Summary

Negan’s complex character and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s performance made him one of the most dynamic characters in The Walking Dead. Negan’s ability to adapt to the new world and potential for growth made him more than just a villain, but a potentially valuable ally to Rick’s group. Negan’s impact on the show changed the way we viewed the main group of characters, bringing out their best and worst qualities, and blurring the line between who was “ahead” in the war.

The good guys coming out as the winners is a tale as old as time. As consumers of entertainment media, we are all wired to root for a show or film’s protagonist. However, when a show dives deep and develops a dedicated and invested fanbase, audiences tend to find enjoyment in hating a villain. For a show that ran for as long as The Walking Dead did, the leading group of protagonists was bound to face some formidable villains as they navigated the zombie apocalypse. However, despite how threatening each foe was, none held their own as Negan did.

Negan is probably the most memorable villain in The Walking Dead, other than the walkers themselves. Expertly played by the charming Jeffrey Dean Morgan, he made his first appearance in the show’s sixth season, and, boy, did he make an entrance. Negan was one of the first villains to really bring Rick’s group down. So, as the audience, we should hate him, right? Well, we do…but we also don’t? The love/hate relationship we have with TV villains is something that is clear as day in The Walking Dead. Here is why fans of the show love Negan, even though he is the worst.

The Walking Dead’s Most Dynamic Character
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There is a reason Negan was able to stick around for so long and had fans of The Walking Dead wanting him to pay for his actions as much as they wanted to see him make a fun dig at Rick. Negan was easily one of the most complex and dynamic characters in the show. He was ruthless, smart, cunning, and terrifying.

However, with the help of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s stellar performance, he was charming, hilarious, and intriguing. Negan was no doubt a survivor who after a while, even fans of the show learned to root for him as part of Rick’s group. Negan’s character was not completely lost to the apocalypse; he feels loss, pain, triumph, and anger. However, his position allowed him to keep on the mask of an untouchable tyrant, a pretty good survival technique if you ask us.

Related: New The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Teaser Reveals Why He’s in France

Room for Growth
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Negan’s character in The Walking Dead flew beyond his arc of being a villain. As soon as he had the entirety of Rick’s group in the palm of his hand, fans of the show knew that this one was going to be different. The way Negan knew exactly how to lead his group through fear and loyalty, the way he broke down Rick’s group by hitting them where it hurt the most, and offering praise and respect for their obedience — all of these things gave him that step-up to make him not just a villain, but a great leader. That survival instinct hinted at his prolonged presence in the show: his room for growth.

Even after Rick’s group brought down the saviors, the insinuation that Negan could one day be used as an asset and valuable ally to the group was high. His ability to adapt to the new world translated to his ability to adapt to the group that is now keeping him alive. The humanity in Negan never actually went away, and over the last few seasons of The Walking Dead, he was the one that had the most capacity to change, and fans couldn’t help but love him for it.

Related: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Shares His Excitement for Daryl Dixon’s The Walking Dead Spinoff

Negan’s Impact on the Show
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Look, if The Walking Dead’s main group got everything they wanted, we’d be bored out of our minds. Rick’s group was due for a real challenge, a truly terrifying threat, and Negan was it. His charisma and brutality aside, the way he affected our main group, how he had them on their knees begging him for mercy, changed the way we viewed those characters. Negan brought out the best and worst of each character in the show. The line between who was “ahead” in this war blurred constantly. Negan hit all the right spots to take down Rick and the rest of the group. He killed the heart of the entire show, Glenn, as well as Abraham in cold blood, forcing everyone to watch. Their being unable to stop it destroyed them.

The show itself would not be what it is without Negan to affect this group and its dynamic. He brought out Rick’s vengeance, Carl’s strength, Maggie’s rage, and even humanity and mercy in the young Judith. Negan was an enigma of complicated character relationships that added to the complexity of the show in ways fans could not help but appreciate.

His Unpredictability
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The amount of layers Negan has in The Walking DEad makes his character undeniably unpredictable. The Walking Dead is no stranger to killing off major characters. However, with a villain like Negan lurking around every corner, no one ever feels safe while he’s around. Negan’s presence in the show, on and off-screen, had us fans constantly on the edge of our seats. His debut as a character really set the tone for how his arc as a villain was going to go.

And since that iconic entrance, Negan made sure that Rick’s group always slept with one eye open. As much as fans hated seeing beloved characters die, they all loved the tension Negan brought to the show, no matter how nervous and anxious it made all of us.

Who Is the Real Villain?
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Finding out more about Negan’s backstory and seeing how his character develops throughout the rest of The Walking Dead really poses the question: who is the real villain? In a show like The Walking Dead, audiences are led to believe that Rick’s group of survivors are the good guys. However, with a character like Negan in the picture, it makes it glaringly obvious that Rick’s group could just be villains in other people’s stories.

This outlook on TV shows is always an interesting one. Up until Negan, Rick’s group faced small villains here and there that defied reasoning. However, Negan being the most formidable one out there, really makes audiences think: if we were to watch his story from the beginning, would we still be on Rick’s side?