha went too far for him as you never kill someone who doesn't deserve it and you never harm a child. He also tells Carol while making a deal with her that he wishes no harm upon Alexandria and her residents and in fact expressed concern at the idea that his involvement in the plan could put them in danger which Negan genuinely didn't want. Though Negan had the chance to become the new Alpha of the Whisperers and kill Daryl, displaying much of his old personality and clearly enjoying the moment, Negan chose to save Daryl and return to Alexandria despite knowing that he might never be accepted, showing how far he had come from his time as the ruthless leader of the Saviors.

In "Here's Negan", it is shown that before the apocalypse, and during the early months of the apocalypse, Negan was a much less brutal and much more reserved individual. At first, he refused to even kill a walker, concerned that he would come to enjoy it. This shows that Negan was a much less ruthless individual to begin with, one who hadn't killed anyone living. Though he was less ruthless, he was shown to have the same temper that he would show in the apocalypse, having been put on probation for assaulting a man who insulted his wife. The friendlier personality Negan has taken on after his years of imprisonment is closer to the man he was during the time with Lucille during the early months of the apocalypse.

During his time living in Alexandria following the defeat of the Whisperers, Negan is forced to confront the consequences of his actions as a free man for the first time while working alongside the people that often dislike him at best and hate him at worst. However, Negan makes a genuine effort, forming something of a friendship with Daryl and playing a vital role in defeating the Reapers. During this time, Negan explains to Maggie that his murders of Abraham and Glenn were motivated by the massacre of his men at the Satellite Outpost and the need to give the friends and family of the men that were killed some justice. In this way, Negan's actions were to a degree like what Rick's group would've done in his situation and even what Maggie ended up doing to the Reapers. What separates Negan's actions is the sadistic way that he underwent them. However, Negan tells Maggie that, if given the chance to do it all over again, he would've killed everyone in the lineup because it would've saved a lot more of his people. After defeating the Reapers, Negan chooses to leave on his own, knowing that Maggie will never give up on trying to kill him. Negan later states that his decision also came because he knew that he would never truly be accepted and that it was better for everyone if he went, although this had the side effect of hurting Lydia, one of Negan's few friends, when he didn't even bother to say goodbye to her.

When Negan resurfaces again six months later, he has found happiness with his new wife Annie, having finally, truly, moved on from Lucille. Negan also seems to be content with no longer being a leader, simply being a resident of Riverbend rather than its leader. With Annie's pregnancy, Negan is determined to protect his family at all costs and excited at the idea of being a father. Annie tells Maggie that Negan hasn't hidden his past from her, nor has he forgotten what he did. With how much Negan has changed, he has a better relationship in general with his former enemies while working with the Coalition against the Commonwealth, working side by side with Daryl effortlessly and even calling Daryl his friend to Mercer. Despite the slightly rocky way their previous team up went, Negan gets along well with Carol, even openly expressing his respect of her abilities to Sebastian Milton and opening up to Carol about his fears about being a father. While Aaron remains wary of Negan at first, Gabriel is delighted to have him back and has no such reservations. Due to Negan saving Hershel's life, Negan and Maggie's relationship begins to improve as well, although Negan is confronted with a stark reminder of his past when Hershel realizes who he is and tries to kill Negan in revenge for murdering his father.

After being sent to the Commonwealth labor camp at an occupied Alexandria, Negan is faced with often being on the opposite end of his treatment to people as the leader of the Saviors with the Warden sharing many similarities to Negan at his worst with the one major difference being that Negan was never as cold-hearted as the Warden. After Negan tells her that he pretty much was the Warden once upon a time, Annie quips "shit, no wonder they hate you." Negan turns to Ezekiel for help in forming a revolution, knowing that the people need a leader who can inspire by hope, not fear, which is how Negan operates. Negan freely admits that he probably does belong in a place like the prison camp, but he also knows that everyone else doesn't. Ezekiel only reluctantly works with Negan due to his anger and bitterness over Benjamin's murder by the Saviors, causing the two men to clash and Negan to apparently betray Ezekiel. However, Negan instead gives up his own name as the leader of the rebellion and attempts to sacrifice himself as a martyr before being forced to beg after Annie is set to be executed with him. Only Ezekiel leaping to his defense spares Negan from death.

The events at Alexandria, specifically being faced with the perspective of being someone on the other side of a tyrannical and sadistic leader's control, gives Negan a new understanding of how his own actions impacted those that he had once ruled over. Negan and Ezekiel are able to make peace and Negan reveals that his actions were completely selfless and motivated by a desire to leave behind a better legacy for his child than being the monster that he once was and to save everybody else, outright admitting that they are all better than him. Negan also finally understands what he did to Maggie and tearfully and genuinely apologizes to her for murdering Glenn and is even willing to sacrifice himself to kill Pamela Milton, knowing that it is a likely suicide mission and wanting to spare Maggie that. After spending so long working with Negan and having him apologize to her, Maggie recognizes that Negan is both genuine and trying to change, but she can't forgive him for what he did in the end. Negan becomes visibly emotional as Maggie talks to him and describes the man that he has so brutally murdered, silently listening as Maggie tells Negan what he took from the world and how sadistically he did it. However, Maggie decides to try to stop hating Negan and move on, even offering him a place at the Hilltop.

The loss of his family and Negan's separation from the good influences of his friends in the Coalition have caused him to regress into some of his more extreme behaviors in the years since Pamela Milton's defeat. For example, Negan is more confrontational and willing to commit brutal murders in order to protect the people under his protection like he did as the leader of the Saviors. However, Negan has no interest in going back to being the monster that he had to be as the leader of the Saviors and continues to look back on many of his actions with regret for those that he has harmed and begins to recognize that Maggie may be right that he's a monster while Maggie herself begins to see Negan and his actions in a new light.

Negan is shown to have a deep bond with his young companion Ginny, seeking a safe new home for her. Despite Ginny's muteness and Negan's initial frustration at his inability to communicate with her as well as he would like, Negan quickly developed an understanding of what Ginny is trying to tell him based off of non-verbal clues. Negan cares very deeply about Ginny and her about Negan in return to the point of following him to Manhattan after realizing that he's potentially in danger from Maggie. Negan later admits that he's the one who had murdered Ginny's father, thus indirectly causing the young girl to be so traumatized in the first place, and that he had tracked her down out of guilt. In order to protect the young girl, Negan harshly tells her that Ginny is only a price that he had to pay and that he never truly cared for her, something that is quite clearly not true and which Maggie sympathetically notes must've been very hard for him to do.

Negan continues to carry a great deal of affection for Hershel Rhee, risking his life to help Maggie on a rescue mission for the boy despite Hershel's hatred of him. During their brief reunion, Negan warmly greets Hershel who is mainly angry about his mother's continuing obsession with Negan and doesn't respond. The Dama, after having heard the story of Glenn's murder from Hershel, later notes that she could sense that Negan feels remorseful and responsible for the boy whose family he had destroyed, something that Hershel himself couldn't sense. As a result, the Dama is able to threaten Negan into compliance by using Hershel as leverage against him, even after Hershel has been released.

Pre-Apocalypse[]

Cumberland County, Virginia[]

Negan Smith grew up in Virginia. As a child, he brought stray dogs into their house which his mother disapproved of. One day he brought home a vicious dog that killed all the others he adopted and bit off half of his mother's ear when she intervened.[1] In high school, Negan grew into a bully who enjoyed humiliating others, upon where he gained a strong penchant for profanity and enjoyment for power games.[2] Years later, Negan worked as a high school gym teacher, helping his students improve upon their weaknesses and molding them into stronger individuals. He later met a woman named Lucille whom he described as an 'angel', where the pair fell in love and married. Among their similar interests were being fans of the country musician Half Moon, heavy metal band Iron Maiden, and singer Joe Cocker. Although they desired to have a child together they never managed to start a family.[3]

Negan and Lucille frequented at a local bar, which contained a jukebox of their song, "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. While playing one night, a drunken patron became loud and distracting, ruining their song. Lucille asked the man to keep it down and asked for fifty cents to play it again. The man was rude to Lucille, causing Negan to go berserk and beat him nearly to death. He then took $1 from the man's wallet and played their song twice until the police arrested him. The man, however, was a parent to a couple of students attending Negan's high school - and was thus fired from his position. Negan was charged with misdemeanor assault and sentenced to probation and was sued by the man. Lucille had to pay for the man's medical bills. Despite this ordeal, Lucille defended Negan's actions.

Over time however, Negan gradually became depressed with losing his job he loved. He then began an affair with Lucille's best friend, Janine. Refusing to go back to college and find another career, Negan went spree spending on luxuries they couldn't afford. Often times, he would play Gears of War 2 in his basement with young kids online while being verbally obscene. His later expense was a $600 leather jacket, causing a fight between him and Lucille. Unable to return it because Negan threw the receipt away, Lucille hid it in the crawl space. At dinner, Lucille asked Negan to take her to the doctor for an MRI tomorrow, but lied and said he was meeting with the probation officer, when in reality he was meeting with Janine. That night, he came home to Lucille who revealed she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Unknown to him, she was also aware of the affair with Janine. Negan immediately broke it off with Janine and devoted his time to Lucille. The doctors revealed a chemotherapy treatment for Lucille that would hopefully clear her through the cancer. At the time of Lucille's diagnosis, the outbreak was just beginning.

Post-Apocalypse[]

Virginia[]

In the fall of 2010, the Wildfire Outbreak went global. Negan and Lucille took shelter in their basement with an external generator. Using the calendar the doctor gave them, Negan began to scavenge for chemo and taught himself how to administer it in Lucille. A caravan of marauding doctors occasionally came through to supply Negan with the chemo. Seven months into the outbreak, the generator attracted a Walker. He turned the generator off in order to make the Walker lose interest, forgoing him and Lucille watching a James Bond movie while she received her chemo. Negan attempted to read Pride and Prejudice to Lucille instead, but disliked the book - prompting Negan to deal with the Walker. With Negan unable to kill it, Lucille shot it with their last bullet. With only a few chemo treatments left, Negan went scavenging to complete her treatment. He found a stash of marijuana to help with her nausea. Lucille feared that living in isolation was too dangerous and that they needed to move and find people. Negan argued that the outside was too dangerous for them to travel in her condition, and that when her treatment was over they could go out. With the generator off, Negan cuddled Lucille at night to keep her warm while singing their song, "You Are So Beautiful."

The next day, they tried on Lucille's wigs and played darts while she received her chemo. That night, the generator attracted another Walker. Lucille, preparing dinner, assured Negan that it's okay to kill them, but Negan feared that he would get used to it and instead turned off the generator. After eating cooked dog food for dinner, Lucille surprised Negan with the leather jacket they fought about before the apocalypse as an impromptu anniversary gift and apologized for fighting about it. Negan insisted that he was a bad husband, but Lucille assured him that she always saw the best of him and stuck around for that reason. They then smoked the pot and had sex that night. However, Negan forgot to turn the generator back on before falling asleep, causing the chemo to get ruined. While trying to figure out where to find more chemo, Lucille revealed to him that she knew about the affair with Janine, and that she forgives him because he made up for it in the past seven months. With Lucille accepting of her death, she asked Negan to just stay home with her until the end. Negan refused and set out to find more supplies.

For six weeks, Negan searched for marauding doctors for supplies. During this time, he broke his hammer using it against a Walker. He then used his empty gun for show. Low on energy, he finally found the marauding doctors, Franklin and his daughter, Laura and attempted to rob them. Laura, however, knocked him out with a wooden baseball bat. Franklin handcuffed him in the medical trailer and treated his fatigue, while Laura went to their warehouse to find the supplies on Negan's list. Franklin and Laura then supplied Negan with the chemo and sent him on his way, with Laura giving him her wooden baseball bat. Three days later, however, on his way back, he was captured by a gang calling themselves Valak's Vipers and taken to a roadhouse. Their leader, Craven, then tortured Negan looking for information on the source of the chemo. He tried to distract Craven with his life story while he unscrewed the screw on the chair he was tied to. Craven, however, got impatient and threatened to kill him, and by extension Lucille. Negan begrudgingly revealed the doctors' location. After acquiring Franklin, Laura, and their medical trailer - Negan was released with his chemo.

Negan returned home, but discovered that Lucille had killed herself by overdosing on pills and putting a plastic bag over her head in order to set Negan free from his responsibilities. Grief-stricken, Negan was unable to put her down. Negan went outside and took the barbed-wire from his fence and wrapped it around the wooden baseball bat Laura gave him. He then doused Lucille and the house in gasoline and set the place on fire. Negan then returned to the roadhouse where the Vipers were and killed them all. Franklin was able to escape using the screw Negan loosened from the chair earlier and subdued Craven. Negan then told Craven about how his temper and violence caused him trouble before the world ended, but was now the only reason why he was alive - and proceeded to kill Craven with the baseball bat. He then rescued Franklin and Laura and named his baseball bat "Lucille" in honor of his late wife. At some point later, Negan formed a group of survivors he named "the Saviors", inspired by the mascot of the school he once worked at. The central headquarters for the group became a factory called the Sanctuary, after Negan took the place from its apparently incapable leader.

After Negan took charge over the factory, some survivors who lived in the factory long before him, they revealed to him that one notable resident of the factory, Simon, who helped Negan take the Sanctuary, encountered and subjugated another large group, under an extortion racket that was similarly later imposed on the Hilltop and Kingdom. However, the Oceanside group rebelled against him but lost the subsequent skirmish. Under Simon's orders, he along with other survivors of his group 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 him by leaving their original settlement on foot. After Negan heard about Simon's role on that event, he kept an eye on Simon with extreme caution due to his brutal nature, disobedience of certain orders and possibility of being a threat in the future because of what he is capable of. Despite Negan knowing about Simon's bloodthirsty nature and being a possible threat for him, he still appointed him as his right-hand man.

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.[4] Throughout the following months, Negan and his group grew in size (consisting of well over 600 survivors), and he appointed several lieutenants, including Wade, Paula, Jiro, Gavin, Arat, Regina and eventually Dwight. He also 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.

At some point, Negan and his group discovered a community known as the Hilltop Colony. Upon meeting the community leader, Gregory, Negan dispatched a group of Saviors to demand 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 young man, as a display of superiority.[5] Negan later 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 that were kept hidden from the wider community's knowledge.[6] Despite his harsh and sometimes violent methods, Negan was incredibly successful at keeping his group safe and kept more than six-hundred people alive.

TV Series[]

Season 6[]

Content

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, The Saviors felt unsatisfied with the amount they received, and thus had both Tim and Marsha executed and Craig imprisoned in one of the Saviors' outposts. The Saviors then 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 some of Rick Grimes' group from the Alexandria Safe-Zone are 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.

Season 7[]

Content
"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 the Survivors.

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 named George. 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 the Survivors 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 birdie" 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. The Survivors take 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.

Season 8[]

Content
"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 angrily questions Simon 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.

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 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 maneuver 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 witnesses 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 the Survivors, 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 Alexandria'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 outpost, whose 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 kills 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 that 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 despite betraying them, 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 D.J., informing him that Rick is calling from a walkie talkie.

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 the Survivors 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 the Survivors 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 Anne behind the steering wheel, holding him at gunpoint. He chuckles and Anne knocks him unconscious.

"Still Gotta Mean Something"

Negan is first seen at the Heaps, 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' 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' 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 Heaps. 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 and explains that Simon believed him dead. 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 reminds Simon of the time they took the Sanctuary as well as Simon's actions against Oceanside. 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 Gregory 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 angrily reprimands 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 is shown when the Saviors mobilize at the Sanctuary. Eugene informs Negan that he manufactured the bullets as requested. Negan shoots a dummy labeled "Rick" with a test bullet and grins. He gives a map to two Saviors, Lance and Duke, and sends them out.

Negan, Laura, Eugene and Gabriel drive out together. Negan predicts that Rick will send a scout team to kill Lance's group as they set up their roadblock. He explains that he gave Lance and Duke, who were Simon's men, a decoy map to lure the Survivors into an ambush. Rick's scout team kills Lance's group and finds the map, unaware that it's a decoy. In Negan's car, Laura swerves to avoid a walker in the road. Seeing an opportunity, Gabriel opens the car door and leaps free.

Eugene manages to capture him. Negan whacks Gabriel in the stomach with Lucille, bringing him to his knees. He orders him back in the car. Rick's army advances to the ambush spot. Whistling begins just as it did on the night Glenn and Abraham died. Negan contacts them over a bullhorn to taunt them before their inevitable execution. A firing line of Saviors forms up to slaughter the Militia from a distance at higher ground. At the end of Negan's countdown, the Saviors fire, However, Eugene had tampered with their guns and they unexpectedly backfired, killing many Saviors. Taking advantage of the moment, the Militia presses the attack on the Saviors, killing several more.

After the failure of the guns, Negan turns in anger to Eugene, only to be attacked by Gabriel and then Dwight. Negan manages to subdue them both and he makes a run for it, chased by Rick. He runs out of bullets and fights Negan hand to hand. They stop at a tree, where a framed stained glass window hangs from.

Negan gains the upper hand and reveals that the outcome of his game of "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe", when he first met Rick, wasn't random and that he chose to kill Abraham. He purposefully avoided killing Rick so that Carl wouldn't have to see it.

Rick asks Negan to grant him ten seconds to describe the future Carl envisioned and Negan acquiesces. Negan is nearly in tears when Rick puts Carl's words in Negan's face. Rick suddenly slits Negan's throat with a shard of glass.

Negan falls to the ground clutching at his bleeding neck. Rick looks behind at the captured Saviors. After a moment of thought, Rick orders Siddiq to save Negan. Maggie screams and demands that Negan die, but Michonne holds her back. Rick orders the Saviors to return home and proclaims that Negan's rule is over. He points to the massive herd in the distance and declares that they must unite to fight the walkers, the real threat.

Later, Negan recovers in the infirmary. Rick and Michonne inform him that he will rot in a cell for the rest of his life and serve as a reminder that people are capable of change and as an evidence that they will bring civilization.

Season 9[]

Content
"The Bridge"

In Alexandria, Rick goes down a basement to talk to a locked up Negan. He mentions that it been 35 days since Gregory's execution.

He talks about how everything has changed after the war and how the communities are working together on fixing a bridge, which will the link to their future. "We're making a new beginning," Rick says smiling with hope.

After Rick finishes narrating his story, Negan, sporting a much larger beard than normal, questions when he will be able to have a look at the thriving communities but Rick tells him never and tells him he will die in his cell. Rick claims they are thriving without him to build a future and Negan taunts him about Carl but an angry Rick shuts him up and forbids him from mentioning Carl. Negan responds with a grin: "You're not saving this world, Rick. You just get it ready for me," warning him that the peace between the communities won't last too long and that he will not be locked up forever.

"The Obliged"

In Alexandria, Negan is visited by Michonne after he refuses to eat. He says he'll only eat if she stays to talk to him. She agrees to stay for an hour.

Negan tells Michonne he's not meant to be in the cell just as she's not meant to be doing random chores and looking after kids. Michonne shoots back that she's helping rebuild civilization. Negan admits he's happy his wife never got to see him like this, revealing that they wish they had a kid like Carl, but his wife got cancer and the world changed. Michonne says she sees Carl everywhere, and when Negan asks about her own kid, she angrily says Andre didn't make it. Negan says it's better this way because his wife wasn't made for the apocalypse. "We were built for more," he says. Michonne reacts in anger and storms off.

A while later, Michonne returns to Negan's cell and acknowledges that they're similar, but distinguishes that her worldview is a lot more positive than his. She finally gets him to eat, and as she leaves he asks her to see Lucille. Michonne tells him they don't have the bat anymore and leaves smiling.

After she leaves, Negan starts to violently bang his head against the wall.

"What Comes After"

Maggie arrives in Alexandria and after convincing Michonne, is given the key to Negan's cell. He chuckles at her as Maggie demands he get on his knees. From the shadows, Negan taunts Maggie about killing Glenn and begs her to kill him. She opens the cell and slams him against the wall as he begs for death. He sobs and admits he wants to be reunited with his wife Lucille. She tells him to get back to his cell because he’s already worse than dead.

"Who Are You Now?"

Following Rick's presumed death, Negan started to get in talks with Judith as she grew up. This talks would eventually give Negan a more positive outcome in his punishment and make him friendlier.

Six years later, as he sits on his cell, Judith reads off a math problem to him about two planes on a collision course. He stops her and asks if she's ever seen a plane and she says no, so Negan suggests she worry about problems that apply to the real world. Judith then tells him that Michonne wants to make Magna's group leave but she doesn't want them to. Negan uses an anecdote from his childhood about a seemingly nice stray dog that turned violent, meaning just because someone looks nice doesn't mean they are. Judith brushes it off and says that she only wants his help with math, as the numbers don't care if someone's good or bad on the inside. Negan smiles as she leaves.

"Evolution"

In Alexandria, Gabriel helps Negan meditate in his cell. Negan compliments him on Rosita and brags that he's heard some interesting things she said outside his cell. Gabriel says that he doesn't care what Rosita said about him, but Negan points out he never said that Rosita mentioned Gabriel. Gabe then leaves, somewhat ruffled.

Later, Negan taunts Gabriel with cleaning his potty to the point where he gets mad. Gabe confesses he’s upset he has to take care of him while Rosita recovers at Hilltop. Negan expresses genuine sympathy but is shut off by an angry Gabriel who storms off after slamming Negan's cell door shut. Negan is then un-cuffed by his guard and sits back on his bed.

At night, Negan plays with a tennis ball until he accidentally bounces it outside of his cell. He then notices the door slightly moving because of the wind, confusing him. He touches the door and discovers it has been left open. He picks up his tennis ball and is left in thought for a moment. He then tosses the ball, smiles and leaves.

"Adaptation"

In Alexandria, Negan sneaks around the garden, eats a tomato and steals a shovel. He breaks into Judith's room, looks at one of her drawings and then takes her compass. At dawn, he puts on normal clothes and scales the fence, before Judith stops him with her gun. He laughs and suggests they just go their separate ways, but she doesn't budge. Negan climbs down and Judith reminds him there's nothing out there for him. He promises not to hurt anyone, even in self-defense. Judith finally relents and allows him to keep her compass in hopes that it will help him find his way, but promises that if she sees him again she'll shoot.

In the woods, Negan strolls around and kills some walkers, costing him his flood supply. He then drinks from a river, before spitting the water out. He notices he's in the clearing when he first met Rick and looks down, remembering his actions. Later, he rummages through an abandoned clothing store and finds himself a black leather jacket. Suddenly, three hungry dogs show up, forcing him to hide on top of a shelf. He runs outside and throws a walker in to escape from the dogs, barely escaping with his life.

Negan eventually returns to the Sanctuary. He finds everything abandoned and encounters one of his zombified Saviors, Richie. After failing to be alone, Negan goes to the courtyard and kills all the walkers, except for Big Richie. Inside, he looks at Judith's compass and smiles, thinking about their conversation. He then kills Richie and proceeds to leave on a motorcycle.

On the road, Negan drives his bike but crashes when he is shot by Judith. She says a lot of people are looking for him. He gives her back the compass and says he wants to return to Alexandria because she was right, there isn't anything out there for him. Judith then escorts him back to Alexandria.

"Guardians"

In Alexandria, Michonne visits Negan in his cell, having learned that he refuses to explain himself to anyone but her and demands to know why he came back. Negan points out that he could've easily waited to ambush and kill Michonne or instead killing any number of sleeping people, but she points out that he would've only condemned himself to death and realizes that he decided to try out in the wider world, only for it to "spit him out".

Negan admits that she's right that the world has changed, but insists that he has changed too and asks her to give him a chance to trust him, offering to be a sounding board for Michonne "leader to former leader." Michonne rejects Negan's advice and announces that they will be tying him up as they fortify the cell lock and orders the windows to be closed as she spots Judith sneaking off after having spied on the meeting. She leaves as Negan sighs in disappointment.

"Scars"

In Alexandria, Michonne visits Negan's cell to ask if he's seen Judith and demands to know what she talks to him about. He says homework, stories about Rick, and how she's as much of a badass as Carl was. He also says he is straight forward with her, and maybe if Michonne did the same she'd know where she is. She asks if he told her what he did to Glenn and Abraham, with Negan acquiescing. He reveals Judith hates that she's not letting Magna's people in and believes things should be like Carl wanted them to be. Michonne yells that Judith is her daughter, and Negan reminds her that "maybe she is exactly like her mother and she is not taking shit lying down." She realizes he's right and rushes back to her home, leaving a preoccupied Negan alone.

"The Storm"

In Alexandria, Negan takes shelter from the storm with the residents in the church. He jokes about Rosita's love quadrangle and taunts Gabriel by calling him "father…not the father," to Eugene's amusement. Judith tells him she's worried about Dog, who she lost despite Daryl asking her to watch over him. Suddenly, the group smells something and Eugene pulls Siddiq and Gabriel away from the fireplace before it explodes. He says the chimney makes it unsafe to light anything else on fire, so Gabriel decides they're moving to Aaron's house. They all tie a rope around themselves and head out into the blizzard.

In the middle of the path, Judith hears Dog barking in the distance and chases after him, forcing Negan to race after her at the risk of his own life. A while later, he gets hit by debris while searching for Judith. He screams her name until he hears Dog barking and finds her. Negan puts Judith on his shoulder, grabs Dog's leash and gives her his coat to stay warm. He then ties up his injured leg and carries her and Dog away.

The next day, after the storm is over, Negan's leg injury is treated by Siddiq. Michonne visits him and thanks him for saving Judith. Negan displays sympathy for the loss of the Kingdom, admitting that while he doesn't know any of the people, he does know what its like to lose a kingdom. He muses that last time they were there Rick had just slit his throat and compliments her on having the guts to cross through the Whisperers' territory.

Negan then suggests to Michonne that a common enemy and a common goal is the same thing as "facing evil brings good people together." Negan tells Michonne that in such a situation, "no one ever thinks they're the evil one," leaving her in thought.

Season 10[]

Content
"Lines We Cross"

Sometime after the blizzard, Negan is now allowed to be outside his cell during the day to help out around Alexandria with the gardening. Months later, Negan is picking up tomatoes while being watched by Brandon. He notices Lydia training nearby and asks her what's wrong. She tells him everyone's on alert because they found a skin. Negan playfully warns her to watch her back.

A while later, Negan is placed back in his cell and is visited by Gabriel. Negan advises him to temper the coming dangers to his people as to not cause a panic. Gabriel asks if he should lie. "No, not lie," Negan tells him. "At most, I'm talking about a little strategic omission." He also claims that if manipulating people keeps them alive, there is no harm.

"Ghosts"

Following the incoming waves of walkers approaching Alexandria, Negan is ordered by Gabriel to accompany Aaron in fighting the walkers due to a lack of soldiers at the moment. Despite Aaron's reluctance, Negan is willing to work alongside him and is even impressed by his mace. In the woods, Negan and Aaron kill some walkers. When Negan finds a crowbar, Aaron demands him to put it down. Negan says he's not the guy he thinks he is but Aaron makes him continue to use the broomstick to kill the incoming walkers.

At night, Negan takes out a walker with the crowbar which prompts Aaron to demand he heads back. When Negan tries to dismiss him, Aaron pushes him to the ground. "I did what I had to do back then," Negan claims about his past actions. Aaron asks why Eric had to die and Negan tells him if he doesn't protect what belongs to him then it belongs to someone else. Aaron shoots back that if he failed Eric then Negan failed his wife and she died hating him.

Negan then escapes as Aaron is suddenly attacked by walkers. Inside a cabin, Negan patiently hides and waits as a blind Aaron seeks shelter inside looking for him. When Aaron causes noise, walkers storm in. Negan immediately saves Aaron with the crowbar and tells him the flowers growing out of the walkers are called hogweed and can lead to blindness. He hands him water and tells him they'll leave in the morning. At dawn, Negan keeps watch by a window when Aaron tells him he can finally see. They then head back to Alexandria.

"Silence the Whisperers"

Negan is doing chores around the community when Lydia visits him to inform him his advice to ignore her bullies isn't working and they keep harassing her. Before they can continue talking, Daryl arrives and orders her to leave. "She's just trying to fit in," Negan says. Daryl tells him that won't happen with him being around her and leaves.

Later that night, Negan hears as Lydia is being attacked by Gage, Margo and Alfred and comes to her rescue. He throws Margo into a wall, and protects Lydia. Frightened, Gage claims they were just trying to scare her. Brandon arrives and they realize that Margo is dead. Negan is then left worried over this. When the other residents arrive at the scene, Daryl orders Negan to be put back in his cell immediately.

A while later, Negan is visited in his cell by Daryl. He tells Negan people want him dead, but Negan claims it was an accident and Margo was an asshole anyway for beating on a kid. Daryl asks why he helped Lydia and Negan says he believes in their way of life. Daryl promises he'll get a chance to tell his side and leaves. However, Negan is somehow released from his cell by someone in the middle of the night and escapes the community running into the woods.

"What It Always Is"

Negan washes his face in a river when Brandon arrives and pretends to hold a knife to him. He reveals he is joking and tosses him a canteen. Negan drinks from it and then flashes a smile. Later that day, Negan is making a spear and becomes annoyed at Brandon when he tries to mimic the Saviors' whistling. As they walk around the woods, Brandon starts fantasizing about the Sanctuary and reveals he is mad that Rick Grimes killed his parents. He then claims he heard that Negan shot Carl. Negan gets angry and corrects him, showing respect to Carl, and saying he would never kill a kid. "We're both Negan", Brandon says seemingly understanding him.

They continue their journey and find a Whisperer border. Before they can investigate, a walker attacks Negan. He uses the wire around its neck to rip its head off and stomps its head. He sarcastically thanks Brandon, who reveals he was making him another Lucille and he had also sneaked his leather jacket from the community. Negan smiles but asks him to put it all back in the bag because he doesn't want to be recognized.

While looking for shelter, Brandon asks Negan to rate female walkers on hotness when suddenly they hear screams from inside a bus. Negan runs inside and stabs several walkers to save a woman and her son. Brandon arrives and complements Negan on his brutal walker killings, comparing him to his old self. Later, Amelia shares her story with Negan and Brandon. She then takes her son Milo for a walk as Brandon suggests they rob them. Negan stops him and orders him to go back to Alexandria. Brandon says he can't go back, so Negan tells him to go wherever the hell he wants, as long as he doesn't see his creepy face again. "You're just like all the others," Brandon says before leaving.

Negan then heads outside to talk with Milo who is playing with a toy airplane. He realizes Milo has never been on a plane and explains the joys of it. He also teaches him the joys of nut-tapping and promises to take him and his mom to Hilltop where they will be safe. A while later, Negan returns with wood for a fire when he hears Brandon whistling. He investigates and discovers Brandon has killed Amelia and Milo. Brandon smiles and asks if he passed the test, believing that's what Negan wanted him to do. Enraged, Negan picks up a stone and angrily beats Brandon to death. He then grabs his bat and leather jacket and leaves on his own.

That night, Negan is trotting around the woods and arrives at one of the borders. He yells to get the Whisperers' attention and starts to get surrounded by a group of walkers. As he starts smashing their heads, he is suddenly thrown to the ground by Beta. "Alright, you big ass freak, let's do this," Negan says defiantly to Beta as he smiles.

"Bonds"

Negan is escorted blindfolded through the woods by Beta and the Whisperers after being captured. He jokes about their lifestyle and says he wants to join them. Beta puts his knives to Negan's throat and demands that he is too loud. Negan apologizes and introduces himself, before explaining he has been a prisoner of Alexandria for eight years and is willing to reveal their secrets. Beta relents and gags Negan as they continue their walk.

Upon arriving back at the camp, Negan sits by himself and watches as Beta argues with Alpha and then kneels in submission to ask for her forgiveness. He smiles at their interaction and then is taken by Beta to another part of the woods. While walking, Negan mocks Beta's relationship with Alpha and jokes that he is attracted by her baldness.

Later that day, Negan is forced by Beta to do a series of tasks, like digging graves, skinning walkers, and help hunt a boar to prove his worthiness. That night, Beta tells Negan that he has not earned the right to eat with them and throws him to the ground. Negan collects himself and sits with another Whisperer who shares some food with him.

A while later, Negan is taken by Beta to walk among one of their herds in the woods as his final task. When Negan starts making jokes again, Beta tells him he'll never be one of them because he's too loud and egotistical. "I'm not here for you, I'm here for Alpha," Negan says. Beta kills a Whisperer in response and walks away, leaving Negan to fend for himself with a pocket knife. He manages to escape the herd and heads into the woods back to the camp.

The next morning, a blood-covered Negan arrives at the camp demanding a skinsuit for himself with an extra measure because of his humongous balls. He kneels and introduces himself to Alpha. "I'm all in, whatever you want, whatever I got, it's yours", Negan tells her. Alpha leans down to sniff him and shushes him to signal she accepts him.

"Squeeze"

While having dinner in the camp with the Whisperers, Negan silently observes Gamma's nervous behavior. He then listens from afar as Alpha talks with Beta and Gamma about a possible spy in the camp, and deduces it might be Gamma since she is close to Alpha. The next day, Negan encounters Alpha at the camp's latrine and tells her his theory that Gamma is the traitor due to his past experiences. Alpha holds a knife to his crotch and tells him not to sow paranoia in the camp, warning if he's wrong she'll cut his balls off. She then tosses him into her bathroom ditch and leaves.

Sometime later that day, Negan is taken by Alpha deep in the forest. When they stop, she orders him to undress. Negan, thinking Alpha's about to kill him, admits the power he had over the Saviors turned him into a monster. Surprisingly, he turns around to find Alpha fully naked. She says he deserves a crass reward for detecting the spy. Negan's amused because she will keep her mask on and wonders if she'll decapitate him like a female praying mantis afterwards, but she doesn't answer him and smirks. He says he'll take his chances and the two kiss.

"Morning Star"

In the woods, Alpha hands Negan a branch and orders him to whip her arm, before she does the same to him. Later, the Whisperers march with their horde. Beta chants "We are the end of the world", and the other Whisperers follow. Alpha continues the chant by saying "We take them all", as Negan marches beside her, now equipped with his very own Whisperer mask.

Out in the woods, Negan approaches Alpha and proposes that she gets Alexandria and Hilltop to surrender instead of destroying them, thus adding their populations to the Whisperers' ranks. Alpha asks him to elaborate. When Daryl and the group attempts to get the kids out, they don't make it far before they hit a roadblock. Daryl identifies this as one of Negan's tactics and concludes that all the other roads will be blocked, too, making a retreat impossible.

When the Whisperers attack Hilltop, Beta commands them to launch the sap they collected earlier using makeshift catapults into the front lines, drenching most of the defenders as well as the Hilltop's walls. This is followed by the Whisperers launching fire-arrows into the front lines, setting one unfortunate Hilltoper ablaze. Behind the Whisperer lines, Negan is puzzled, since he thought Alpha wanted the survivors to join them. Alpha assures Negan that they will, as part of her horde, much to his bemusement.

"Walk With Us"

In the aftermath of the Hilltop's fall, Negan uses his new Baseball Bat to kill a mortally wounded Hilltop resident. Alpha reprimands Negan as he was supposed to stab the survivors in the heart so that they can reanimate and join the Whisperers' herd to which Negan claims that he simply forgot. However, while Negan congratulates Alpha on her victory, she is still not pleased as she doesn't have Lydia who Beta reports is not amongst the dead. To Negan's annoyance, Beta instructs him to gather more walkers for the horde.

In the woods nearby, Negan starts herding a lone walker before quickly losing his patience and smashing its head in. Negan spots an injured Lydia nearby and goes to follow her, but encounters Aaron and an unconscious Luke. Aaron is furious at Negan's betrayal and prepares to kill him. Taking a non-threatening stance, Negan attempts to convince Aaron that he is not a threat to him, but the enraged Aaron refuses to hear Negan out. With walkers approaching, Aaron is forced to turn his attention to fighting them off while Negan is able to slip away, using his walker mask to blend in. Following Lydia, an unmasked Negan approaches her, initially to Lydia's relief before she realizes that her friend is helping her mother. Negan quickly overpowers Lydia, disarming her of her staff and taking Lydia captive.

Negan returns to Alpha and reveals to her that he has captured Lydia. Negan leads Alpha to the shed containing Lydia and attempts to talk Alpha out of killing her daughter so that Lydia will always be with Alpha as a walker. Negan tells Alpha about his wife Lucille and how he lost Lucille to pancreatic cancer. Negan admits that he stopped feeling when he lost Lucille, but he recognizes that Alpha is only pretending to be have stopped and still loves Lydia. Alpha refuses to be dissuaded, recognizing that Negan wishes he could've died with his wife. Negan accepts Alpha's refusal to be stopped and follows her to the shed. However, Lydia is not in the shed as Negan had actually hidden her elsewhere. As a confused Alpha turns to face Negan, he slits Alpha's throat and catches her falling body. Giving Alpha a final kiss, Negan lowers her to the ground and watches as Alpha quickly bleeds to death.

Shortly afterwards, Negan delivers Alpha's severed zombified head to Carol. Carol comments that it took Negan long enough, revealing that Negan and Carol had been working together the entire time to take down Alpha.

"What We Become"

Negan appears in Michonne's nightmare where she is approached by Negan and the Saviors. Michonne takes a swing at Negan with her sword, but he dodges and knocks her down with Lucille. Despite Michonne's aggression, Negan takes a liking to her and offers her a chance to join his group, which she accepts. Later, during the infamous lineup, Negan begins his "eenie-meenie-miney-mo" chant to pick which of the survivors will be executed, but then decides to hand the bat over to his "right-hand-gal" Michonne, allowing her to chose instead.

"Look at the Flowers"

In a flashback, Negan sits in his cell awaiting his sentence, having previously killed Margo, when Carol comes down to visit him. Surprised, Negan says that he thought Gabriel would be the one to give him his last rites. Carol asks if Negan wants forgiveness, but the latter denies this, and jokes about wanting a T-bone stake, some beer, and Rocky Road ice-cream. Carol then offers a way for Negan to keep his life. Intrigued, Negan says that he wasn't aware Carol had a say on the Council, but the latter claims to be acting on her own. Negan, however, replies that he gathered that much, but doesn't understand why Carol would be talking to him instead of finding a way to kill Alpha, but Carol reveals that she is doing just that by talking to Negan. Impressed, Negan points out that Carol already missed her shot, and asks what happens if he fails as well, noting that it would endanger the life for every man, woman, and child in Alexandria, which he doesn't approve of, to which Carol simply replies that killing Alpha would help every man, woman, and child in Alexandria. Negan then asks what's in it for him, to which Carol notes that Negan has been politely receiving his punishment hoping the Alexandrians would one day forget what he did, but she claims that they won't, unless Negan does something to make them forget. If he kills Alpha, Carol vows to make sure the people remember him for that act instead of his crimes. Clearly interested, Negan asks for Carol's word, which she gives, provided Negan completes his mission quickly.

In present day, Carol places Alpha's reanimated head on one of the pikes marking the Whisperer border. Negan asks if this is what she wanted, to which Carol nods in approval. Negan then invites Carol to go back to Alexandria so she can tell everyone of what he did, but the latter angrily asks why it took him so long to kill Alpha. Offended at the question, Negan says that he wanted to escape with his head still attached, and points out that "shit like that takes time". Carol reminds him that their deal stipulated Negan had to kill Alpha quickly, but Negan still claims he held up his end of the deal, and now requires Carol to hold up hers. Carol then says that she is not going back to Alexandria yet. Frustrated, Negan points out that he will be killed on the spot if he goes back to Alexandria on his own, but Carol just suggests that he wait. When Negan asks how long, Carol tells him he is a free man now, and he can make his own choices. She says that she needs to be alone, and "shit like that takes time". She proceeds to walk away.

Negan goes to the cabin where he imprisoned Lydia earlier so he could free her. Upon entering, however, he finds her missing and is greeted with a punch to the face from Daryl, who holds Negan at crossbowpoint. Daryl interrogates Negan about Alpha's location, but when the latter reveals that he killed Alpha, Daryl doesn't believe him. As proof, Negan presents Alpha's mask, but Daryl isn't convinced. Negan claims that the only reason he joined the Whisperers was so he could kill Alpha, and rhetorically asks Daryl why he thinks his "girlfriend" let Negan out of his cell.

Daryl escorts a tied up Negan through the woods. Negan says that he understands that Daryl is upset because Carol didn't let him in on the plan. Daryl, however, suggests that he might be angry because of Hilltop, as he claims Negan's actions almost cost the lives of a number of children. Before Negan can reply, Daryl tells him to keep walking. Negan and Daryl have finally arrived to the pike border, only to find Alpha's head missing. Negan suggests they wait for Carol, but Daryl points his crossbow at Negan, ready to execute him. Negan claims that he would never hurt Lydia, and the only reason he kidnapped her in the first place was to keep her safe and lure Alpha away so he could kill her. When Daryl sarcastically says Negan took his "sweet-ass time", the latter is annoyed, and explains that it took so long because he needed to earn Alpha's trust, because he wasn't on "some half-cocked suicide mission", but Daryl retorts that it was because Negan liked it. Before anything can happen, the pair are confronted by three Whisperers, one of which holds Daryl at gunpoint with Alpha's shotgun.

As Daryl surrenders, the shotgun-wielding Whisperer notes that Alpha is dead because of Negan, so he and the other Whisperers pledge allegiance to him as the "new Alpha", much to Negan's amusement. Negan apologizes to Daryl, clarifying that he is just savoring the moment and taking his "sweet-ass time". Before they continue, Negan addresses the other Whisperers and asks why one of them, who is not the Alpha, is holding a shotgun instead of Negan, to which the said Whisperer quickly hands Negan the weapon. Negan jokes about the shotgun being like a baby that can kill people by spitting bullets at them, before ordering Daryl to kneel before the "Alpha". When Daryl complies, Negan admits that Daryl was right, as he did "like it" and, in fact, likes it a lot. As Negan holds Daryl at gunpoint, the latter coldly says that Negan should probably shoot him. Negan jokingly tells Daryl not to threaten him with a good time, before turning the gun on the Whisperer that handed it to him in the first place. Negan shoots the Whisperer in the head, and kills the other two as well. Witnessing this, Daryl simply tells Negan to untie him, while dubbing the latter an "asshole".

As Negan and Daryl wait for Carol to return, Negan says that he doesn't believe Carol is coming back. Negan goes on to say that, when he claimed he "liked it", he wasn't lying, but Daryl says that he knows. Negan explains that he lost everything after he was imprisoned, and his incarceration had been hard on him, so he admits that, when Alpha took him in, it was nice to feel like he was respected and mattered again. Negan, however, claims that Alpha took it too far, since "you don't kill people that don't deserve it and you never kill kids". Daryl sarcastically asks if that is supposed to make him like Negan, but the latter denies this, although he jokingly asks if his winning personality will be enough. Fed up with waiting, Daryl finally decides to head back for Alexandria with Negan.

"The Tower"

While taking refuge in an abandoned hospital after leaving Alexandria due to the threat of Beta's herd, Negan approaches Lydia, who is petting Dog and offers her something to eat. Lydia, however, claims she isn't hungry. Negan asks if she is avoiding him, and Lydia bluntly confirms. Negan is taken aback by her honesty, to which Lydia bitterly asks if he wants her to lie to make him feel better. Negan denies this, and goes on to state that he liked her mother despite her inexcusable crimes, wishing that he didn't have to kill her. Still, he encourages Lydia to say whatever she has to say to him. Lydia coldly replies that most of them wish that Negan had died as well, before taking her leave.

Later, Lydia angrily approaches Negan and declares that he can't tell her what to do. Negan calmly acknowledges this, and invites Lydia to hit him, as it will make her feel better. Lydia claims that she feels fine, but Negan is adamant that she has to mourn her mother, or it will continue to eat her up on the inside. Despite everything, Negan claims, Alpha was still her mother, and if she doesn't let it all out, she will drift further away from the other survivors, which Negan is certain Lydia don't wants. Lydia rhetorically asks what Negan knows about what she wants, and calls him a selfish asshole, believing he only killed Alpha so that people believe that he's a hero, but the people will never see him as such, since he only cares about himself. Lydia believes that him trying to get her to open up is also for selfish reasons, and wonders how he could have ever liked her mother. She is adamant that she hated her mother, or wants to hate her in any case, and yells at Negan for saying she can't even do that. Despite this, Negan tells her it's okay, prompting Lydia to break down in anger and tears as Negan embraces her.

"A Certain Doom"

Negan refuses to join Daryl in his plan to lead the horde away despite having the most experience of anyone. Negan justifies his choice as being because he is on the top of the kill list for every Whisperer, especially Beta and he is the last person they want with them as it risks drawing too much attention. Daryl calls Negan's explanation bullshit, stating "if you wanna be a part of this, you gotta put your ass on the line, just like everybody else." Frustrated, Daryl walks away.

Later, as the Whisperers begin to get into the hospital and Gabriel organizes the evacuation, Negan approaches Lydia. Negan suggests that they both know that the situation will end badly, but Lydia insists that they don't know that. Negan feels that no matter what they do, neither he or Lydia will ever be trusted and their presence won't change anything and Lydia can easily make her escape. Lydia points out that Negan can do the same thing and he reminds Lydia that as she said, he's no hero. Lydia suggests that Negan could be if he wanted to. "Well, I guess that's what I'm doing now," says Negan, providing Lydia with Alpha's walker mask before making his way down an elevator shaft.

That night, Beta notices Lydia starting to steer the Whisperers' horde away and goes after her only to confronted by Negan in his walker mask. Enraged, Beta charges Negan and shoves a walker into the former Savior leader, knocking him to the ground. Negan kills the walker, but is slammed back into the ground by Beta who raises his knife to kill Negan in revenge for Alpha's death. With Beta distracted by Negan, Daryl runs up and slashes him before stabbing Beta through both eyes. Removing his knives, Daryl helps Negan to his feet and the two men watch as Beta is devoured by his own horde. In the process, Beta's mask is ripped off, finally revealing his face. "Holy shit. Do you know who that asshole was?" asks a shocked Negan. "Yeah. Nobody," responds Daryl and he leads Negan away.

The next morning, Carol and Lydia return to the survivors' camp to report their success in destroying the herd. Finding Negan amongst the group, Lydia asks if he's staying with them and he states that he is "for now" before the two share a hug.

"Home Sweet Home"

Negan is seen helping the other survivors pull the cart away as a free man. Suddenly, he runs into Maggie, and awkwardly greets her, but assures her that he didn't escape. After staring at him for a bit, Maggie walks away without saying a word. Later, Negan is shown where he watches Maggie and Hershel enter Alexandria from a distance.

"Here's Negan"

Negan works on rebuilding in Alexandria while Maggie, walking with Hershel, glares at him from across the street.

Negan later accompanies Carol hunting and thanks her for getting him out of Alexandria for awhile due to how tense things currently are with Maggie. Although he doesn't mind being "lay low Negan" for a bit, Negan asks if Carol can help him smooth things over with Maggie, stating that given his and Carol's recent history, Negan feels that she at least owes him that much. Carol leads Negan to Leah's Cabin where he finds his belongings inside. Carol explains that Daryl helped her to move Negan in and that the council has voted to banish him and that what Negan wants isn't going to happen and that it's not possible. Carol feels that given their less recent history, its better than Negan deserves. Although disappointed, Negan accepts this and asks if he was really banished by the council or if Carol acted on her own again. With a smile, Carol tells Negan that the rabbit they caught is for him and leaves without answering Negan's question.

That night, Negan sits drinking heavily by the fire when he hallucinates a younger version of himself sitting in a chair holding Lucille. The younger Negan taunts him about how Negan believed that the people in Alexandria would ever see him differently than who he truly is, the younger version of himself that had been the brutal leader of the Saviors. Negan calls his younger self a clown and "a cult of personality with no cult." The younger Negan reminds his older self that he had gotten a lot further as Negan, leader of the Saviors than he's gotten just by being kind. "It's time to face the facts old man: you are nothing without her." , gesturing to Lucille. Enraged Negan tosses his glass at the chair, shattering the glass and causing the hallucination to disappear.

The next day, carrying a shovel, Negan returns to the tree where he had fought Rick Grimes and remembers Rick slitting his throat and Michonne telling him that they don't have Lucille and that the bat is "still out there." Negan begins digging holes around the tree while a walker slowly approaches him from across the field. After digging numerous holes, Negan finally hits something and, with a smile, recovers Lucille from where she has been buried for years.

Twelve years earlier, a terrified Negan is tied to a chair in a bar. Negan begs his captors to let him go as his wife has cancer and she needs the chemotherapy drugs in his cooler. Negan insists that keeping him there is killing both Negan and Lucille. Craven claims to be sympathetic to Negan's plight, but the bikers didn't find the doctors where Negan had claimed they had given him the drugs. Negan insists that the doctors move around and it isn't his fault, but Craven doesn't believe him. Craven is sure that if the doctors had something as rare as chemotherapy drugs, they must have a lot of other stuff as well. Negan finds a loose screw in his chair as Craven talks to him and begins unscrewing it, unnoticed by Craven. Craven promises that if Negan helps them find the doctors, he will allow Negan to take the drugs to Lucille but if he doesn't, he will pour it down the toilet and make Negan watch. Craven punches Negan in the face and he agrees to tell Craven what he wants to know if he puts the drugs back into the cooler. Craven has one of his men return the drugs to the cooler and Negan starts to explain how the clinic is true and the doctors have a medical stockpile somewhere he doesn't know the location of. Negan was tracking them for weeks and found them two or three days before.

Two or three days before, Negan, armed with a pistol, makes his way to a small campsite with RVs and two armed guards. Negan emerges and demands that the men drop their guns while Franklin tries to calm him down. Disorientated, Negan notices that the two guards are both dummies just before Laura knocks him out with a baseball bat.

Attached to an IV bag, Negan awakens in the clinic, handcuffed to the chair. Negan and Franklin introduce themselves and after checking that they won't have any problems, Franklin releases Negan. Handing him a bowl of food, Franklin comments that Negan has exposure, exhaustion, dehydration and malnutrition and asks why Negan is in that state and trying to rob a bunch of doctors with an empty gun. Negan explains that his wife has cancer and was in the middle of her treatments when the world ended and Negan has been trying to keep it going since then. Franklin asks if Negan's a doctor, but Negan clarifies that he's a high school gym teacher and that, having been given a calendar of what had to be done and when, he had to find the drugs and figure out how to do infusions. Franklin is shocked that Negan was able to teach himself how to give someone chemotherapy, but Negan states that the pumps aren't that complicated unless something goes wrong which has happened.

Six weeks earlier, as a walker growls outside of his house, Negan removes a chemotherapy treatment from his fridge and sets it up for Lucille who is trying to determine which James Bond movie she wants to watch. Negan refuses as it will make too much noise, but Lucille states that they will have to kill the walker. Negan wants to just turn the generator off a bit which will cause the walker to lose interest as he sees no point in killing the walkers. Negan moves the remaining chemo drugs into the freezer and sets up a thermometer to keep track of the temperature before going outside and shutting off the generator. Negan reads to Lucille, but finds the book boring. As the walker breaks through their gate, Lucille tells Negan that he has to take care of it and, wearing goggles and wielding a hammer and a butcher knife, Negan tries to kill the walker but fails even when he stabs it in the eye, much to Negan's frustration. Negan is saved by Lucille who shoots the walker through the head and notes that she just used their last bullet. Lucille brushes off her husband's concerns and orders him to turn the generator back on so that she can watch a movie.

Walking down a road, Negan scavenges for gas and attempts to siphon from the tank of an abandoned car without any success. Searching the car's glove box, Negan finds a small pouch containing the car owner's weed stash. Negan brings the drugs back to Lucille to help with her nausea, but she knows that he has to go further and further every time which he confirms as their generator needs gas and the local area has been picked over. However, Negan thinks that that is what's keeping them safe: there's nothing that anyone wants. Lucille insists that her husband can't keep it up and they need to leave and find other people. However, Negan wants to finish his wife's last three treatments and get her strength back up before they leave on his motorcycle to wherever Lucille can dream of. Cuddling, Negan sings "You Are So Beautiful " to Lucille while, in a montage, the two enjoy happier times, Negan trying on his wife's wigs, playing darts and giving Lucille her treatments.

As Lucille opens a can of dog food, Negan is dismayed to hear yet another walker outside and Lucille insists that it's not like killing a person or even an animal and Negan can't keep letting it bother him. Negan states that it doesn't bother him, he is just worried that he will get used to it which Lucille accepts and has him turn the generator off. Negan and Lucille enjoy their dinner and Lucille hands him a bag containing an anniversary gift even though she doesn't know what day it is. To his surprise and pleasure, Negan pulls out his signature leather jacket which Lucille admits to having kept in the crawlspace, angry that she couldn't return it to the store. Negan is ecstatic and Lucille apologizes for making such a big deal out of the credit card bill for the jacket, stating that she wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it if she'd known that the world was going to end. Negan insists that he doesn't deserve anything from her and it should be him apologizing to his wife, not the other way around. "The man that I was... the pain that I put you through.... You know, uh, you know I lay awake at night... just wondering how I got so lucky that you stuck with me." Sitting in her husband's lap, Lucille tells him that she stuck with him because she could always see the man he is right now "even when you weren't" and that "that asshole really had it coming." Lucille convinces her husband to smoke the pot with her.

The next morning, the ice in the freezer has melted as the two forgot to turn back on the generator and Negan discovers that the remaining chemotherapy drugs have been ruined. Making a plan, Negan reminds Lucille about a family that had come through the area awhile back looking for doctors traveling around in a mobile clinic and is confident that he can find the doctors and get more drugs from them for Lucille. Lucille is unconvinced, reminding Negan that they might not exist and even if he can find them, he has nothing to barter with. Lucille orders him to stop and admits that she has something to tell Negan.

Sometime earlier, Negan plays Gears of War 2 in the basement and trash talks the teenagers that he is playing with, much to Lucille's anger and frustration. Lucille confronts her husband about spending six hundred dollars buying his leather jacket, but he insists that he has two leads on a new job and is just celebrating a little early. Lucille demands to know more, reminding Negan that he can't be a gym teacher anymore with a misdemeanor assault on his record and he refuses to go back to school. When Negan can't respond, she recognizes that he's lying and states that she's returning the leather jacket. Negan yells that he threw out the receipt before returning to his video game. At dinner, Lucille reminds her husband that she has an MRI the next day at 2:15 and needs him to drive her home, but Negan claims that he has a meeting with his probation officer at that time and is convinced that everything will be fine anyways.

The next day, Lucille's MRI reveals that she has cancer and she is unable to reach either Negan or her best friend Janine. Lucille calls Negan's probation officer, only to discover that Negan isn't supposed to see him for two more weeks. Checking her call log and seeing that both Negan and Janine are out of touch at the same time, Lucille realizes that her husband is having an affair with her best friend. When Negan returns home, Lucille is waiting for him with their gun in one hand and cancer brochures in the other. Negan instantly realizes that something is wrong and Lucille reveals her cancer diagnosis to him, forgoing using the gun.

Lucille reveals that she knew about the affair the whole time and an emotional Negan promises that he had ended the affair as soon as she was diagnosed and never saw or even talked to Janine again. Lucille knows that too and Negan asks why his wife is telling him this now. Lucille tells Negan that he made up for it and he can stop and if Negan really wants to help her, he can just stay with her. Negan refuses to give up hope and insists that the chemo can work if they can finish it, but Lucille knows that they went down swinging and that its time for Negan to go on without her and "do my fighting for me." Lucille begs Negan to stay, but he refuses to give up and wants to see it through. Negan promises to find the doctors and bring back the drugs that she needs and beat the cancer.

With Franklin, Negan explains that that was about six weeks ago and Negan had figured that he would scavenge along the way, but it was worse out there than he'd thought and he ran into some problems with the dead and here he is. Franklin reveals that he found Negan's note and he sent Laura out to the warehouse to see if they have what he needs. Laura enters, having found the drugs that Negan needs. Franklin tells Negan that they have a lot and just want to help. Walking with Franklin and Laura outside, Negan expresses surprise at the kindness that they have shown him without expecting anything in return. Franklin returns Negan's gun while Laura warns him that a gang owns the roads at night and asks if the empty gun is his only weapon. After Negan confirms it, Laura gives him her baseball bat which he is pleased with, commenting that the bat packs a wallop.

Craven interrupts Negan's story as he continues to loosen the screw, frustrated with being given "one pointless story after another." Craven complains that Negan talks too much and, drawing his gun, demands that Negan tell him where he got the drugs or he will kill Negan and Lucille will die thinking that Negan ran out on her. Negan gives in and asks Craven to bring him his map. Negan marks Franklin's location on the map and explains that security is light and that they are dealing with a guy and his daughter, the guys on top of the RV are decoys and while there could be a couple of others, they have no guns. Craven has Negan locked in the storage room while he checks it out. In the morning, Craven releases Negan, having found Franklin and Laura exactly where Negan told him they would be. Negan leaves on his motorcycle, briefly hesitating after hearing Laura struggling with the bikers in the RV now parked outside of the bar.

Returning to his house, Negan finds a message on the basement door reading "please don't leave me like this" and is heartbroken to find a reanimated Lucille who had tied herself to the bed before committing suicide by ingesting a drug overdose and suffocating herself with a plastic bag, Raising his bat, Negan is unable to bring himself to put Lucille down and instead rips off the bag, crying as his wife growls at him. Depressed, Negan sits at Lucille's bedside, drinking and that night goes out to his fence where he removes some barbed wire and wraps it around the baseball bat, creating his signature weapon. Pouring gasoline on the basement floor, Negan dons his leather jacket and, looking at his zombified wife, sets his house on fire. As Lucille and his house are engulfed in flames, Negan smashes his way out of the front door with his baseball bat and destroys his mailbox as he drives off on his motorcycle.

Negan returns to the bar where Craven and his men are torturing Franklin for the location of his drug stash. Negan kills one of the bikers with Lucille and, after staring at the bat in shock for a moment, searches the body and finds a gun. As another biker comes around the corner and finds him, Negan shoots and kills the man. Negan engages in a gunfight with the bikers, killing them all single-handedly before smashing in the glass door of the bar. As Craven shoots at Negan, Franklin breaks free and smashes his chair over the man's back and Negan enters and subdues Craven with a blow to the face from Lucille. As Franklin binds Craven, Negan tells him that he thinks he got all of the bikers. Giving Franklin his gun, Negan tells him to go find Laura and make sure that she's ok.

Left alone with Craven, Negan remarks on the irony of their situation being reversed and states that he has a lot of stuff to get off of his chest this time too and "something very terrible is going to happen to you" when Negan stops talking this time. Negan states that he's never killed a man before that night, but he came close once. Negan explains how one night at his and Lucille's favorite bar, they were playing their favorite song "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Crocker when a man was being completely obnoxious while the song was playing. When the man refused to stop, Negan demanded 50 cents to play the song again for his wife and when the man refused and came at him, Negan saw red and beat the man badly before taking a dollar from his wallet to play the song again twice. However, the man had kids at the school where Negan worked which got him fired. The guy then sued Negan, forcing Lucille to pay his medical bills since Negan didn't have a job anymore. "The point of this is there are consequences to me seeing red. Seeing red was a bad thing then. I was a bad man. Then. But seeing red now? Nobody's suing anybody. Nobody's getting fired. Hell, nobody's keeping score. Now, when I see red, it's just a question of what I am capable of. And well, man, I hate to break it to ya, but I am starting think I am capable of damn near anything." Stating that this is for not killing him, Negan bashes Craven's head in with Lucille.

In the present, Negan continues to study Lucille while the walker approaches him. Negan puts the walker down with two blows to the head from Lucille, but the blows break off part of the bat's end and crack it down the middle. Heartbroken, Negan falls to his knees in tears. That night, Negan sits in front of the fire in the cabin and says goodbye to his wife, apologizing for everything, particularly all of the pain that he put his wife through and naming "a stupid baseball bat" after her. Once he's finished, Negan wraps the barbed wire in a towel and burns Lucille in the fire, destroying the bat.

The next day, Negan returns to Alexandria where Carol, Maggie and Daryl are shocked to see him again. Carol promises that if they find any food at an old Army base that Daryl found she will bring some by his cabin, but Negan intends to move back into Alexandria permanently and wants Carol's help requisitioning a cart to bring back his stuff. Carol promises to get Gabriel to approve it, but warns Negan that if he stays, Maggie will kill him and Carol didn't want his death on his conscience and now it's not. Negan acknowledges that its "fair enough" and smirks at a glaring Maggie as he walks back into Alexandria.

Season 11[]

Content
"Acheron: Part I"

Negan joins Maggie's group on a mission through Washington, D.C., en route to Meridian. Caught in a thunderstorm, they decide to take shelter in a subway station. Maggie's team descends underground. Daryl suggests they travel via the subway tunnels. Negan vehemently disagrees, but Maggie orders him to tell them the quickest subway route to Meridian, since he's the most familiar with D.C. They jump onto the tracks.

The group walks down a subway tunnel. They hear pipes groaning from the storm winds. Negan points to a watermark on the wall, indicating that the tunnels regularly flood. He suggests they turn around, but Daryl shoots down his idea. In the subway tunnel, Negan and the group encounters a pile of dead bodies, each wrapped in plastic. Daryl removes the plastic from one body and kills the walker when it snaps at him. They observe the walker made no noise because its throat had been slashed. Maggie instructs the group to kill all the walkers so that they can proceed.

Maggie's group stabs each walker dead. A huge walker silently attacks Gage. Negan kills the walker and refuses to go further, calling Maggie's plan a death march. Gage and Roy agree with Negan, but Daryl disagrees saying they are not spitting up. Maggie insists Negan needs to stay with them to guide them through D.C. Negan guesses that Maggie just brought him along to send him to his death and brings up Glenn, which leads to Daryl punching him in the face. Maggie points a gun at Negan and admits that she constantly thinks about killing Negan, and isn't sure how long her self-restraint will last, and warns him not to push her any further.

Negan and the group realizes that Gage and Roy secretly fled and took all of their supplies. A herd of walkers appears further down the tunnel. They start killing the walkers and look for an escape route. Daryl runs after Dog as the rest of the group climbs a ladder to safety. Maggie is the last one to ascend the ladder. A walker grabs her leg. She cries out to Negan for help, but he abandons her.

"Acheron: Part II"

After leaving Maggie to die, Negan catches up to the group at the train car. The group inquires about Maggie's whereabouts, to which Negan claims she was right behind him. Alden wishes to go back up and get her, but Frost dissuades him from this, as he considers it suicidal. Although clearly upset, Gabriel decides to continue the mission. Negan and the rest of the group finally manage to pry the door open and move forward to the next car. Suddenly, they hear banging beneath them, specifically signaling SOS in Morse code. When they open the trap door, Maggie climbs into the subway car, revealed to have survived. Furious, she pistol-whips Negan for abandoning her, and explains to the others what had happened. Negan readily admits his culpability.

Alden accuses Negan of trying to kill Maggie, but the latter corrects him, explaining that he simply opted not to save her when she was in trouble. The other Wardens threaten Negan, but he remains unrepentant, noting that Maggie openly admitted to wanting him dead. With that in mind, he doesn't see why he should have risked his life for her. He goes on to point out he has been a great asset to the group. Alden reminds him that he burned Hilltop to the ground, but Negan retorts that he also killed Alpha and that, if he hadn't, every person they know would be dead. Agatha offers to kill Negan, assuring Maggie that they can get through the city without him. Before anything can happen, they hear someone yelling for help from the back of the train car.

They find Gage trapped in the last car, unable to open the door. He explains that he and Roy got lost in the tunnels. Gage, however, neglected to close the door behind him when he entered the car, allowing walkers to pour in. Negan asks for help to pry the door open and let Gage in, but Maggie opposes this, as this would also allow walkers to get inside their car as well. In spite of this, Alden tries to help Negan open the door, but is prevented from doing so by Duncan. Gage pleads with Maggie to save him, apologizing for his mistake and promising to do better. When Alden rushes the door, Cole, Frost and Duncan hold him back and Gabriel orders Alden to let it go. Maggie apologizes to Gage for being unable to help him, but he angrily calls her a liar. Drawing two knives as the herd is about to overtake him and glaring straight at Maggie, Gage stabs himself twice in the heart, putting himself into shock, much to the horror of Negan and the others.

As Frost and Duncan try to open the door to the front car, Negan nervously paces. When Gabriel asks what's wrong, Negan simply replies "bad memories," but doesn't elaborate further. Alden notices the group is avoiding looking at Gage, and wonders why. Gabriel coldly states that the zombified Gage is merely a shell of a man who died a coward. Alden protests that, while Gage might have been scared, he didn't deserve to die in the worst way imaginable. Maggie, however, cryptically points out there are worse ways. She recounts how, before she joined the Wardens, she spent a lot of time alone with Hershel. Negan finishes, it means they were lucky, and that nobody had, has, or will have it figured out.

Frost and Duncan finally manage to pry open the door, but find the next one blocked. The door holding back the walkers, meanwhile, begins to give way. Duncan desperately tries to smash the door of the front car down, while the rest of the group gets ready to fight the walkers. The door to the rear car finally breaks under the horde's mass, and walkers begin to descend on the survivors. Out of necessity, Maggie hands Negan her pistol, which he uses to fend off zombies from the front car. Out of ammo, the survivors must resort to melee weapons. Luckily, Daryl reaches the blocked door in time and is able to open it. Once everyone's inside, he shoves a grenade into a walkers mouth and pushes it into the horde, before slamming the door shut and taking cover. In the ensuing explosion, the remaining walkers are killed.

After retrieving Roy, Maggie's group finally makes it to the surface. Negan dutifully hands Maggie her gun back, while Daryl looks over the note he found. Agatha asks if they'll be heading out, but Maggie says they'll take a detour first to Arbor Hills, where there is a hidden supply depot set up by Georgie. She asks Negan if he knows where that is, and he confirms, offering to lead the way. Upon arriving to their location, the group is alarmed by the sight of bodies strung up all along the road they're on. Suddenly, the group is showered with arrows and throwing knives, killing Roy, and severely injuring Cole. As the group scrambles for cover, they see a group of Reapers advancing towards them.

"Hunted"

As the Reapers unleash their attack, the group scatters into the woods. Negan, Alden and Gabriel are injured, while Cole is killed by one of the Reapers. In the shopping mall, Maggie stabs the Reaper in the neck with a broken bottle. Out of nowhere, Negan helps Maggie by finishing the Reaper off with his crowbar. Maggie throws a knife into the back of the remaining Reaper, but before they can kill him, the Reaper throws a flashbang, stunning both Negan and Maggie. In the brief moments it takes them to recover, they find the Reaper gone, along with the body of the Reaper they managed to kill.

Rushing to Alden's aid, Maggie finds that he has been gravely injured in the attack. Maggie tries to help Alden up, but Negan is flabbergasted that Maggie wants to keep going. He asks what the plan is, to which Maggie resolutely replies the plan doesn't change; they will reunite with the others and then retrieve the food. Negan retorts that the others might be dead, and lambasts Maggie's plan. Knowing quite a bit about theatrics, he observes that the Reapers demonstrated just how insane they are, and warns that they can't be on any road they might use. Maggie snaps back at Negan and invites him to come up with a better plan that doesn't result in them starving. Negan assures Maggie he is on her side, so Maggie asks him to help her carry Alden.

After taking a short break, Maggie determines they have 2 miles left to reach their destination. Continuing on, they hear a woman's screams while she's fighting walkers. Maggie and Alden hurry to help, much to Negan's chagrin. The woman turns out to be Agatha, defending a mortally wounded Duncan. After helping Agatha, Duncan dies of his wounds and Maggie mournfully stabs him in the head to prevent him from reanimating.

Afterwards, Maggie spies on a group of walkers, while Negan observes there are twice as many as before, and implores Maggie to revise her plan. Maggie tells Negan that he is free to leave if he wishes. Negan insists that he can help her, and that he has changed in the time she's been away. Maggie is unwilling to believe him and bitterly tells Negan to stop pretending he is one of them, even if he believes it himself. As the group continues on, they arrive to the sight of a walker tied to a steak and charred to the bone. The sign above labels the walker as a "Judas." Suddenly, the group is surrounded by walkers. They try to fight their way out, but Agatha is bitten in the process. To ensure the others escape, Agatha sacrifices herself to the walkers. Maggie tries to intervene, but is dragged off by Negan.

Walking down the road, Maggie spots a church and decides they will take a break there. Inside, Maggie can sense Negan wants to leave Alden behind, so shoots the idea right off the bat. Alden, however, implores her to do so, as he is slowing them down. Alden goes on to state that he walked away from Negan and the Saviors and joined Maggie because he trusts her to do the right thing, no matter how much it costs her. The supplies, Alden determines, are the only thing that matters, as without them their community starves, including Adam. Maggie says that Adam needs a father, but Alden retorts that he's not likely to make it out of Meridian alive being as injured as he is, and asks that she leave him like she left Gage.

Maggie replies that Gage made his choice, to which Alden states that he is making his. Alden goes on to state that, if the plan fails, everything she worked for will have been for nothing, and Adam's fate is less than certain. Negan interjects, pointing out that the sun is going down and that Maggie needs to make a decision. Snapping back, Maggie supposes being reckless with another's life is easy for Negan. She firmly tells him he doesn't get to decide who lives and who dies anymore. She goes on to blame the situation on him, claiming Negan destroyed everything they've built. Negan is unfazed by her berating and still insists Maggie has to decide. With a heavy heart, Maggie decides to leave Alden after all, albeit with food and a knife to defend himself. As they move on, Negan kills a walker with a crowbar in a similar fashion to how he struck Glenn during his murder of him, making Maggie disturbed.

"Out of the Ashes"

Negan and Maggie slay walkers in the woods as they make their way toward the supply depot. They spar over the merits of Maggie's plan. Negan and Maggie arrive at the supply depot and find it empty. Negan suggests they bring some of the food back to Alexandria, but Maggie says they need a lot more food to feed the community.

Negan insists they head back if no one shows up by sundown. Negan decides to leave the supply depot and bring some of the food back to Alexandria. Maggie says their mission isn't finished. They fight, but are interrupted by the arrival of Gabriel and Elijah. Gabriel suggests they wait for Daryl and Frost to regroup with them.

"On the Inside"

Negan, Maggie, Gabriel, and Elijah hide from the Reapers, who are searching for them and they listen from the basement. Daryl finds them and manages to distract Carver long enough for Negan's group to escape. Negan and the group quietly sneaks out of the basement and escapes.

"Promises Broken"

Negan, Maggie, Gabriel, and Elijah make their way towards Meridian. Maggie suggests Negan go back to Alexandria, after Negan expresses skepticism about their odds of defeating the Reapers. Negan realizes she can't afford to lose any fighters, so he strikes a deal to help Maggie if she agrees not to kill him. Gabriel delivers a eulogy as Maggie, Negan, and Elijah stand over the grave of Elijah's friend. Maggie sends Gabriel on a mission, and tells him to kill any Reapers if he finds alone. Maggie orders Negan to find four walkers.

Negan teaches the group how to blend in with the walkers with face masks and control herds, remembering his time as a Whisperer. Maggie wears a walker's face as a mask and moves slowly through the woods. Negan gives her pointers on how to move like a walker, then releases a walker that's tethered to a tree. The walker goes to Maggie, but quickly loses interest. Maggie trips on a rock, attracting the walker's attention. Elijah quickly ties it back up. Negan commends Maggie's progress. Maggie moves with a small group of walkers and successfully corrals them in a pen. Negan congratulates her. Maggie admits to Elijah that Negan is useful, but doesn't know if she can keep her promise.

Negan empathizes with Maggie over losing a community to a massacre. Negan discusses why he took action against Rick's group. He felt a failure in protecting his people, who were wanting answers on why he couldn't have protected them. Maggie asks if he would have done things differently. Negan says he would have killed every single person in her group if he knew it would have protected his people. Maggie recoils at his answer, but Negan says they must do whatever they can to protect their people. He adds that the only way their plan will work is if they're honest with each other.

Negan, Maggie and Elijah wear walker masks and lead a herd toward a building. They open the doors to the building and release a massive herd of walkers. The walkers join the other herd on the road. Negan, Maggie and Elijah lead the horde toward Meridian.

"For Blood"

Negan, Maggie and Gabriel lead a herd of walkers to Meridian while disguised among them in masks. Paul starts to lead the herd away from Meridian but is ambushed on several sides by walkers, and is stabbed by Negan and Maggie. Paul falls to the ground and is consumed, and Negan steals his radio so they can keep tabs on the Reapers' communication.

Negan and Elijah maintain the horde. An explosion sends shrapnel into their limbs. Negan and Elijah lead the horde toward the wall. Negan, Maggie and Daryl fight Reapers and walkers in the courtyard. Leah radios the Reapers with orders to pull back. After the courtyard is cleared of Reapers, she launches rockets at Maggie's group below.

"No Other Way"

Negan and Elijah manage to escape from the hwacha and meet up with Maggie who treats Elijah's injuries. Negan and Elijah later join Maggie in ambushing Brandon Carver who Elijah recognizes as the Reaper who had murdered his sister Josephine. Brandon's nonchalant attitude and lack of remorse infuriates Elijah who attacks Brandon, but proves to be no match for him. During the fight, Brandon kicks Elijah in his injured leg, sending him to the ground where he creates a distraction, allowing Negan to subdue Brandon. Elijah signals Maggie to kill Brandon for him, but she is stopped by Daryl who wants to trade Brandon to Leah for the supplies that they need.

Negan, Daryl, Maggie and Elijah meet with Leah and the remaining Reapers. Daryl offers to release Carver if the Reapers leave Meridian, but vows to kill them if they return. Leah rejects his offer and reveals that a sniper will gun them down if they don't release Carver. Daryl reluctantly lets Carver go. Gabriel shoots Carver in the leg and informs Leah via walkie that he killed her sniper. Leah accepts Daryl's terms and starts to leave with two Reapers. Maggie shoots them in the back and kills Carver. Leah flees. Negan joins Maggie as she buries Alden in the woods, and guesses she had always planned to kill the Reapers, despite Daryl's attempt at negotiations. Worried she will do the same to him, he decides to exile himself and departs from the group.

"Warlords"

A few months after leaving Maggie's group, Negan emerges from the woods with a comrade named Annie and encounters Jesse, who tells him about the Commonwealth and realizes Aaron and Gabriel are at the complex. Negan gives Jesse a map to Hilltop and asks him to tell Maggie that Gabriel and Aaron are in trouble. Jesse gets on his horse. Negan and Annie sneak into the building and overhear Carlson talking to Aaron. When Carlson runs outside, Annie kills Gabriel's guard as Negan cuts Gabriel's bonds. They flee. Carlson finds the dead guard.

Negan, Gabriel, and Annie hide in a room with others from the complex. When Gabriel asks to return the stolen weapons, Annie tells him she doesn't know anything about the weapons. Negan insists she's telling the truth. Gabriel tells them that Carlson won't let them leave alive without the weapons. Negan's group hears the screams of victims plummeting to their death. Carlson orders his troopers to kill anyone in the building who won't talk. Annie tells her group to stick together and reminds them that they know the building better than the troopers do.

"The Rotten Core"

While searching an apartment, Annie's group runs into Maggie's group, as they pull their weapons against each other, Negan appears and calms both groups down. Negan escorts the group into the hideout behind a false wall, where Gabriel and other residents are hiding. Annie proposes they split into teams and sweep each floor to rescue survivors. She leaves with Maggie, while Negan stays behind.

Negan reveals to Aaron's group that he's married to Annie. Gabriel insists they didn't know Carlson's ulterior motives when they came to the complex. Annie radios Negan and tells the group to mobilize. Negan sees something troubling outside the window. A trooper drags Hershel inside the complex after finding him hiding in a truck. Negan kills the trooper and rescues Hershel.

Negan takes Hershel to the hidden apartment where everyone else is hiding and radios Maggie about Hershel stowing away. Despite Maggie's concern for her son, Negan promises Maggie that Hershel is safe with him and that something will have to happen to Negan before he allows Hershel to be harmed. Maggie is concerned about leaving Hershel in the hands of the man who killed his father, but Annie, aware of what Negan had done, reassures Maggie that Negan is someone who will do whatever he can to protect her son.

Alone with Negan, Hershel tells Negan that his mother had told him to stay away from Negan and asks why Maggie doesn't like him. Negan states that it was because of something bad that had happened a long time ago and he was a bad man. Hershel pulls a gun on Negan, having realized that Negan is the bad man who had killed his dad. Sitting down, Negan admits that Hershel is right and that there's nothing that he can say or do to make up for Glenn's murder. While Negan doesn't blame Hershel for wanting revenge, if he shoots Negan, the gunshot will draw the Commonwealth soldiers to them and while Negan might deserve to die for his actions, the other people with them don't. After looking at the people gathered outside of the room, Hershel silently lowers the gun which is taken from him by Lydia. Hershel then runs out as Negan cries.

After the battle, Negan notices Hershel silently glaring at him. Recognizing that they have unfinished business, Negan tells the young boy to return to the Hilltop and help his mother rebuild. If Hershel still wants revenge in a few years, he tells him to come find him and they'll settle matters between them at that time. After Negan walks away, Maggie asks Hershel what Negan had said to him, but Hershel remains silent.

"Acts of God"

Maggie, Elijah, Marco and Hershel meet Lydia at a hideout which many Riverbend residents are hiding in, including Negan and Annie. Maggie asks Negan and Annie to look after Hershel until the fight with the Commonwealth is over. Negan states that Hershel doesn't trust him, to which Maggie states that she is starting to. Negan says to Maggie, "You have big balls Maggie Rhee. I got you, and I got your boy." After the fight is over, Annie and the other residents climb out of the bunker. Negan helps Hershel out of the bunker but Hershel angrily shoves him away.

"Lockdown"

Inside an abandoned building, Negan and Annie meet up with Daryl and Maggie, while hiding from Lance and his troopers. Maggie inquires about the whereabouts of Hershel, only to be reassured he's safely with Elijah and the others from Riverbend. With Lance and his men approaching the building, the group tries to devise a plan regarding their people still back at the Commonwealth, particularly the children such as Judith and Gracie.

When at a crossroads of deciding whether to fight Lance or get back to the Commonwealth, Daryl realizes they can do both: Negan hasn't been seen or targeted by the community's leaders yet, and will therefore be able to and get to Carol and the others without being arrested. Negan agrees, despite Annie's objections that he go alone, and reassures her that only one of them need to put themselves in the compromising position. He promises her that they will reunite.

Outside the building, two troopers are driving around. They get out of their car to begin clearing the area of walkers when a small herd suddenly ambushes them, ripping one of them apart. Negan, disguised in his Whisperer mask, stabs the other trooper and leaves him to be eaten as well, after taking his rifle. He throws the gun and the trooper's walkie-talkie next to a seemingly random van before commandeering their vehicle and driving off. Daryl opens the vans doors, taking the weapon and radio before going back inside.

Negan arrives at the Commonwealth and is put in the interrogation room. Mercer enters and asks if Negan knows him, to which he answers that word gets around. Negan says his friend told him to ask for Mercer to find out about April. Mercer sits down and asks if he knows what happened to her. Negan says that him asking him that means it can't be good. Mercer wants to know why Negan is really there and he tells him about the trouble he's had with Hornsby and his soldiers. Mercer gets the soldier in the room to leave by asking him to get Negan water. Once he leaves, Mercer asks who sent him, and Negan answers it was Daryl. Negan says they have people to protect in the walls, which Mercer says is his job, but Negan states that he was sent anyway. Mercer brings up that there are rules and he can't just let Negan in. Negan points out that if no one else is playing by the rules why should Mercer.

Negan smiles as he takes in seeing the Commonwealth for the first time. Jerry notices him and asks what he's doing there. Negan states he is there to save them and asks about Carol's whereabouts. Jerry leads him to her apartment. Back at the apartment, Carol has all the kids pack up when the door knocks. She has the kids hide in the bedroom before opening the door to see Jerry and, to her surprise, Negan. He makes a joke about how he probably should've stayed in the cabin. Negan tells Carol the situation with Lance and try to devise a plan. Carol tells Jerry to look out for the kids while she and Negan go do something. Negan asks what the plan is seeing as they can't just walk out, and Carol tells him that they are going to get some insurance.

Negan and Carol enter a room full of cabinets with files. Negan asks what they are looking and Carol answers they are looking for blueprints and schematics. Carol says the person they are looking for was in the building before people were protesting for him. Negan comments if everyone wants him dead and no one can find him, he must have a really good hiding spot. Negan tells Carol he got married, much to her surprise. Carol asks why he is telling her, which Negan answers that she is out there and carrying their child. Carol tells Negan it's going to be okay. Negan and Carol are in Union Station and he comments they are running out of places to look. Carol asks for the map and looks at it before moving down the hall to where a door should be. Negan moves a plant in the way, revealing the door.

Carol opens the door and they enter to find Sebastian passed out on his bed with empty alcohol bottles and plates of food. Carol wakes up Sebastian who reaches for a gun before Negan steps on his hand and takes the gun from him. Sebastian demands to know if Negan knows who he is, but the former leader of the Saviors is unimpressed. Carol orders Sebastian to get up and that they're taking him home to his mother. However, Sebastian refuses to go anywhere until this thing blows over, believing that Pamela doesn't care anyways. Carol insists that Pamela does as Sebastian's her kid, but Sebastian believes that he's just a prop while the Commonwealth is Pamela's kid. Amused, Negan tells Sebastian that he should rethink his options and that Negan has seen Carol pull off seemingly impossible things before, "so if for whatever reason she is throwing you a life raft, well then I'd recommend you jump in that sucker and save yourself from drowning." After a moment, Sebastian asks if Carol really thinks that she can help.

Negan, Carol and Sebastian, who is wearing a dark hoodie and hat to hide his identity, leave the building and try to quietly walk by the protestors. However, one resident that walks by recognizes Sebastian and alerts the crowd that he has found him. Negan stays behind to deal with the man and tries to calm him down. This causes a physical fight between the two ending with Negan being subdued by a soldier.

"A New Deal"

Negan, Carol, Pamela and Mercer arrive at the scene as Daryl's group is surrounded by Commonwealth soldiers, as he holds Lance hostage. Suddenly, Mercer yells for everyone to put their weapons down, Pamela orders him to lower the weapon since she needs Lance alive, but he refuses. Mercer also tells Daryl to lower the knife and that he's on Daryl's side. Carol steps forward and says she made a deal for them, but they need Lance alive. Daryl begrudgery agrees and lets Lance go. but not without stabbing Lance's hand with his knife.

Negan stands outside as Carol explains the deal. Pamela will provide all the supplies they need to rebuild on their own and let them go free. Whether they want to go back to their old communities or stay at the Commonwealth is up to them. In return, Pamela will have Lance framed for Sebastian's crimes. Annie says they'll have more time to talk about the situation with their people, but Negan points out that the Commonwealth killed most of their people. Maggie says the most important thing is everyone is together and doesn't want to go it alone anymore. Although she doesn't trust the Commonwealth, if the deal gets them back home she is all for it. Daryl also agrees as he grabs an apple.

In a hospital, Negan and Annie are shown the baby on an ultrasound. The doctor comments that her amniotic fluid is a little high, but they caught it early so they can keep an eye on it. She walks away leaving the two to talk. Annie reassures Negan everything will be fine. She believes that staying at the Commonwealth isn't an option since there are people looking to them. Negan says he hears his father's voice in his head, saying that your life is not your own once you have kids. Negan always wanted to know what that meant and now he's finally there. Annie says she still hears the voices of everyone they lost, such as Ian and Jesse, thinking about how the Commonwealth killed them. Negan and Annie kiss.

"Variant"

Negan appears and is heard in the archival footage shown at the beginning of this episode, as Judith narrates past events of the show to the audience before the episode's story begins.

"What's Been Lost"

Negan was abducted off-screen on Pamela Milton's orders, alongside the other Alexandria, Hilltop and Riverbend residents living in the Commonwealth. Negan is seen on board the prisoner bus with the other captives, with a bag over his head and given a sedative injection.

"Outpost 22"

On the Commonwealth bus, Ezekiel wakes up and removes his hood, groaning in pain as someone bangs on the side of the bus. The other prisoners, amongst them Negan, Annie, Kelly and Theresa, follow suit. Ezekiel makes sure that everyone is alright, and Kelly confirms that she's unharmed. Annie notices that one of the trucks is missing and Negan notices that there's no sign of Gabriel, Maggie or Rosita either. Kelly reports that the soldiers are unloading a bunch of stuff off of the trucks, but she can't see the kids. Annie tells the other two that she was in and out of consciousness and that they had stopped for a few minutes during which time there had been a crash. Annie guesses that it was their missing friends which Negan admits fits, stating that they likely bailed, but stops himself from bringing up the worst-case scenario.

The Warden boards the bus and greets the prisoners, telling them that today is the first day of a new beginning. The world works when everyone knows their place and the prisoners' place is at the bottom. All of the resources that the Commonwealth uses to bring the old world back into the new and sustain it all starts at places like this. The Warden suggests that they should take comfort in knowing that good people will benefit from their labor there which the Warden calls their redemption and salvation. The Warden promises that everyone's children are safe and being tended to and that they will get to see them again if they play by the rules. However, they need to work as one to be able to do that and the Warden announces that nobody has a name anymore as they have no need for them. The Warden won't tell them his name and they are forbidden to address each other by their own names.

The Warden directs several prisoners to exit at the rear, including Annie. After sharing a look, Negan allows his wife to leave, but he promises to get his family out of this situation. As Annie exits, the Warden explains that the selected prisoners are being transported to another site while the rest of them will work at their current location until the railroad tracks are clear. The Warden orders everyone to follow him out of the bus, but Negan hesitates, worried about his wife's safety as the selected prisoners are driven off in another direction. The Warden promises that, while the work is hard, they will be protected by the Commonwealth. The Warden suggests that although they have been "delivered from the paradise of the Commonwealth, take solace in knowing that it's better being here than it is being out there, in the wastelands." The prisoners are set to work on clearing boxcar wreckage from the area.

Kelly approaches Ezekiel as they work on clearing the tracks and tells him that there's only three guards and they should run and make a break for the trees. However, Ezekiel orders her not to do anything and to stop talking and keep working. Negan approaches one of the soldiers and asks about his wife, but the soldier whacks him in the face with a nightstick. The soldier tells Negan that the prisoners only stop to eat and sleep which Negan acknowledges. Two Commonwealth residents and an Alexandria resident make a run for the trees, but Ezekiel stops Kelly from going after them. The soldiers open fire, killing the three prisoners, and the soldier that assaulted Negan orders everyone else back to work.

Ezekiel collects two bowls of slop and brings one to Kelly who is too depressed to eat after witnessing the prisoners die trying to escape. Negan secretly approaches Ezekiel who is pissed, having purposefully stayed away from Negan for years. Negan tells him that Ezekiel needs to shelve that shit, but Ezekiel lists Negan's crimes of melting people's faces with irons, coercing women into marrying him and slaughtering his people which Ezekiel hasn't forgotten and neither has anyone else. Negan admits that he hasn't forgotten either and that he probably deserves to be in a place like this for the things that he's done, and it fits him. However, it doesn't fit Ezekiel, the others, or Negan's wife and baby that is on the way.

Reluctantly, Ezekiel asks where the soldiers took Annie, but Negan doesn't know although he needs to find Annie like he promised to do. Negan is coming to Ezekiel as a soon-to-be father and as a man who has led people. Negan and Ezekiel have got to put their troubles with each other aside and work together for everyone's sakes. Ezekiel asks what Negan has in mind and Negan tells him that he knows the Warden's playbook of using fear as a weapon, causing Ezekiel to ask if Negan wants to scare people into an uprising. Negan points out that that only works if you're the one holding the gun and fear won't work. However, hope will which is Ezekiel's thing rather than Negan's. Looking at Kelly, Ezekiel sadly states that this place thrives on separating people, and it is already breaking them down. They have to unite people, but they need a spark that reaches into their hearts and wakes them up and Ezekiel doesn't know how to do that here when they can barely even talk to each other. "I can get you your spark," promises Negan. "But when I do... you need to know that I doubt that I'll be getting out of here with you." Ezekiel is confused by this statement, but they are ordered to get back to work before Negan can explain himself. Ezekiel agrees that he's with Negan for now as they return to work.

At night, the Warden orders everyone to pack it in and load up. As the prisoners begin to board the transports, the prisoners that were killed earlier and reanimate and are quickly put down by a soldier.

The Commonwealth convoy arrives at Outpost 22, leaving Ezekiel, Negan and Kelly shocked as they recognize it: a renamed and Commonwealth-occupied Alexandria.

"Faith"

At the railroad tracks just outside of Alexandria, the Commonwealth prisoners work under the supervision of the Warden and his soldiers. Negan and Kelly observe the patterns of their captors with Kelly communicating her observations to Magna in sign language. Working with Ezekiel, Princess recognizes the missing Tyler Davis amongst the other prisoners from their brief imprisonment in the rail yard before he later took Max hostage and then mysteriously vanished. While Princess doesn't like Tyler, she knows that he's ballsy and that might be useful to them.

As Negan gets a drink, Magna discreetly reports what Kelly had told him about the locations of the soldiers which Negan sketches out. Ezekiel approaches Negan and asks for the map, but Negan spots Annie nearby and, ignoring Ezekiel, approaches Roberts and offers to pick up a couple of extra shifts so that his wife can have her workload loosened. Negan appeals to Roberts personally who appears to consider it before they are interrupted by Sanborn. After being told that Negan is mouthing off, Sanborn decides that they need to show him his place and hits Negan with the butt of his rifle. Negan attacks Sanborn, but he is knocked to the ground by Roberts and kicked in the gut. Seeing her husband's predicament, Annie rushes in to intervene and shoved to the ground by Sanborn and is dragged away with him after a brief scuffle as Roberts keeps Negan from intervening at gunpoint. Hidden in the bushes nearby, a worried Daryl and Carol observe these proceedings.

In the mess hall, Ezekiel and Negan approach Tyler and Ezekiel asks him for help, reminding the young man that he stood up to Pamela in the past and wants out of there as much as they do. Tyler wants to live more, but Negan calls this barely surviving rather than living. Ezekiel suggests that their people and Tyler's can take the guards together, but Tyler reveals that they've already tried that and "the same thing always happens. People who shouldn't die end up dead." They only have two choices here: survival or death. Tyler believes that if the Coalition tries this, they will all die. Ezekiel suggests that, alternatively, they can try this and they all live and they only have each other. If they lose faith in that and the idea that they can change this if they want to, they're as good as dead anyway. Roberts and Sanborn enter and drag Negan to his feet when he refuses to go with them until they tell Negan where his wife is and leave with him. Leaving himself, Tyler tells a frustrated and concerned Ezekiel that he's on his own.

Roberts leads Negan into the Warden's office where the Warden orders Negan to take a seat. Roberts roughly shoves Negan into a chair, but the Warden stops Roberts before he can leave and informs Roberts that his transfer has been denied. Roberts tells the Warden that his brother has been very sick and he doesn't know how long his brother has left. The Warden callously tells Roberts that he should've told him directly instead of going around the Warden to ask for a transfer. As a result, Roberts' duty at the outpost has been extended six months. Negan notices Roberts clench his fist in anger as he departs.

Left alone, the Warden shows Negan the map showing the movements of the Commonwealth guards, when they come and go and how many are on shift at any time which Negan denies any knowledge of despite it having been found after Negan's tussle with Roberts and Sanborn. The Warden admits that, when Negan first arrived, he had thought that the other man might be a leader, but he now sees that Negan has other priorities. The Warden believes that a real leader separates and cleaves themselves off from everyone else because the things that real leaders do most people lack the stomach for and the ones that do are the real threats. The Warden knows that there's a threat in his midst and he believes that it's one of Negan's people. However, Negan tells the Warden that, other than his wife, everyone hates his guts, so he doesn't know anything. The Warden bets that Negan can find out though and he makes it clear that it isn't really an option for Negan not to cooperate, threatening Annie and his unborn child's safety.

Roberts lets Negan into a bedroom where Annie is resting in bed and stands guard as Negan approaches his wife. Annie reassures her husband that she's fine and that Negan got the worst of it. Negan asks about their baby and Annie tells him that the baby just kicked her so hard that she nearly rolled off of the bed. Annie reassures Negan that they're going to get out of there which Negan knows and is working on. Annie confronts Negan about his reckless actions on the track which he calls old habits dying hard. Negan promises his wife that he would never risk them, and Annie asks him what the Warden had wanted. Negan tries to brush it off, but Annie knows that it's bad. Negan reassures Annie that he's known men like the Warden his whole life and that he used to be him when Negan had led the Saviors. "Shit. In that case, no wonder everyone hated you," Annie quips, causing them both to laugh. Negan promises to handle the Warden and Annie agrees as long as she doesn't get to the Warden first.

Negan and Ezekiel work together on clearing dirt off of the tracks and Ezekiel demands to know what happened with the Warden. Negan claims that he was just put on latrine duty and Ezekiel orders him not to go rogue again, they needed that map. Negan is annoyed by Ezekiel's attitude towards him, but Ezekiel makes it clear that they're not friends despite Ezekiel agreeing to build the prisoner rebellion together because Ezekiel hasn't forgotten what Negan took from him. Negan admits that he has no idea what Ezekiel's talking about, and Ezekiel reveals that his reason for hating Negan is personal: the Saviors murdered Henry's brother Benjamin whom Ezekiel considers to be his family and Negan apologizing doesn't change anything for him. Ezekiel believes that if this works and they get out of here, Negan doesn't deserve a brand-new life or to be a father. Snapping, Negan tells Ezekiel that he will be a father so Ezekiel can continue to live in the past while Negan does what he has to do for his kid.

Roberts leads Negan into the Warden's office where the Warden asks if Negan has a name for him and Negan smirks.

As the prisoners lay in their bunks that night, Sanborn and several other soldiers burst in, yelling for everyone to get outside immediately. The prisoners are all led to the windmill where the soldiers shine spotlights on them and the Warden, standing in front of Ezekiel and looking at him, announces that there's a traitor in their midst, someone who thinks that he's above the rules. Roberts and another soldier lead out Negan who has admitted to spearheading a rebellion, although any co-conspirators will be given the benefit of the doubt as the Warden trusts that they were not acting of their own free will. As such, only Negan will be punished, but they all need to see and remember. Annie breaks free and runs towards her husband, sobbing, but she is restrained, and Negan reassures his wife that it's alright. The Warden has Negan put on his knees in front of the windmill to be executed by a firing squad while the prisoners murmur to themselves about how they knew that Negan couldn't be trusted and was a liar and Annie pleads for her husband's life to no avail. However, before the Warden can give the order to fire, he notices Negan smirking and, unwilling to let Negan martyr himself, grabs Annie and adds her to the execution. Negan desperately pleads for the Warden to leave Annie alone and take only him, but the sadistic man is determined to make Negan feel this punishment. Ezekiel is conflicted watching this while Negan pleads with Roberts, who has a family, not to do this, causing a moment of hesitation before he proceeds.

Unwilling to allow Negan to be executed, Ezekiel moves in between the firing squad and Negan and Annie, standing in their way. A number of the other prisoners quickly follow Ezekiel's lead, including Magna, Kelly, Princess, Tyler, and Nabila, creating a human wall between the soldiers and Negan and Annie. The Warden admits that he admires their bravery, but he nevertheless orders his men to shoot them all. Noticing most of the soldiers hesitating at being ordered to murder so many people, Ezekiel pleads with them that "you don't have to do this! This world is broken, but we don't have to be." Realizing that Ezekiel is right, Roberts lowers his gun and turns to the rest of the soldiers who follow his lead. Roberts turns his gun on the Warden, but Sanborn aims at him in return, causing Roberts to shoot him dead. The Warden grabs Kelly and tries to escape by using her as a hostage as Roberts and the prisoners try to stop him. However, Daryl and Connie come up from behind the Warden and Daryl stabs the Warden in the back, incapacitating him and retaking Alexandria from the Commonwealth.

Negan prepares to kill the Warden with a rock, but he's stopped by Rosita. Rosita demands to know where her daughter is, but the Warden refuses to answer. Seeing Sanborn reanimate, Rosita grabs him and holds the walker over the Warden's face, once again demanding to know where her daughter is. With a smile, the Warden sadistically tells Rosita that she will lose everything, and Rosita furiously shoves the zombified Sanborn into the Warden's face which Sanborn begins devouring, killing the Warden. Rosita walks away, leaving Sanborn to eat the Warden as her friends, the soldiers and former prisoners watch in shock and horror at the brutal death.

"Family"

In a reclaimed Alexandria, the Coalition recover their various weapons from a large crate full of weapons confiscated by the Commonwealth.

In front of the windmill, Rosita passes the corpses of Sanborn and the Warden, grabbing an extra clip for her gun off of Sanborn's belt. Gabriel asks Tyler Davis if there's anything that he knows that can help them find the missing children and Tyler reveals that, when he was a soldier, kids without parents would end up at the Commonwealth Children's Home. However, Tyler doesn't know where it is, so he goes to get the location from the captured Commonwealth soldiers at Gabriel's request. Rosita impatiently calls for the Coalition soldiers and freed prisoners to board the Commonwealth's transport bus. Princess asks Magna if anyone actually knows how to drive a train, but Magna reassures her that one of the prisoners apparently used to be an engineer before they board the bus, with Kelly, Connie, Adrienne and Dianne amongst those joining them.

As Maggie loads the back of the bus, Negan asks how she plans to take out Pamela Milton. Negan gets that others have their own reasons for going back to the Commonwealth, but as far as he's concerned, none of them are safe as long as Pamela's still alive which he guesses that Maggie agrees with. Negan suggests that they can take out Pamela together without the help of the others, but Maggie closes the bus door and walks away, telling Negan that "we're not a we." In front of the bus, Maggie hugs Hershel and says a tearful goodbye to her son. Annie hugs Negan from behind and orders her husband to be careful. Negan states that he always is, and Annie tells Negan to come back in one piece while she holds down the fort in Alexandria and Negan promises to do so.

Nearby, Ezekiel says goodbye to Nabila, Aliyah and Gracie while Daryl promises R.J. that they will be back soon and orders him to look after Judith. However, Judith tells Daryl and Carol that she's coming too over Daryl's objections. Judith reminds her friends that this isn't the future that Carl wanted and it's not what Rick and Michonne fought for, not yet at least. What they're doing could help everyone, maybe everybody everywhere, not just them. Judith wants to be a part of making what her family believed in real. Carol recognizes that while everyone else has been focused on the present for a long time, Judith has been thinking about the future which is a good thing and something that they could all do a little more of. Daryl agrees on the condition that Judith stays right with him, and he leaves R.J. in Nabila's care while they're gone.

On the railroad tracks, the Commonwealth's train smashes a walker to bits. Inside, observed by Daryl, Carol, Maggie and Judith, Rosita pours over a map of the Commonwealth with Gabriel, telling him that once they get inside, they will move the former prisoners into hiding and, as they hopefully get Mercer on their side to take out Pamela, she and Gabriel will go to get Coco back. Gabriel notices that they're going in through the lower ward and wonders why they're not going in through the Estates instead. Rosita points out that with more money, the Estates have more patrols, meaning that they don't stand out as much in the lower wards. They're going to use an access road that will allow them to hit the children's home from behind. Gabriel smiles at Rosita and promises her that they will get Coco back which is his faith in Rosita talking and Rosita is glad that Gabriel is with her.

Negan thanks Ezekiel for saving his life from the Warden and his men and asks why Ezekiel did it. Ezekiel tells Negan that dying a martyr is too easy and Negan living to make something good out of his life will keep Ezekiel from giving in to anger over Benjamin's murder by the Saviors. Ezekiel doesn't want to live out whatever time he has left in bitterness, noting that he's not even supposed to be here. "The dead came for me. And yet I smile. War came for me. And yet I smile. Cancer. Yet I smile. I try to, anyway. I try," states Ezekiel. Ezekiel asks why Negan gave the Warden his own name rather than betraying Ezekiel and Negan explains that he did it "for my wife... my kid. To leave a better story about me than the one you've been telling. That when it mattered... I did something right. And it wasn't to prove anything. It wasn't to get anything in return. Hell, it wasn't even to save my own ass. It was to save all of you. You all are better than me. And if you think I don't know that... then you haven't been paying attention." Negan leaves while Maggie, having overheard the conversation unseen, contemplates what she has just learned.

Outside of the tunnel entrance, four Commonwealth soldiers patrol while the Coalition forces hide nearby. Negan tells the others that they are sitting ducks and Mercer isn't coming and they can't wait for him. Carol agrees that it's time for a new plan, but Princess is sure that Mercer is gonna show up. Daryl states that they're running out of time and Carol decides to head around and try to find another way to slip in. Maggie suggests that they could take the four guards, but Rosita warns her that if those guards go missing, the clock is going to start ticking on them. Judith draws the others attention as one of the guards notices something and starts heading their way. However, Lieutenant Rose calls in with orders from Mercer for the guards to report to the East Gate immediately to deal with the incoming herd. Lieutenant Rose confirms that that includes Tunnel H and he reassures the soldiers that the tunnel is locked, and they've got it covered on the other end. Complying with his orders, the guards move out. Breaking the lock on the door, the group makes their way into the tunnel.

The Coalition forces emerge from the tunnel in the seemingly-abandoned Union Station. Daryl quickly deduces that something isn't right, and he notices that the outer doors are all chained shut. Realizing that it's a trap, Daryl yells for everyone to get down as Pamela's private forces, situated on the station's balcony, open fire, killing Tyler and two former prisoners standing near him as everyone else dives for cover.

A gunfight erupts between Pamela's forces and the Coalition with Rosita desperately trying to get the doors open. One Alexandria resident crawls towards a hiding Connie, Kelly, Magna and Dianne, but he is shot in the head and killed by one of Pamela's men before he can reach them. As the gunfight continues, Pamela herself emerges and grabs a gun from one of her men who is killed by the Coalition. Pamela takes aim at Maggie, but Judith notices and shoves Maggie out of the way just in time, saving her life. Instead, Pamela accidentally shoots Judith, seriously wounding the young girl. Daryl desperately attends to Judith as Pamela watches in horror and the others increase their fire, killing a few more of Pamela's men. Yelling that "you did this," Pamela retreats to her office. Looking for a way out, Daryl spots a fire extinguisher near Ezekiel and signals him to throw it. Grabbing Rick's Colt Python from Judith, Daryl shoots the fire extinguisher, creating a smokescreen.

In Union Square, Yumiko and Max observe the heavily guarded doors to Union Station from across the street. Hearing twigs snapping, Yumiko spots a hooded Eugene sneaking around a train car, armed with Brooks' rifle and she tells Max that they are going to go around. Inside, under cover of the smokescreen, Daryl and the others manage to break the chains sealing a side door. As a trooper approaches the doors, Eugene ambushes him and knocks the man out with the butt of his rifle. Magna finally breaks through the doors, and everyone is reunited with Eugene, Yumiko and Max before quickly making their escape.

The Coalition races through the streets towards the hospital with Daryl carrying the unconscious Judith. Commonwealth vehicles drive up and block their path in multiple directions, forcing them to fall back. Carol realizes that the soldiers aren't following them as they begin to erect barricades in the streets. Loudly yelling and firing their guns in the air, Commonwealth soldiers lead the herd in their direction before closing the barricades, penning the herd and the Coalition in. Spotting a walker climbing over something, a shocked Negan asks "what the fuck?" As walkers close in from multiple directions, Luke and Jules emerge from the herd, causing Kelly to nearly shoot them before Connie stops her sister. Fleeing down a side street, Carol spots an alley near part of the herd and everyone attacks the walkers, clearing a path for Daryl to flee down the alley towards the hospital with Judith. Waking up for a moment, Judith calls out "daddy?" and witnesses her friends and loved ones struggling to hold back the herd before passing out again.

"Rest in Peace"

In the streets, the Coalition desperately fights off the herd as they try to escape from the walkers swarming around them, those armed with guns shooting the undead while the rest stab at them with knives, including Max. However, Jules misses the head of one walker, instead stabbing it in the shoulder. The walker bites Jules in the arm and Luke rushes to his girlfriend's aid, stabbing the walker in the head and yelling for help as he supports Jules. However, walkers swarm the couple from behind with one tackling Luke to the ground and biting him in the leg as Jules is dragged down and devoured. Seeing Luke's predicament, Connie shoots the walker in the head and Luke is dragged to safety by Kelly and Yumiko, yelling in desperation for his girlfriend as Jules is devoured, beyond the ability of any of her friends to try to save her. Shooting at a smaller group of walkers coming down an alleyway, Carol orders her friends to follow her down it and everyone flees as the herd overruns the streets.

At the police station, Mercer, Ezekiel, Max, Princess and Dianne load supplies onto a truck while Maggie loads a sniper rifle. Negan asks if Maggie intends to use it on Pamela and states that his offer to her still stands, but Maggie refuses. The herd begins to approach the police station and Maggie tells the others that they have to go. Mercer raises his gun to shoot at the walkers, but Ezekiel stops him, recognizing Aaron and Lydia walking amongst the herd, covered in walker guts. Ezekiel runs to help the injured Lydia, asking about Jerry and Elijah, but Aaron tells him that they're still out there. As the herd overruns the police station, the group loads up onto the truck with Aaron promising to fill everyone else in on the way. The group drives off to meet up with the others at the hospital.

At night, outside of a loading dock, Mercer observes a crowd of desperate Commonwealth residents demanding to be let into the Estates. Mercer reassures Maggie that they will be able to move soon while Aaron tells Ezekiel that he saw people on the higher floors and rooftops begging for help, but he wanted to make sure that Lydia was safe first. Ezekiel reassures his friend that he did the right thing. Hearing screams in the distance, both men are determined to do more, but they need to take care of Judith first. Lieutenant Rose arrives in another truck and reports to Mercer that they're all set: everyone is in the back and there's no one to check. The doctors have set up a safe house, but they have to hurry. Mercer calls for everyone to go, stating that they need to get Judith to Tomi. Everyone boards the truck with Princess, Max and Dianne pushing Judith's stretcher.

At the safe house, a concerned Maggie enters, looks for Negan, but nobody has seen him in awhile. Maggie finds Negan outside, carrying the sniper rifle, and confronts him. Negan explains that he was going after Pamela himself, asking what it matters as long as it gets done. Maggie demands to know what Negan's angle is, but he insists that there is no angle: Negan is doing this for Maggie. Negan knows that if Maggie kills Pamela, it will most likely be a suicide mission that she won't return from. Maggie needs to come back, so Negan is going to do it instead. Getting emotional, Negan explains that when he was in the Warden's lineup the night before, about to lose his wife and everything, Negan finally understood what Maggie must've felt when he killed Glenn. Negan tearfully apologizes to Maggie for what he took from her and Hershel. Stunned, Maggie takes the sniper rifle and begins to walk away, but pauses and invites Negan to join her which he does.

At the gates of the Estates, the crowd desperately begs Pamela to be let in, amongst them Mr. Martens, Mrs. Martens and Mei. On a balcony, Maggie lines up her shot on Pamela, but Negan tells her to hold on as Mercer and his loyalist forces move in, ordering Colonel Vickers and her men to lower their weapons. Pamela orders Vickers to arrest them, but the Coalition forces join Mercer's troops from another angle, creating a standoff. Pamela accuses Mercer of being a traitor, but Mercer states that she's the true traitor and lists Pamela's crimes: disappearing hundreds of citizens, leading the dead to their doorstep, shooting a child and now leaving thousands to die.

The banging on the gates grows more frantic as the herd begins to approach the Estates, meaning that the people will die if they're not let inside. Gabriel moves towards the gates despite Vickers orders to stop. Gabriel announces that they're opening the gate and letting everyone inside, threatening to kill anyone who tries to stop him. Vickers threatens to shoot him, but Carol warns her that they will fire back if she does. Pamela orders her men to shoot Gabriel as he reaches the gates and one of them points a gun at his head. Suddenly, Daryl yells for them to stop. "What the hell you doing?" Daryl demands. "We all deserve better than this. You built this place to be like the old world. That was the fuckin' problem." Pamela states that if she opens the gates, the dead will get in too, not just the living. Daryl tells her that if she doesn't, Pamela will lose everything anyway. "We got one enemy. We ain't the walking dead."

Realizing that Daryl is right, Vickers orders everyone to lower their weapons and give Gabriel the key to the gates. Everyone stands down and Vickers defers to Mercer's command who places Pamela under arrest for high crimes against the people of the Commonwealth. As everyone rushes to help let the people in, Maggie informs Negan that Pamela is getting arrested and Negan tells her that prison is a fate worse than death for someone like Pamela, causing Maggie to relent in shooting her.

The crowd rushes in just in the nick of time, amongst them Jerry and Elijah, before the gates are closed, keeping out the herd. Elijah reunites with a relieved Lydia while Jerry desperately looks for his family before Ezekiel reassures his friend that they're safe back in Alexandria and that they will get back out there to help the people that still need their help. Approaching the gates, Pamela notices a zombified Lance Hornsby, Carol's arrow still in his neck, at the front of the herd, reaching through the gates. Pamela approaches Lance, baring her neck and intending to have Lance bite her as a form of suicide. Judith begs Pamela not to go through with it as it's never too late and they have to help everyone still out there. Before Lance can bite Pamela, Maggie shoots him in the head with her sniper rife, putting Lance down. Maggie states that it's time to take the Commonwealth back.

With the variants being too dangerous to just lead away, Mercer outlines a new plan as everyone rushes to carry out his orders. As they need to get a vehicle out of the Estates, a mixture of Coalition forces, Commonwealth soldiers and Commonwealth residents, led by Aaron, rush out of the Estates, armed with melee weapons and riot shields with the aim of drawing the herd away and clearing a path, although Mercer warns them not to engage the walkers more than absolutely necessary. Working together, the group holds the line against the herd while Mercer calls in that the vehicle is out of the back gate and on its way to the town square, asking them to let him know when they're clear. Magna reports that they've diverted the walkers and its clear as it's going to get, ordering them to move out. As the combined group continues to fight the walkers, the truck by through the cleared path to the fuel depot where Vickers, Ezekiel, Jerry, Dianne and several Commonwealth soldiers collect the fuel. Max reports in that they've got fuses running to the private sewers under the Estates and they'll finish wiring the rest once they get the fuel back while Princess goes to start the PA system to draw all of the walkers to the Estates.

Using Pamela's record player, the song "Cult of Personality" is blasted throughout the Commonwealth from the Estates, drawing all of the walkers overrunning the Commonwealth towards it. Elijah helps set up speakers throughout the Estates as Jerry, Ezekiel and Lydia pour fuel down into the sewers and the walkers fighting the forces outside of the Estates begin moving towards it as well. Mercer brings out some dynamite which Eugene and Yumiko help to wire up to drums of fuel placed throughout the Estates and Connie helps to wire up more speakers, unharmed by the loud music due to her deafness. As Max helps to coordinate the efforts, Mercer calls in that they're prepared to open the gates and to let him know when they're ready. Max calls in that they're good to go before she joins the others in retreating to the rendezvous point, the two women acknowledging that they're dead if this plan fails. The gates are opened and the herd floods into the Estates. Once the song ends, the fuses connected to explosives inside of Pamela's house are ignited, detonating the fuel in a chain reaction that obliterates the Estates and the entire herd, saving the Commonwealth.

In Alexandria, Negan looks at his old Whisperer mask before tossing it away. Sitting across from Negan, Maggie tells him that she's been thinking about what he said. Maggie thanks Negan as she can stop wondering if he will ever apologize to her and if she can ever forgive him. Maggie knows now that she can't forgive Negan and she emotionally describes Glenn and her love for him to Negan who listens silently as he learns about the incredible man that he took from the world. However, when Maggie looks at Negan, all she can see is Lucille coming down on Glenn's head, blood running down his face and she hears Glenn calling for her while Negan mocks him as Glenn is dying. Negan starts crying as well as Maggie tells him that, due to all of that, she can't forgive him even though she's incredibly grateful that Negan saved Hershel and even though she knows that Negan's truly trying to change. Maggie admits that she's trying too as she doesn't want to hate Negan anymore because she doesn't want to hurt like that or for her son to see that anybody has that kind of hold over her. Maggie states that Negan and Annie have earned their place if they want to stay, but if Maggie can't look at Negan some days, work with him and can't move on, that's why. All Maggie has are her memories and she doesn't want to remember Glenn like that. Maggie walks back inside the house, leaving Negan alone outside. As everyone celebrates, Daryl looks out the window and sees Negan walking away and the two men exchange a smile and a nod, parting on good terms.

A year later, Lydia brings Judith a package that she states is supposed to be a surprise. Inside, Judith finds her old compass that she had given to Negan and a letter from Negan reading "Judith, this has always helped me find my way. I'm returning it to you now in the hope that it can guide you to your dreams. Thank you for letting me use it."

Fear the Walking Dead[]

Season 8[]

Content
"Sanctuary"

Negan Smith will appear in this episode.

Dead City[]

New York[]

Following their departure from the Coalition, Negan and Annie eventually move to a cabin outside of New Babylon in New York where they raise their son, Joshua. However, after a few years, Annie is robbed and beaten by five men while on a trading run into New Babylon. Despite Annie begging him not to do anything stupid, Negan tracks down the five men, one of whom is a New Babylon Federation magistrate, and kills them in revenge, although Negan later admits that he's not sure that he actually intended to kill them when Negan had confronted them. As a result, Negan is hunted by the Federation's marshals for murder, forcing Negan and his family on the run which proves to be very hard on Annie. In order to protect his wife and son, Negan puts them on a wagon train to Missouri, claiming that he will be right behind them. Instead, Negan stays behind, although he thinks about Annie and Joshua every day and hopes that they're alright.

Left alone, Negan remains on the run from the New Babylon marshals over the next few years, working a series of odd jobs to make a living. Negan eventually learns that one of his victims has a young daughter named Ginny who was left alone in the world with the murder of her father. Guilt-stricken, Negan tracks Ginny down to a farm where she's living and works there for awhile as a farm hand, learning that Ginny was rendered mute by the traumatic death of her father. When the marshals eventually catch up to Negan, Ginny insists upon accompanying him, and Negan allows her to join him, searching for a safe new home for his young companion. Negan never reveals his true crime to Ginny, instead lying that he's wanted for robbing a wagon train.

Season 1[]

Content
"Old Acquaintances"

Maggie drives to the Easy Stay Motor Inn and drinks at the bar before rejecting another round, stating that she's not in the best headspace. Maggie claims to have a cabin about an hour away and that she came home from a scavenging run to find it overrun by walkers. The bartender tells Maggie that she's in the right place as they have a guy here who clears out walkers and they can maybe loan him out. Maggie becomes interested and asks if the guy is any good and the bartender confirms that the man is the best that he's ever seen at it. Maggie asks for more information about if the man lives at the motel, but Jones at the other end of the bar interrupts the conversation to tell the bartender that their generator needs to be refilled.

At Maggie's request, the bartender directs her to the bathroom, but she immediately drops her act as soon as Maggie is out of sight. Passing the bathroom, Maggie checks out the motel rooms and she finds one with a shower running in it. Checking out the room, Maggie finds an adult's clothes, kid's toys, a bracelet and a knife. Taking the knife, Maggie goes to confront the shower's occupant, but she is grabbed by two men and dragged away.

In the bar, Maggie is thrown onto a table and restrained, and Jones reveals that she had suspected that Maggie was up to something. Jones guesses that Maggie was sent by "Vasquez from down the road" to snoop and prepares to cut her nose off so that Maggie won't snoop around anymore. Deploying a blade from her boot, Maggie stabs the bar owner in the back, causing her to accidentally stab herself in the hand. Maggie quickly subdues the three before Negan enters the bar, drawn by the commotion. Seeing Maggie, Negan flees, aided by a silent young girl named Ginny who was sitting at the bar who trips Maggie before running after Negan.

Grabbing her hat off of the bar, Maggie runs outside and tries to leave in her truck, but she is attacked by a man who tries to stop her. Kicking the man away, Maggie escapes, but she accidentally drops her book of maps on the ground in the process. Maggie quickly catches up to Negan and Ginny, cutting them off and quickly overpowering Negan. Holding a knife to Negan's throat, Maggie quips "sorry, I thought you were quicker on your feet" while Negan sarcastically comments that it's good to see Maggie too.

Negan examines a Wanted poster of himself from New Babylon with amusement and he decides to keep it as Maggie silently tosses him a medical bag. Negan calls Ginny over to help treat his leg wound and Maggie asks where Annie and his kid are. Lowering his head for a moment, Negan dodges the question by introducing Ginny to Maggie, calling himself and Maggie old acquaintances. Negan guesses that Maggie is either here not to kill him or she has gotten seriously rusty. "A few weeks back I got raided. Outnumbered, overpowered, stole all our grain. Said they'd be back in a month for more. Then a month after that... took a hostage as collateral." Negan realizes that the attackers took Maggie's son Hershel and she adds that she tracked them all of the way up the Hudson River, but by then they'd already made it all of the way across to Manhattan. Praising Ginny's job on patching up his leg, Negan sends her away to check on their belongings.

Negan asks how he figures into all of this, and Maggie tells him that the man who's got Hershel is called the Croat, but Negan just shrugs in response. "Bullshit. You know him. When he scaled our walls, had us surrounded in the dark, right before he took my son. Do you know what he did?" Maggie imitates the whistle that the Saviors used to use to frighten their victims, getting recognition out of Negan. "That rings a bell, doesn't it? It did for me. It was the last thing I heard before I met you." Negan realizes that Maggie is thinking that since he knew the Croat back when Negan led the Saviors, Negan might have some special insight into the Croat's modus operandi or sweet talk him into giving Hershel back. "Let's just say there were a lot of psychos in my crew back then, but he always stood out as being an exceptionally insane son of a bitch," warns Negan. Negan tries to tell Maggie that the odds aren't good for Hershel if the Croat really does have him, but she doesn't want to hear it.

Negan asks why he should help her, and Maggie tells Negan that he owes her, and that Negan is the last person that she wanted to ask for help, but Negan doesn't seem to have too many options himself. Maggie points out that, if she found Negan at the motel, then the marshals will too and he appears to have exhausted every shithole as a hiding spot. Negan asks about the Hilltop and if Maggie still has a good setup with kids and a school and Maggie promises to put up Ginny if Negan helps her, but they'll have to see how things play out in Negan's case which he accepts is fair enough.

Maggie drives along a road with Negan and Ginny in the bed of her truck while Negan covers Ginny up with his jacket, causing Maggie to shut the cab window. Maggie stops at a sign for New Babylon which advertises it as the capital city of the New Babylon Federation and takes a left. Across the road, two people have been hung with one of them having reanimated as a walker.

Having stopped, Maggie fires a Flare Gun into the air and Negan points out that this isn't the way to the Hilltop. Maggie reveals that while the Bricks has the same setup and the same people, they had to relocate from the Hilltop after Negan helped to burn it down. Maggie watches as Negan and Ginny eat. Once the girl is asleep, Negan explains that he was on the run and doing a stint of a farm about a year ago when Negan first met Ginny. When the marshals came looking for him, Ginny asked to go with him. According to the people on the farm, Ginny was living with her dad who took off one night and didn't come back. Ginny went looking for her father and found him as a walker, having been brutally murdered by other survivors. The trauma of finding her father like that had caused Ginny to become mute. Their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of one of Nina to take Ginny to the Bricks.

Sitting in the truck bed that night, Negan promises Ginny that he will come back for her soon. Maggie warns Negan that it's getting late, and he shares an emotional goodbye hug with Ginny before she leaves with Nina. Negan asks Maggie for reassurances that she has good people that will take care of Ginny, but she just gestures him to get in the back of the truck again unless Negan wants to get caught by the law.

Maggie has a nightmare where she relives Negan's brutal murder of Glenn with Lucille which is intercut with images of Hershel screaming for Maggie. Maggie snaps awake and she finds Negan is also awake in the backseat. Negan recalls how, when he was a kid, his father went on a business trip or something to New York City and he brought Negan back a little souvenir of the Statue of Liberty. Negan remembers thinking that he couldn't understand how something so small could also be so giant. Negan's father promised to take him to see the real thing and he made a whole plan to do it, "and then, as generally was the case with my dad, something came up, I guess. Anyway, I still haven't seen Lady Liberty in the flesh."

Negan asks how this operation is supposed to play out apart from how Negan is supposed to charm the Croat into giving Hershel back to Maggie, and she admits that she has a plan which Negan recognizes she isn't going to tell him and plans to keep Negan on a need-to-know basis. Negan knows that Maggie doesn't trust him, and he doesn't blame her as Negan wouldn't trust himself in her shoes. Negan has already gotten what he wanted with Ginny being safe and comfortable at the Bricks. Negan suggests that he could kill Maggie right now, but Maggie tells him that he could try, and she'd have to kill him first then. However, Negan tells Maggie that there's a big difference because she needs him to get her son back, but she feels that it probably cuts both ways and that the marshals would have something to say about that. Looking at the bracelet that Maggie had found earlier in his motel room, Negan claims that what he did wasn't like what the marshals say, and Negan believes that he's already paid for his crimes.

From across the river, Negan observes the large plume of smoke from a fire in Manhattan, and Maggie explains that she camped out for three days watching the city and she saw the smoke show up like that every morning at the same time and then again at night. Negan realizes that Maggie thinks that it's a cooking fire for breakfast and dinner, but he suggests that "sometimes a building on fire is just a building on fire." Before they can leave on a nearby boat, Maggie and Negan hear a vehicle pulling up.

Inside the marshals' vehicle, Perlie uses Maggie's map book to search the shoreline for possible locations where she and Negan might cross into Manhattan. Jano asks what the deal with Manhattan is and why it's so special and Perlie explains that "Manhattan was one of the epicenters. Military destroyed all of the bridges and tunnels hoping to contain it. Hoping to contain... them. Once home to a million and a half people. Now..." Perlie sends Gritz and Jano to do a sweep, looking sadly at an envelope with a return address for Joel Armstrong in Manhattan. As Jano takes a piss, he's captured by Maggie and she and Negan use Jano as a human shield against Perlie as they take off in the boat. The two marshals quickly begin untying a boat of their own from the roof of their car.

On the boat, Maggie orders Jano to empty his pockets and turn over his gun, but Jano doesn't have one as marshals aren't given guns until they've been in the service for three months. Jano shows Maggie a bottle of pills for his sick grandmother, admitting that they're not related, but she had looked after the young man when he was little and Jano is all that she has left. However, Negan stops the boat and prepares to throw Jano overboard, telling him that it's a short swim back to shore and he's not coming with them. Maggie protests, but Negan states that Jano is a junior marshal and that every second he stays, Jano is a threat and a liability, but Maggie suggests that he could be insurance too, "either way, it doesn't matter what you think."

Negan points out that Maggie has been sticking it to him in every way that she can since they hooked up again. Negan gets that Hershel being kidnapped has her spinning out, and stirring up emotions, memories and a lot of other stuff, and the vengeful thoughts that Negan had thought Maggie put to bed she has clearly woken up. What Negan doesn't get is that, after all of these years, Maggie still thinks that he's the bad guy, "I'm not. No one is. Or maybe everyone is. But you know what, Maggie, maybe everyone is. Ask yourself one question: how many husbands and fathers have you killed?" An emotional Maggie tells Negan that something like what he did to Glenn can never be put to bed. Relenting, Negan releases Jano and Maggie drives the boat through the walker-infested river towards Manhattan which the fog parts to finally reveal to them. "Fuck me," mutters Negan, looking at the city.

At the dock, Jano notices that the only thing that's around is a few dead bodies and he wonders where all of the walkers are while Negan looks at a destroyed bridge in the distance. Maggie prepares a flare gun in case they get separated and Negan asks her to look after Ginny for him once this is all over which Maggie agrees to since Negan isn't going back to her. The three head into the city streets which are empty aside from some human remains and abandoned vehicles and Jano tries to run, but he is roughly stopped by Negan. Maggie threatens that if Jano tries that again, he's going to wish that Negan had thrown him off of the boat.

As the three head towards the fire, walkers suddenly start falling from the sky, shattering on impact with the vehicles below. Taking cover in a doorway, Negan is annoyed that walkers are falling from the sky now and Maggie guesses that the walkers must've heard them, before being interrupted by a noise. Walkers appear on the other side of the doorway that they're hiding in and start breaking the glass. Maggie, Negan and Jano run for some scaffolding across the street with Negan picking Jano up after he falls. Dodging the literal rain of walkers, they make it under the scaffolding, observed by Esther from a nearby rooftop, and they take shelter until the walkers stop falling. Leaving, Negan tells Jano to get his shit together.

Continuing through the city, they pass a sign reading "DAWN. LINCOLN CENTER. COME KILL WITH US" and Negan stops Maggie from walking into a trap. The three eventually reach a blockade and see a vehicle driving by playing loud music and leading a massive herd of walkers. Maggie, Negan and Jano take cover behind some trash as part of the herd starts heading towards them, but cockroaches from the trash start crawling all over them. Their attempts to dislodge the cockroaches causes a garbage bag to fall, revealing that the cockroaches are coming from a walker corpse on the other side. Deciding not to stay, the three come out of hiding as someone starts shooting the walkers approaching them from behind, causing them to dive for cover. Recognizing the shooters as Perlie and Gritz, Jano calls out to them, but Negan pulls him back to the ground. Spotting a door nearby, Negan leads his companions into a laundromat.

Inside, Maggie, Negan and Jano split up to look for another way out. Perlie and Gritz enter, and they barricade the doors against the walkers. Perlie leaves Gritz behind to guard the doors, instructing him to not let anyone out. Maggie, Negan and Jano hide while Perlie searches for them. Calling out to Maggie while Negan restrains Jano from revealing their position, Perlie identifies himself as a New Babylon marshal, revealing some personal details about himself so as to give Maggie a sense about what kind of a person he is and that he is not her enemy. Perlie describes New Babylon, calling it a capital city that is more of a small town with three-lined streets and families looking out for each other. Perlie has a wife and three daughters who mean everything to him. Perlie recognizes that, while he doesn't know why Maggie is with Negan or has taken Jano hostage, she has her reasons, possibly even good ones. Perlie sincerely offers to hear Maggie out if she reveals herself, but he warns her that he'll be a little less open to hearing her out if Perlie gets to her first and he will get to her.

Unnoticed by Negan and Jano, a walker comes up behind them. Perlie finds a walker covered in a plastic bag and he puts it down with the bayonet on his rifle. As Negan walks away, a distracted Jano is attacked by the walker who has a rat living inside of it's mouth. Negan puts down the walker and saves Jano, but Perlie accidentally shoots Jano after he stands up, killing him and shocking Perlie. Maggie and Negan run while Perlie is distracted and the herd breaks through the doors and devours Gritz. Negan breaks through the door to the back room and takes care of a walker on the other side while Perlie lines up a shot on him. Maggie sneaks up behind the marshal and they struggle over the gun, but Perlie overpowers Maggie who finally reveals that she needs Negan's help to save her son. Although he hesitates for a moment, Perlie refuses to relent, pushing down on her throat with his gun, but Maggie smacks him in the face with her chain and finally overpowers Perlie and knocks him unconscious with the butt of his own gun. Maggie nearly beats the marshal to death with his rifle, but she hesitates and then changes her mind after seeing Negan. Tossing the rifle aside, Maggie escapes with Negan into a backroom, where Maggie and Negan encounter Esther who blows out Negan's match.

"Who's There?"

Walkers try to break into the room where Maggie and Negan are hiding, all of their stuff having been stolen by Esther. The two escape through a hole in the celling and follow Esther to where she's climbing an elevator shaft. A walker falls into a pile at the bottom of the shaft and Negan quips to Maggie that "it's just a ball of fun hangin' out with you, ain't it?" Maggie and Negan climb the ladder after Esther who escapes to another building using a zipline, impressing Negan. Much to their surprise, Esther sends the hook back to them and tells Maggie and Negan to follow her. The two zipline across, Maggie narrowly avoiding the walkers overrunning the building. The same music that they heard before suddenly begins playing and Maggie gets stuck near the other end of the zipline, dangling over the walker-infested streets of Manhattan. Maggie makes it the rest of the way across after rejecting Negan's help and they head inside of the building that they've reached.

Maggie and Negan climb in through a window and find Esther in a large room going through their stuff. Although Maggie protests her actions, Negan lets her keep something and Esther offers them some food in trade. Negan asks the old woman to take them to the building where the smoke is coming from, but she protests in Hebrew which Negan guesses translates into "hell freaking no." Negan tells Maggie that they can either go back or see how things play out with Esther, but if they go back, the only thing waiting for them is a herd and a marshal's bullet. Maggie reluctantly concedes, and Esther beckons them to follow her.

Esther leads Maggie and Negan down some stairs where Amaia and Tommaso aim modified nail guns at them, while Esther tries to defuse the situation. Negan immediately disarms himself followed by Maggie reluctantly while Amaia and Tommaso argue about how the old woman keeps bringing back people for them to take in. "I am guessing they are not with the Croat," comments Maggie which Negan sarcastically agrees with. Negan interrupts the argument, acknowledging that they don't know each other and they might not be friendly, but he doubts that Esther has brought them all of this way to get killed.

Tommaso claims that there's thousands of them and they own this city, but Amaia asks what they're after, pointing out that it's pretty obvious that Maggie and Negan aren't from around here. Maggie claims that they were heading up north to a settlement in Canada when their boat washed them ashore in Manhattan during a storm and they're just here to get supplies and get on their way again. However, Amaia doesn't believe Maggie's story and Esther argues with her as Tommaso disarms the two. Tommaso leads Maggie and Negan through the Manhattan Tribespeople's hideout, has Luther search through Maggie's bag and, much to Negan's annoyance, locks them in an old bathroom.

Negan points out that they didn't have much of a choice but to surrender as Amaia's people had guns, meaning that they would've been killed if they fought back. While Maggie thinks that they could've taken them and not been locked up, Negan is sure that they're here because of Maggie's obvious lie, suggesting that they should've told them the truth so that both sides would give a little. Negan acknowledges that right or wrong, these people had their reasons for locking Maggie and Negan up which Negan thinks makes them useful for manpower and information. Maggie points out that Negan was supposed to be the source of information, but so far, he's been pretty tight-lipped about the Croat.

An emotional Negan finally explains that "right around the time that the world turned into shit soup, the Croat showed up at my door so to speak. He had been through... well, let's just say he had been through some really bad shit. Worst shit imaginable. So, I took him in. Kept him from brain painting the walls. Pretty soon he was calling me his brother, Buraz. Said that I made him feel safe. I guess at that point everyone was looking for a little sanctuary from the hellfire we'd all been damned to, I mean we'd lost everything. The thing is, I um, I really thought I was helping him." Maggie guesses that it takes a monster to make one, but Negan corrects her that "you see, I was only a monster when I absolutely had to be. When I had to put on a show to protect my people. Anyway, the... the Croat he had a way of uh... reading people. And then toying with them, and pulling them apart. When a threat needed to be handled, it was a skillset that I found very useful." Maggie realizes that the Croat was Negan's torturer, but Negan admits that "he took it too far. It was um... one of our first skirmishes with the Kingdom, before your time. A person had holed up in a car a couple of miles from the Sanctuary. It seemed to me she was a drifter, nothing to do with us or anything we were up to. So, I gave a direct order: let her walk. The Croat, he... he saw it differently. Thought that the... thought that she had beans to spill. And he was right: she was a... a scout. At least that's what she copped to before uh... before he... She was just a kid. So, after that, I knew that he was a rabid dog that needed to be put down. I had one shot. One. I missed. Blew off his ear, the rest of him got away. I haven't seen or heard from him since. Until now, of course." Maggie realizes that this means that the Croat is going to want to kill Negan which he confirms. Maggie is angry that Negan didn't tell her this before, but Negan points out that he does know how the Croat operates.

Suddenly, Maggie and Negan hear a lot of panicked shouting and Tommaso grabs them, accusing the two of being responsible. Amaia's people are frantically packing up because the Burazi are coming, and Tommaso believes that Maggie and Negan led them to the hideout, wanting to kill them for it. Negan tries to calm the situation down, telling Amaia that they aren't with the Burazi and arguing Tommaso before holding a sharpened pigeon bone to his throat, threatening to kill Tommaso with it before releasing him and reiterating that he and Maggie are here to help them. As vehicles pull up outside, Amaia returns Maggie and Negan's belongings and weapons. Maggie suggests that they should wait if this is the Croat's people, but Negan knows that it's a bad idea if the Burazi have the jump on them.

Several Burazi, armed with makeshift metal spears, enter the hideout and Maggie and Negan quickly hide. A Buraz comes close to finding them, but he heads off after another survivor that runs past instead. Climbing the stairs, the two find one of Amaia's people dead, a Burazi spear through her chest and Amaia's people fighting a few more, the bodies of another of their people and a dead Buraz lying on the ground. Amaia uses her nail gun, which fires a grappling line, to yank out a piece of a Buraz's chest, severely wounding him, while Luther snaps the neck of another Buraz. Stopping Amaia, Maggie finishes off the wounded Buraz herself with a vicious stomp to his neck.

On the roof, the surviving group members prepare to make their escape, but one Buraz takes Esther hostage. As Negan tries to talk the man down, he keeps muttering "doma smo," before suddenly stabbing Esther in the chest, killing her to everyone's horror, before Negan finally subdues the man by slamming him headfirst into a beam. Cradling Esther's body, Tommaso - who up until this point has seemed to only be a hot-headed angry survivor - breaks down crying, before stabbing Esther in the head in order to keep her from reanimating. Negan instructs everyone else to make their escape across the ziplines while he deals with the captured Buraz. However, Maggie follows Negan back inside.

As more Burazi arrive, Negan slams his captive's head through several glass windows, calling out "knock, knock" and holding a knife to the man's throat over the hideout's second floor balcony. Watched by Maggie, Negan makes fun of one of the Burazi before going into one of his taunting speeches. "Knock, knock. Who's there? Butter. Butter who? Well, you butter get out your umbrellas, 'cause it is about to goddamn rain." Negan slits his captive's throat, splashing the people below with his blood, and then brutally disembowels him, shaking more blood over the Burazi. "Now, I don't know if any of you have checked tonight's forecast, but if I see even one mole hair on one of your ugly ass faces, it won't be just a rainstorm. Hell, it won't be a thunderstorm. It'll be a goddamn hurricane!" Negan flings the body over the balcony, dropping him on the Neckbeard Buraz below. Maggie and Negan exchange a look before they flee from the hideout.

In another building, Negan removes the glass from his hand while Amaia and her people mourn their losses, a devastated Tommaso in particular. Amaia and Tommaso thank Maggie and Negan for their help and Tommaso admits that he was lying about there being thousands of them out there. His voice breaking, Tommaso reveals that "those people we lost... that's it. That's our family. We've been going that way a long time." Amaia states that they'd return the favor, but there's no supplies here for Maggie and Negan's trip to Canada: whatever's left has already been taken by somebody else. Tommaso's sure that it doesn't matter and that their boat has already been sunk and you get on the island, but you don't get off because the Burazi and their psycho leader make sure of that. With a look at Negan, Maggie finally admits the truth, that they're in Manhattan because the Croat has her son. "So you wanna get to the psycho? That we can help you with. You know, if you're looking to die." reveals Amaia.

"People Are a Resource"

In a flashback, Ginny, armed with a golf club, makes her way through the woods, only to be surprised by a zombified man who is impaled upon a broken tree branch, appearing to have only recently died and turned. As Ginny backs away from the walker, Negan stabs it in the head, putting it down. Negan furiously tells Ginny that she needs to talk because he has no way of knowing if Ginny needs help if she doesn't yell for him. "All I have been doing for months is trying to find a safe place for you. And you have been sticking to me like goddamn Crazy Glue. I turn my back for half a second and that's when you decide to skedaddle?!" Noticing Ginny's look at the walker, Negan recalls that the man had tried to kill them the night before and he guesses that they aren't the only ones that the man had pissed off. Taking the man's bag, Negan asks Ginny what she's doing out here, and Ginny shows him that she had lost her dino. Negan agrees to retrace their footsteps and find it.

In the present, crouching behind a car with Maggie and Negan, Amaia bangs two sets of antlers together, trying to draw in a nearby deer. As the deer approaches, Tommaso kills it with his modified Nail Gun.

In a store, Negan bangs on a bell, but it doesn't draw in any walkers. Negan notices Luther applying beeswax to himself, but he refuses to let Negan have any and works on stripping the deer of useable meat. Amaia goes over a map of the city with Maggie and Tommaso with the two tribespeople revealing that most of the streets are too dangerous due to walkers and the Croat's traps. Negan asks how long they've been at this, and Amaia explains that they're native New Yorkers, just kids when the Trials began. "The first few weeks were the... the worst. I mean, it spread so fast. Through the subways, the buildings. Bodies coming up from the ground, falling from the sky. We kept waiting for the Army to show up. Shit, anybody. And when they finally got here, we were dumb enough to think that they'd come to save us. And we watched them blow up the bridges, the tunnels, leaving us in this death trap."

Tommaso adds that they were getting it together little by little until the Croat showed up, asking people to join him, offering protection and creature comforts. The Croat wants to keep them "safe" in his paranoid kill or be killed version of it with Maggie and Negan exchanging looks as they recognize this as a twisted version of what Negan and the Saviors did. However, the tribe were never going to agree to that deal, so the Croat now kills them, steals from them and kidnaps and tortures them so that he can learn how to kill and steal some more. Only one of the tribespeople ever got out alive, but that was just luck. A disturbed Maggie goes to check the alley, and Negan reassures an apologetic Amaia that Maggie's tougher than she looks, "and she looks tough as shit." Maggie takes a moment to collect herself privately before heading outside.

From a window overlooking Madison Square Garden which is surrounded by a massive herd, Tommaso informs Maggie and Negan that, "if you wanna get to the Croat, you just gotta get through that. He's been bringing fleshies in from all over the city." A vehicle drives by playing music and drawing more walkers behind it towards the arena, the same thing that Maggie, Negan and Jano had encountered on their first night in Manhattan. Luther says that there's no way inside of the arena and Amaia shoots down Maggie's idea of the sewers as the Army had shoved in all of the walkers that they killed until they got killed themselves and turned into walkers at which point the sewers were sealed up nice and tight.

Negan recalls that one of the tribespeople had broken out of "Alcatraz," meaning that there's a way back in. Tommaso is revealed to be the one who had managed to escape and Amaia suggests that they show Maggie and Negan, but Luther refuses the idea as it has already been refused. Amaia brings up their recent losses, but Tommaso backs Luther up as there's even less of them than when they had first voted on it and Tommaso's not sure that he can go back there again. "I am, um, getting an old feeling of deja vu. 12, 15 years ago there was a... a fella down south. Showed up outta nowhere, a lot like this guy. Everybody flocked to him because he knew what they needed, what they wanted. Protection. Sanctuary. So, he built a badass fortress. Formed an army out of psychopaths. And he forced people to join. And if they didn't, the hammer came down. Now, soon enough, the people they got fed up with him. So, they got together. And they decided it was time to take that hammer back." Amaia and Tommaso listen with interest, as does Maggie who recognizes the story as that of Negan himself, the Saviors, and his defeat by Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom and Oceanside. Tommaso asks what happened and Maggie and Negan reveal that the revolt worked. After a moment, Tommaso agrees to talk to the others, much to Amaia's delight and Luther's displeasure. As the group watches, three vehicles, including a blood-splattered ambulance, drive into the arena.

In the tribe's new base at an abandoned restaurant, Tommaso draws a map and explains that sometimes the door to the arena would open and the Croat would offer him food or medicine in exchange for telling him about the tribe, specifically how many of them were left and where they were hiding. Tommaso knew that the second he talked, he'd be killed so while the door kept opening, "let's just say there was no more food or medicine," and Negan notices scars on Tommaso's back. When Tommaso was a kid, his grandfather talked about working on the crew that rebuilt Penn Station and that while people assumed that the old station was gone, Tommaso's grandfather knew the spots where they had left the framework hiding behind the walls. One night, when the Burazi cleaned out Tommaso's cell of all of the blood they spilt in there, a walker got in. Tommaso ran as fast as he could, found the framework and followed the New York City Subway System out.

However, while the cells are close, Negan knows that after Tommaso's escape, the Croat would've moved his prisoners as it's what Negan would've done. Maggie admits that Negan and the Croat know each other and they go way back, and Negan knows how the Croat thinks. While they were friends, Negan took a shot at him and blew the Croat's ear off. "He can bait him. Lure him out of the arena. Then we get him to tell me where my son is, and we kill him," declares Maggie. Amaia agrees that the rest of them will get a jump on the Burazi so that the Croat can't follow Maggie, but Luther questions how Negan is going to bait the Croat after blowing his ear off. Negan points out that the Croat will likely want revenge on him for doing it and Maggie insists that it will work, but Luther is doubtful, going so far as to harshly tell Maggie that her son is already dead and he thinks that she knows that. Negan interrupts the argument and a distressed Maggie walks away.

Maggie looks through a box of old photos of her family, Otis and Patricia, a picture of herself and a baby Hershel, an old watch, and a drawing of Glenn. Negan approaches and offers her a Yankees hat that he had found for Hershel, remembering that Hershel had used to wear one a lot like it. Noticing how upset she is, Negan reassures Maggie that Luther is wrong, and her plan is going to work, offering to talk about it or listen if Maggie needs someone to talk to. "When the Croat showed up at our gates... I told Hershel... to get in the root cellar. I tried to make him hide. By then, I could've said left and he'd go right just to spite me. And he went and grabbed a shovel and a brick like that was gonna do anything. And I told him he was stupid. And he told me to get off his damn back for once. That is the last thing that we said to each other. And I screwed up so many ways before then, fumbling through doing it by ourselves. There weren't a lot of people that meant anything to me in this world, but there were enough. And whatever's left of all of them is inside this box," a tearful Maggie admits.

In turn, Negan emotionally reveals to a sympathetic Maggie that "a few years ago, Joshua, Annie and I, we were living in this little cabin outside of New Babylon. One day, Annie decided to go into town to do some trading. When she wasn't home at nightfall, I uh... I knew something had gone wrong. I went looking for her, I found her. And she had been uh... she had been... she'd been robbed, and beaten and, uh... She begged me not to do something stupid, but hell, you know me. I found 'em. All five of 'em, in some shit drinking hole. Honestly, I don't think I even wanted to kill 'em. After that, we were on the run, and it was very hard for Annie. So, I put 'em on a wagon train to Missouri and I said I'd be right behind 'em. I stayed. I think about them every single day. I hope to God they are okay, and maybe I have no right in hoping that. I don't know, Maggie. I mean, what else do we have besides hope?" Joking that she thought that Negan knew how to shut up, Maggie takes his gift of the hat for Hershel.

In a flashback, an annoyed Negan tells Ginny that they can't keep searching for the dinosaur toy which they have been doing all day. Negan has to find a better place for the young girl, and she has to speak. Negan wants Ginny to respond to him when he calls out for her and to let Negan know when she's in trouble. Ginny just shakes her head when Negan asks if she's listening to him, angering Negan who tells the young girl that while back in the day she could see a doctor who could help her get through all of the horrible shit that Ginny has been through, but that's no longer the case so Ginny has to skip all of the coping part and get straight to the staying alive part. Realizing that he's been too harsh after seeing Ginny crying, Negan admits that the problem is that they don't have any leads, or maybe they're all around them and Negan and Ginny just can't see them.

The tribe sits down to dinner, enacting a ritual of laying down various items including Esther's necklace, items belonging to lost loved ones, and humming in remembrance. After a moment, Maggie holds the drawing of Glenn and joins in the ritual.

In the restaurant kitchen, Negan goes through the various pots and pans and utensils before picking up a cheese grater. Luther approaches Negan who explains that he was looking for any weapons that he could pick up for the next day. Negan knows that Luther doesn't like him, but Luther just needs to know that they're on the same side and this plan is going to work. However, Luther tells Negan that he and Maggie are leaving here tonight and pulls out Negan's Wanted poster, having found it amongst Negan's stuff where Negan had kept it after getting the poster from Maggie at the motel. As Negan has people depending on him, he refuses Luther's demand to leave. Stating that people are depending on him as well, Luther also refuses to back down. The two get into a fight with Luther nearly crushing Negan with a bear hug before Negan runs the cheese grater across his forehead. Releasing Negan, Luther stumbles backwards, trips, and accidentally impales the back of his head on a pipe. Kneeling down, Negan pushes Luther's head the rest of the way down onto the pipe, killing him.

In a flashback, Negan realizes that the toy was stolen by the man who had attacked them, and he finds it in the man's bag and returns it to Ginny, wrapping a bandage around a hole in the toy. Negan teaches Ginny a whistle that his wife Lucille had used when she was sick and couldn't get out of bed which would bring Negan running no matter what he was doing or where he was. After Ginny is able to do the whistle, Negan promises that if she does it when he's not around, Negan will come. "Talk is cheap anyway, kid. Believe me, I oughta know. It doesn't matter what people say. It only matters what they do." Negan and Ginny hug each other.

In the present, secretly observed by Ginny, Maggie prepares to burn the dinosaur toy in an old trash barrel while Negan walks away from Luther's body. However, staring at her burning match, Maggie hesitates to actually go through with it and holds the match indecisively.

"Everybody Wins a Prize"

In a flashback, Negan sits at a table full of food in the Sanctuary, Lucille sitting in a nearby chair. Negan sketches what appears to be plans for the Sanctuary's walker fence, before being interrupted by Simon with the news that they have a problem. Simon leads Negan, carrying Lucille, to a cell, telling his boss that he'd "told him to kibosh that shit. Said you gave the order, but you know he don't listen to me." While Simon isn't going to say I told you so, a lot of people are saying that it's time to reign the Croat in, suggesting that Negan invest more authority in someone like himself.

The Croat leads Negan and Simon into the cell, telling them that the girl confessed that she was sent by the King, just like he thought. Simon reminds the Croat that Negan had given a direct order to let the girl go, but the Croat states that his process takes time, reminding Simon that he'd determined the location of the hidden arms cache at the Hilltop. Simon is sure that he would've found it eventually and Simon argues with the Croat as Negan looks in horror at the Kingdom scout - just a young girl - who has been brutally tortured to death by the Croat and then stabbed in the head in order to keep her from reanimating. Simon calls the Croat "a Slavic, psychopathic, nut job" and - despite his own hypocrisy in the matter - angrily confronts the other Savior over harming kids which is a line that they don't cross. The Croat appeals to Negan for understanding as they had to be sure.

In the present, Negan is visibly distracted by his memories of the Croat and exchanges a look with Maggie as they prepare for the upcoming attack. Amaia arrives with the news that she has looked everywhere, but she can't find Luther. Tommaso asks if Luther just took off with Rizza noting that she had passed him on her way in the night before. Amaia asks if there was anyone outside the night before who might've seen Luther leave, but Maggie remains silent and two other tribespeople are surprised by the fact that Luther is still missing and ask where he would go. Amaia tells them that she's not saying that Luther went anywhere, she's just trying to figure out what had happened to him. Negan finds it hard to believe that someone like Luther would just be hiding somewhere and reminds her that Luther wasn't very keen on their plan which Tommaso agrees with. Tommaso asks how long they're going to wait as every hour gives the Croat more time to figure out what they're up to, reassuring his girlfriend that Luther can handle himself and, when he gets back and sees what they've accomplished, Luther will be apologizing to Amaia for his doubts. Relieved, Amaia shares a kiss with Tommaso.

Maggie follows Negan into another room where he practices with one of the tribe's modified Nail Guns, but experiences pain from his hand wound which was reopened during Negan's fight with Luther. Negan brushes off Maggie's visible concern for him and continues packing while Maggie becomes upset at the sound of one of the tribespeople playing a harmonica. Negan admits that he's not ready and that it's not because the Croat wants him dead, pointing out that a lot of other people have wanted him dead too. "The closer we get to the Croat... it just begins to feel a bit too goddamn familiar. Like if he starts talkin', it won't be him at all. It's gonna be the echo of some song that I don't wanna hear no more." In turn, Maggie reveals that when Hershel was a baby, there was a man living above them who decided that it was a good time to learn the harmonica while Hershel was having trouble sleeping. When the man still wouldn't stop after Maggie asked him to, she stole the harmonica while he was on a hunting expedition and buried it in the ground. An impressed Negan jokes that Maggie must've lost a couple of Girl Scout badges for that while she guesses that Negan would've buried it somewhere way worse which he silently acknowledges. Negan asks if Maggie has seen his matches, but Maggie lies that she hasn't before she leaves.

After a small herd passes by a subway entrance, Maggie, Negan and the tribespeople emerge from a nearby doorway. A disgusted Maggie notices something bubbling up out of a nearby sewer grate and Tommaso explains that it's methane from the sewers. The group enters the subway with Ginny, watching unnoticed from a nearby storefront, following them inside.

Passing through a subway tunnel, the group finds it filled with corpses, some of which are walkers so decomposed that they can't even move anymore and their ribcages are visible. The group carefully picks their way through the corpses, arriving at Penn Station. Exploring the station, Maggie finds one of the Croat's cells with streaks of blood on the floor outside and a teenager resembling Hershel tied to a chair, his throat slit. Lifting the teenager's head, Negan discovers him to be a walker, but he isn't Hershel, much to Maggie's relief. Negan stabs the boy in the head, putting him down, and he and Maggie leave the room.

In the hallway, Amaia outlines their plan for the tribe to wait for a bit so that they aren't discovered while Maggie steals a car and Negan lures the Croat down to the garage so that they can lead the Croat halfway across the city and get him alone. Once they do that, the tribespeople will start killing the Burazi. "You get your kid. We kill the psycho. Everybody wins a prize," concludes Amaia. Tommaso wonders how they'll know if things go sideways for Maggie and Negan and Negan admits that they won't. Amaia orders the two not to screw it up, and the tribespeople leave. Pulling out Negan's matches, Maggie asks if he has figured out how to bait the Croat yet, and Negan states that he has a thought or two and Negan feels good about this. Negan is sure that their plan is going to work and that they're going to get Hershel back. Maggie decides to tell Negan the truth about finding Ginny's dinosaur, but she notices Luther's beeswax in his bag as she goes to return the matches and Maggie realizes what Negan did to Luther. Negan offers to explain, but Maggie is uninterested in hearing it and she leads Negan away.

In a control center for the arena, the Croat powers up the systems and checks with a young Buraz that she knows how to operate it, giving her instructions just to be sure. The Croat notices that the Buraz seems nervous and realizes that she's afraid of him despite the young woman's claims that she's not. The Croat recalls the day that she joined the Burazi, hiding in a fire station with a group of barbarians and how she was smart enough to lay down her weapon. The Croat states that it's been a joy watching her blossom over the past few years into a strong, faithful, confident protector. She has made the Croat incredibly proud, and she should have no reason to ever be afraid of him. The Croat gives her some candy before they both notice the sound of a whistle echoing through the halls - the distinctive whistle that was used by Negan and the Saviors. With the sound repeating itself, the Croat grabs his jacket and runs off while the Buraz inserts a disc into the player and starts a 5 minute countdown. The Croat excitedly runs off, following the whistle that he realizes is from Negan.

In the garage, Maggie sneaks into an old taxicab and begins trying to hotwire it before she finds the keys in the ignition. Before Maggie can start the car, she hears a noise, and she spots Ginny nearby. After exchanging a look with Maggie, the girl runs off and Maggie follows her. With just three and a half minutes left on the timer, someone lights a fuse. The tribespeople enter the main area of the arena which is empty while the Croat's search for Negan leads him to the garage where Negan hides behind a truck before moving amongst the vehicles to the cab. The Croat begins imitating Negan's whistle in an effort to draw him out, but Negan notices Maggie's screwdriver on the cab's passenger seat. As the timer reaches 1 minute, Maggie finally catches up to Ginny in the main area of the arena where Amaia informs her that the Burazi aren't here. As Negan climbs into the cab and picks up the tool, the Croat continues to try and draw him out while more Burazi rush in behind him.

The timer reaches 0 and all of the arena's entertainment systems turn on, broadcasting music through the main area. The fuse burns to the end in what's revealed to be a barrel fuel set in one of the arena's doorways. Explosions rock the outside of the arena as the doors are blown open, letting in the herd. The Burazi climb into various vehicles and begin making their escape as their trap is sprung on the tribespeople. Negan gets out of the car just in time as one of the Buraz takes the cab for himself. Drawn by the music, walkers flood the main area of the arena from all directions, trapping the tribespeople. The strobe lights turn on as the tribespeople get cornered by the massive herd against the ring. The Croat orders the cab driver to go on without him and has two more Burazi stay with him. When the cab drives away, Negan is gone from behind it, taking cover in the room full of tanks containing dead bodies.

In the main area, Maggie and the tribespeople desperately fight the herd but, severely outnumbered, they are quickly overwhelmed, and the tribespeople fall to the walkers one by one. Much to Maggie and Amaia's horror, Tommaso eventually gets grabbed by a group of walkers and carried away to his apparent death. Once the rest of the Burazi have cleared out, the Croat orders his two remaining men to search for Negan and grabs one of the tribespeople's modified nail guns. Negan takes the opportunity to run which is noticed by the Croat who excitedly chases after him. As the fight continues, Maggie is consumed with flashbacks of Hershel calling out to her for help as the Croat drags him away and she notices that one of the exits is nearly clear of walkers and that Ginny is trapped in the ring in the center of the arena. Rather than escaping and leaving Ginny behind, Maggie leads Amaia and Rizza - the only other survivors - inside of the ring where they barricade themselves in. Maggie and Ginny exchange a look while Negan runs up a stairwell, pausing only briefly to look at his former friend when the Croat calls out to him.

In the ring, Maggie and the others stab the walkers through the chain link fence, but there are far too many for them to take out, even from within cover. Maggie has everyone grab the ring's rubber supports as makeshift shields while the Croat splits up with his men after spotting Negan entering another stairwell after reaching a higher floor. Maggie's group uses their makeshift shields to force their way through the herd towards the exit that Maggie had spotted earlier, but Rizza gets grabbed and devoured by walkers on the way with the others being forced to press on, unable to help her. Amaia nearly suffers the same fate, but she is unexpectedly saved by Tommaso who had somehow managed to fight off the walkers and escape. With too many walkers between them and the no longer clear exit, Tommaso instead leads everyone into the tunnels beneath the arena where they eventually find an unlocked door, but they find themselves caught in a dead end with no other way out of the room as walkers start to bang on the door.

The Croat's search for Negan leads him onto a catwalk over the main area of the arena where he observes the carnage below him with amusement. The Croat calls out that there's nothing for Negan to be afraid of as he's safe and it's only him. Hearing a noise, the Croat turns around to find Negan, also armed with a modified nail gun, standing on a lower catwalk. The Croat delightedly greet his "brother" and notes Negan's new weapon of choice, but Negan doesn't respond to him. The Croat recalls hearing about what had happened at the bank which he knew sounded like Negan's handiwork. The Croat also knows that Negan had assumed that he wanted revenge on Negan for blowing off his ear and found common cause with his new friends, but the Croat actually doesn't care, telling Negan that he has another ear. The Croat asks about Lucille and Negan, speaking to his former friend for the first time since they had parted ways, admits that the bat is gone and the Croat correctly guesses that she broke from too many hits to people's heads.

"No, I... I understand. I saw Jerome on the mainland. He told me about the war with the Hilltop, the Kingdom... Alexandria. I should've been there. I can only imagine the damage Simon caused. He never listened... never really listened to you. It's okay. It's okay you lost the Sanctuary, 'cause I have built a new one! And we'll keep going. We'll build something bigger, stronger! The whole island will become our sanctuary, fueled by the death in its bowels. Okay, business first, then pleasure. I know who you want. He's here with me, now." Negan asks to see him, and the Burazi bring out the captive Perlie Armstrong.

The Croat believes that Negan wants the marshal who has been pursuing him so doggedly, but Negan clarifies that he actually wants Hershel. The Croat already knows because Perlie told him, and he asks what Maggie has promised Negan to get him to help her. Negan simply reiterates his demand for Hershel, but the Croat tells him that it will be difficult and require a conversation and asks Negan to come to him to talk, but Negan just stands his ground instead. Understanding that Negan doesn't trust him, the Croat decides to make a gesture to show him that the Croat only comes in the spirit of friendship and brotherly love. On the Croat's signal, the three men fling Perlie off of the catwalk, but he manages to grab onto the one that Negan is standing on. Much to the Croat's shock, Negan begins pulling Perlie up instead of letting him die. The Croat sends his two men after Negan and Perlie and he shoots the marshal in the leg with his weapon and tries to pull him up with it, but Perlie manages to rip the hook out of his flesh. Pulling Perlie up, Negan flees with the marshal as the Croat watches on in shock that Negan would save the other man's life rather than kill him.

Having managed to escape from the overrun arena through the subway, Negan and Perlie make their way into an abandoned shoe store near the station exit that they used. As Negan checks outside, Perlie grabs his weapon and recites the New Babylon Federation's judicial code about murder which authorizes him to summarily execute Negan for his actions. Annoyed at the marshal's actions in the aftermath of Negan saving his life, Negan raises his hands and tells Perlie that "you're a dick."

"Stories We Tell Ourselves"

Maggie experiences a flashback of Negan killing Glenn. In addition, its revealed in flashbacks that Maggie had lied to Negan about the Croat stealing all of the Bricks' grain and that the Croat had given Negan's Wanted poster to Maggie when he had kidnapped Hershel, demanding Negan in exchange for her son back.

Negan and Perlie make their way through the city with Perlie keeping Negan at the point of his modified Nail Gun. Taking shelter in an abandoned souvenir store as walkers pass by, Negan warns the marshal that his boat has already been sunk by the Croat who has the entire island on lockdown. Negan reminds Perlie that he had saved his life, but Perlie claims that it had nothing to do with him and everything to do with Negan and Maggie, although Negan states that Maggie isn't his friend. Perlie tells Negan that saving his life doesn't bring back the magistrate and the four other men with him that Negan had killed. "Those assholes, they damn near killed my wife. If you had seen what she looked like when I found her, well, I guarantee you'd done the same," Negan states. Perlie is visibly surprised by this, apparently having been unaware of what had happened to Negan's wife. Drawing his knife, Negan prepares to leave through the front door, but Perlie takes his knife and forces Negan to leave with him through the back.

Continuing through the city, Perlie reveals that they are going to Chelsea Piers, but Negan reminds him that the boats are all sunk. Handing Negan a brochure for Chelsea Piers, the marshal explains that they just need a dock because they float, and all the two men need to do is disconnect it. An impressed Negan realizes that Perlie is actually from New York City and Perlie admits that he's from the Bronx. Perlie explains that had worked for the state doing drift collection boats, picking up debris and keeping the rivers clean. In turn, Negan reveals that he had been a gym teacher before the world ended.

With a herd approaching from both directions down the street, the two men quickly move across the street and through the fence with the herd following after them, only to have more walkers emerge from all directions to corner them. Negan and Perlie manage to make it inside of a building through a barricaded window and find a disturbing effigy inside. The two guess that it was made by either an avant-garde artist from before or someone who had lost their mind afterwards and they search for a way out that's not blocked by walkers.

Passing a torn-apart racoon, Negan and Perlie find a corpse tied to a chair with an empty bottle of alcohol next to it and an axe in its head that had been rigged up as a form of suicide. Realizing that the corpse is that of the artist, Negan comments that Perlie was right and that it was definitely an after situation. Perlie experiences a flashback to finding Joel's corpse in his apartment after his brother's own suicide while a walker moves past the still open door, noticed by Negan.

Continuing on, Negan grabs the walkers and shoves it into Perlie before making his escape. Perlie manages to bash the walker's head in while Negan reaches a stairwell with a door boarded up at the bottom marked "DO NOT OPEN. DEAD OUTSIDE." As Negan struggles to open it, Perlie suddenly rips off the boards with his nail gun, revealing the street outside to be clear, but collapsing from the exertion on his injured leg. Rather than continuing with his escape, Negan stops as he doesn't like to leave people behind to die no matter how big of an asshole that they can be. Negan offers to help Perlie in exchange for him giving up on dragging Negan back to New Babylon, but Perlie refuses the deal. Negan asks if Perlie thinks that he knows him, guaranteeing Perlie that he doesn't and asking why he's doing this. Even though Perlie refuses to answer him, Negan decides to help the marshal regardless and helps him limp outside.

Negan leads Perlie to an old school bus where he retrieves the bus's First Aid kit in order to treat Perlie's wound. Perlie is surprised that Negan had known about the First Aid kit before he remembers that Negan had used to be a gym teacher. Perlie questions why Negan is helping him, and Negan claims that it's because Perlie's death would probably be pinned on him, and Negan would be wanted twice as bad with someone much worse than Perlie coming after him as Perlie's replacement. As they settle in for the night, Perlie takes out Joel's letter and opens up to Negan, telling him that "my brother. His name was Joel. We were close. Even though I annoyed the ever-living Hell out of him. Would've followed Joel anywhere. So, when he got that job on the docks, I got one too. He was funny. Had this, uh, charisma. But he was restless, too. Got into fights, in and out of jail, had problems we just couldn't see. One night my folks caught him breaking in, lookin' to steal from them. He attacked my mother. So high he didn't know what he was doing. They were too scared to do anything about it. Maybe they hoped it would go away. So, it fell on me, which left me... angry. He was my big brother. He let me down, abandoned me. So, I guess I wanted to abandon him right back. This was the last time I ever heard from Joel. Couldn't bring myself to open it. Three years later the city fell apart. Mom and Dad and I got out just in time, but... it happened so fast, I didn't think... He was left to die all alone, in the worst possible place on the planet. Is that what he deserved? Is it really so black and white? You'd asked me back then, I would've said yes. But now? I don't know. Is it gray? Is it something else? Tranquilitas Ordinis. What if it's just stories we tell ourselves to sleep easier?"

Running into the middle of the street, Ginny fires a Flare Gun into the air which is seen by both Negan and Maggie.

"Doma Smo"

After spotting the flare, Negan and Perlie search a parking lot for Maggie, believing that she had been the one to fire the flare. Ginny draws their attention using the whistle that Negan had taught her, shocking Negan who happily greets the young girl and demands to know how she got to Manhattan. Maggie joins the group looking for Ginny, and she admits that Ginny had turned up at the arena just before the walkers came, guessing that Ginny had just wanted to be with him. A herd begins to approach, drawn by the flare, and Negan insists that Ginny can't be here as he can't protect the young girl and help Maggie at the same time, angrily reminding Ginny that the plan was for him and Maggie to come to Manhattan to get Hershel while Ginny stays safe with Maggie's people. Perlie offers to take Ginny where she needs to go while Negan stays with Maggie to rescue Hershel. Ginny holds on to Negan who tells her to go with Perlie who is good people and can keep her safe. Ginny continues to refuse, so Negan tells her that he can't go with her, and she can't and doesn't want to stay with him. Ginny doesn't know him, and Negan is not who she thinks he is. Speaking for the first time since her father died, Ginny tells Negan "I... want you to...", but Negan interrupts her, annoyed that after months of silence, Ginny finally wants to talk now.

With Ginny refusing to relent, Negan finally admits to Ginny, much to everyone's shock, that "I killed your dad. I'm not wanted for robbing a wagon train. I killed five men. And your daddy, he was one of them. It's why I tracked you down to the farm. Why I let you tag along, 'cause I knew you had no one. You? You're just a debt that I had to pay. That's it." Heartbroken by the revelation and Negan's harsh words, Ginny leaves with Perlie. Once Ginny's gone, Negan becomes visibly upset by what he had to do in order to get Ginny to leave, leaving Maggie visibly sympathetic with him. As the herd approaches, the two quickly leave the parking lot.

Early the next morning, Negan and Maggie stake out the now-abandoned entrance to Madison Square Garden from the building where Amaia, Tommaso and Luther had previously shown it to them, looking for any sign of the Croat returning to his former base. Noticing how tired and upset Negan is, Maggie offers to keep watch while he sleeps, but Negan refuses her offer. Maggie sympathetically acknowledges that what Negan did with Ginny couldn't have been easy, and wonders if the plan with Perlie is going to work. Negan notes that Perlie had been surprisingly glad to see him, calling it all water under the bridge. While their reunion didn't go off without a hitch, with all of their history and "that brotherly bullshit," Negan thinks that he and the marshal can work something out.

In turn, Maggie shares a story with Negan about how, after her mother got sick, she would tell Maggie stories at night about the real Santa Claus who would sometimes come down from the North Pole to the Macy's store in Manhattan to visit all of the kids. Maggie used to daydream that she'd one day visit Macy's and become best friends with the real Santa who would take all of Maggie's lost or broken toys and find a way to replace them. Pointing out of the window, Maggie sadly notes that Macy's is right across the street from them. Suddenly, the Croat's car drives past Macy's and Maggie and Negan rush to the roof of the building to better follow him. The car heads for a plume of smoke on the horizon - the same one that Maggie had tracked from across the river as a possible clue to the Croat's location and that Esther had warned them against going to.

Maggie and Negan follow the smoke to the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal where the Croat's car is parked. As they head inside, Negan begins to become suspicious that everything is too easy and he asks if Maggie knows what Ginny had been trying to tell him, but Maggie lies that she doesn't. Negan realizes that it's a trap just before Maggie draws a knife and they engage in a brief fight before Negan runs off. Maggie chases Negan outside where he puts down a few walkers and makes his way out onto a series of beams over the walker-infested docks. The two fight with Maggie stabbing Negan in the shoulder and Negan kicking Maggie onto a container below. Negan disarms Maggie of one of her knives and holds it to her throat, forcing her to drop the other one before disarming himself.

"Here's what I'm thinking. The Croat never took your grain, just your kid. For collateral, sure, but he wasn't ever coming back for no harvest. He wanted me. And for what? Who the hell knows. But whatever that crazy son of a bitch wants with me, I sure as shit ain't gonna like it. You and I both know that much. The shit thing is Maggie, we could've done it. We could have saved Hershel. Because you and I together, we make one hell of a badass team. But you know that, don't you? Maybe some part of you always wanted it to end this way. The fact is, Maggie, it doesn't matter what excuses I give you, or how many apologies I offer, you can't get over it. And you shouldn't," Negan tells her. The Croat arrives with several Burazi and Maggie holds a knife to Negan's throat.

In the back of an old ambulance, as Maggie continues to hold Negan at knife point, the Croat explains that he had first gone to look for Negan at the Sanctuary, only to find it to be a long-abandoned husk which the Croat calls depressing. After searching up and down the mainland for months, the Croat had learned that Negan was wanted by the New Babylon Federation for murdering four men and a magistrate. The Croat then found Jerome whom the Croat implies that he had tortured for information. Jerome told the Croat the story of the Widow - what the Saviors had called Maggie during the war - and the Croat thought that Maggie could help as she was strong, smart and had vulnerabilities that could be exploited. While Maggie had needed a little push, she had her own incentives in the form of revenge upon Negan for her husband's murder. The Croat admits that he had never expected Maggie to pull it off, but she found Negan and brought him home. "Doma smo, eh? You know, for a moment when I saw you on the catwalk, all alone, I thought to myself, lucky me. I get to have Negan and the child." Maggie and Negan are both visibly alarmed by this, but the Croat reassures them that Negan is enough. Maggie continues to look upset as she realizes just what she's leaving Negan to after all that they've gone through together.

The group arrives at the Security One Bank where the Croat has been keeping Hershel locked up in the vault. Negan asks Maggie to look after Ginny for him as the Burazi bring Hershel out who is shocked to see his mother holding a knife to Negan's throat. Maggie and the Croat trade Negan for Hershel with Negan telling the boy that it's good to see him as Negan walks by. Maggie embraces her son for the first time since he was kidnapped, but Hershel barely responds to her.

In Maggie's truck, Hershel brushes off his mother's attempts to talk about his ordeal, stating that all he ever does back home is to wait for the next bad thing to happen and, if anything, Hershel felt safer in Manhattan. The two fight about Hershel's refusal to eat, and Hershel finds the hat that Negan had gotten for him. Maggie tells him that it was a gift and it's like the one that he used to wear, but Hershel just thanks her sarcastically for getting him a souvenir for being kidnapped. Maggie tells Hershel that she's glad to have him back, but Maggie's son accuses her of caring more about revenge. Over Maggie's objections that she came for him and that it's not true, Hershel tells his mother that "it's like you're obsessed with him. With Negan. With what he did. Getting him back. You've always... And I'm right here. But you don't see me. It's like my whole life you've been looking over my shoulder, watching for him, waiting for him. But you never see me. Whatever. It doesn't matter." Maggie finally realizes that her obsession with and anger at Negan has consumed and controlled her to the point that it's badly affected her relationship with Hershel which is something that Maggie had once told Negan that she never wanted to end up happening: allowing her rage at Negan to continue to control her and for her son to see it. As Hershel turns his head away in order to hide his tears, Maggie looks across the water at the badly damaged Statue of Liberty before she drives off.

In the back of the ambulance at night, the Croat fondly recalls the Saviors' second visit to the River People after they refused to comply with Negan's demands from their first visit. Negan had marched right up to their leader with Lucille before offering that bat to the Croat who had only just arrived at the Sanctuary, broken from the brutal loss of his family. Negan saw something in the Croat and what he could become, and he allowed the Croat to have a crack at it. Not knowing what he was doing, the Croat had missed the first time and then hit the man with far too much force the second time to the point that the Croat was lucky that the man was still breathing. However, Negan didn't get upset with him and took his time with the patience to show him how to do it right. Once the man's head was destroyed, the Croat saw what Negan told him that he'd see from the crowd: complete and total submission. "We were untouchable. No one could ever take anything from us again." Negan admits that he remembers that and that it was beautiful when the Croat asks. The Croat admits that it took him years to finally understand what had happened between them and that he shouldn't have killed the girl. Negan told him not to do it and the Croat disobeyed him, causing the Croat to become the threat that needed to be handled. The Croat promises Negan that that will never happen again.

At the King Francis Theater, where a number of people are laying passed out around the auditorium, the Croat tells Negan that his battles with the Manhattan Tribespeople were just practice for the war to come. Once the Burazi have full control of the island, the Dama says that a clash of civilizations is inevitable. After the Croat had told the Dama about all of the good that Negan had done and the people that Negan had saved and protected, the Dama had said that Negan is the missing piece. The Croat is excited to introduce Negan and the Dama, comparing it to Mommy and Daddy coming together. However, rather than allowing the Croat to stick around, the Dama dismisses him in order to talk to Negan alone, much to his disappointment.

The Dama offers Negan a drink, telling Negan that she's pleased to finally meet him and to discover that Negan is actually real and not the product of the Croat's insanity. Having heard of Negan's performance at the tribal hideout, the Dama is impressed by Negan's taunting, joking and the extra but absolutely necessary pinch of gruesomeness that created a lot of shock and awe. Negan refuses the drink, and the Dama pulls Perlie's badge out of her purse. The Dama explains that she's worried about the forces behind the marshals coming after the island's natural resources like a pack of hyenas. "The island needs leadership. Now more than ever. Someone with confidence, fearlessness, charisma, that special, shall we say, political talent. For what is politics if not performance?" Realizing that the Dama means him, Negan questions why he would help her. The Dama reveals that there are other settlements as far north as Harlem and, if they can unite all of the settlements under one rule, they will be indomitable, and it can all be Negan's again.

The Dama offers him the keys to the kingdom, but wonders how she can be sure, pointing out that Negan might not be the man that he used to be and maybe he never was which Negan acknowledges. The Dama presents Negan with a small box containing a severed pinky toe. At the Bricks, Hershel, who is missing his right pinky toe, plays his guitar as the Dama explains to Negan that she had a lot of talks with Hershel who told the Dama the story of the man who had murdered his father, not just in front of his mother, but an unborn Hershel as well. The Dama could sense in the rest of Hershel's story what Hershel himself couldn't, that his father's killer might feel remorseful and responsible for the boy whose family he destroyed. Maggie goes through Hershel's drawings which include images of Manhattan, the vault that he was imprisoned in and the Dama. Hershel had only told the Dama this story once he felt safe with her, and here Negan is, having come all of this way to save him. The Dama eventually let Hershel go in exchange for Negan, but she kept a little piece of him "and I can always go back for more. Make it last. We have a lot to discuss. A lot to plan for." Negan finally takes the drink that the Dama had offered him, and Maggie and Negan get the same look on their face at the realization of the threat that the Dama poses to Hershel and the lengths that she's willing to go to.

Season 2[]

Content

Negan will appear in this season.

Killed Victims[]

This list shows the victims Negan has killed:

Relationships[]

For a more in-depth look at Negan's relationships, read here; Negan Smith (TV Universe)/Relationships

Allies

Enemies


Appearances[]

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7 👁
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11 👁 👁
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6
Season 1
Season 2
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Torn Apart
Cold Storage
The Oath
Flight 462
Passage
Red Machete 👁
The Althea Tapes
Dead in the Water
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Gallery[]

For more images of Negan Smith, please visit Negan Smith (TV Universe)/Gallery.

Trivia[]

  • Negan is the fourth major recurring primary antagonist in the TV Series, the first being Shane Walsh, the second being Philip Blake, the third being Gareth, the fifth being Alpha, the sixth being Lance Hornsby, and the seventh being Pamela Milton.
    • Negan has the most appearances in the TV Series, appearing in more than 50 episodes alive (including the dream sequence in "Honor" and the hallucination sequence in "What We Become"), out of the other major recurring primary antagonists.
    • Negan is the first major recurring primary antagonist to appear in more than five and a half seasons, making him the longest major recurring primary antagonist on The Walking Dead.
    • Negan holds the longest lifespan of any antagonist in the series, lasting more than 75 episodes.
    • Negan is the first major recurring primary antagonist to interact with another major recurring primary antagonist; Dee.
    • Negan is the only major recurring primary antagonist to kill another major recurring primary antagonist; Dee.
    • Negan is the only major recurring primary antagonist to renounce his antagonistic ways.
    • Negan is one of four antagonists to survive the TV Series, the others being Eugene Porter, Pamela Milton, and Vickers.
  • The casting call for this character used the name Orin.
    • Negan was described as "30s to Mid 40s. 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."
    • The name is likely a reference to the character, Orin, from Little Shop of Horrors, who is also a sociopathic sadist who wears a leather jacket.
  • Henry Rollins, who partially inspired the character's design, auditioned for the role. However it was ultimately handed down to Jeffrey Dean Morgan instead.[7]
    • Matthew Lillard revealed that he auditioned for the role and was one of the final candidates, before Morgan was cast. Other actors who auditioned include Ritchie Coster, Garret Dillahunt, Timothy Olyphant, Jon Hamm and Matt Dillon.
  • Negan was originally called Nagus by Robert 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".
  • Just like his comic counterpart, 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.[8]
  • 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 because, that's who he 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 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'.[9]
  • Negan possesses the largest kill count out of any character on The Walking Dead, with a total of at least 230 victims.
    • Negan possesses 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.
    • In November 2020, it was confirmed that an episode of Season 10 would be titles "Here's Negan", thus confirming the adaption.
  • 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 is the only character introduced in Season 6 confirmed to be alive.
  • Negan is one of only four named former Saviors confirmed to be alive, the others being Eugene Porter, Gracie and The Croat.
  • Negan's imprisonment by Rick bares many similarities to the Crazed Man, the leader of a group of bandits and rapists who took over Terminus and tortured the residents there though he, like Negan, was eventually defeated and imprisoned as punishment for the atrocities he committed.
    • Ironically, the Crazed Man was even mistaken by many fans to actually be Negan during his brief appearance in "No Sanctuary".
  • Negan has officially killed more main characters than any other antagonist both directly and caused. He is responsible for the deaths of 5 main characters: Abraham Ford, Glenn Rhee, Spencer Monroe, Simon, and Alpha.
    • Negan is also the first main antagonist to kill more than one main character in one episode (Abraham Ford and Glenn Rhee), with the second being Dee.
  • Negan was revealed as a playable guest character in the video game Tekken 7, produced by Namco, during EVO 2018. He is part of the season two pass of DLC content for the game.[10]
    • Negan also has his own stage in the game, titled "Last Day on Earth" based off the first appearance of Negan in the TV show.
    • Negan's reveal trailer mirrors a scene where Negan bangs at the Alexandria Safe-Zone's gates in the Season 7 episode "Service" and demands to be let in. It also features one of his quotes from his debut scene in Season 6's "Last Day on Earth".
    • Negan is also a playable character in other media such as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile, Magic: The Gathering, and Brawlhalla.
  • He is one of eleven known characters to have seen Beta's face.
  • Negan is mentioned by name in the Fear the Walking Dead episodes "Honey", "J.D.", and "All I See Is Red".
  • In "Here's Negan", his surname is confirmed to be Smith.
  • As revealed in Season 11, Negan continues to hang onto his old Whisperer mask for what he claims is sentimental reasons. Negan put it to good use as seen in "Promises Broken", "For Blood" and "Lockdown" where he uses it against both the Reapers and the Commonwealth Army.
  • Because of the announcement of Dead City prior to the show ending, Negan was one of three characters confirmed to survive the events of The Walking Dead, the other two being Maggie Rhee and Daryl Dixon.
  • Negan is the character with the most romantic and/or sexual relationships on the show, with a total of ten.
  • Negan is one of twelve characters to survive the TV Series who also survive in the Comic Series, the others being Maggie Rhee, Michonne Grimes, Eugene Porter, Aaron, Hershel Rhee, Magna, Yumiko Okumura, Lydia, Juanita Sanchez, Michael Mercer, and Pamela Milton.
  • Negan is one of four main characters in Season 11 who appears in all eight episodes of part three. The others three are Judith Grimes, Daryl Dixon, and Ezekiel Sutton.
    • However, his appearance in "Variant" is archive footage only.
  • Negan is one of the nine TV Universe characters to appear in Fear the Walking Dead, the others being Morgan Jones, Paul Rovia, Carol Peletier, Rick Grimes, Dwight, Sherry, Jenny Jones, and Duane Jones.
    • His appearance in Fear was done by an unknown stand-in, as it was just a flashback of his arm holding the iron when he was about to burn Dwight's face, but archive lines of his voice were also used.
    • He is also one of the four TV Universe characters to appear in Dead City, the others being Maggie Rhee, Hershel Rhee, and Simon.
      • Negan is one of four characters to appear in three shows, the other three characters are Rick Grimes, Carol Peletier, and Anne.

International Dubbers[]

Language Dubber Other Characters Voiced
Czech Jiří Schwarz Eastman
French Jérémie Covillault N/A
German Charles Rettinghaus N/A
Hungarian Csankó Zoltán N/A
Italian Fabrizio Temperini N/A
Japanese Akio Ōtsuka N/A
Portuguese Cássius Romero Steven Edwards
Spanish (Latin America) Pedro Ruiz Rick Grimes ("Sick"-3B)
Shane Walsh (1-2)
Spanish (Spain) Iñaki Crespo Big Tiny

See Also[]

References[]

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