The Walking Dead Wisely Changes Negan’s Comic Ending

The Walking Dead made a good move by changing Negan’s comic ending. For years, fans have been asking for the AMC series to tell the villain’s origin story, and now the show has finally delivered. The Walking Dead season 10, episode 22, titled “Here’s Negan”, served as an adaptation of the comic book storyline of the same name.

“Here’s Negan” didn’t go into how Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character became the leader of the Saviors, but it did explore certain aspects of his life in the early years of the apocalypse. Apparently, Negan has always been a person with a volatile temper, but he tried to keep it in check. However, the death of his cancer-stricken wife and the state of the world led him to embrace his violent tendencies. These flashbacks were offered during a story that addressed Negan’s fate after the Whisperer War. Despite the deal they made to get rid of Alpha (Samantha Morton), Carol (Melissa McBride) banished Negan from Alexandria. This was contrary to what he wanted, as the plan was for him to gain acceptance from the people in the community.

To everyone’s surprise, Negan came back at the end of the episode. Negan making this choice was different to what he decided to do in the comic book version of the story. Negan made a similar deal with Rick, who sent Negan off in exile after the fight with the Whisperers was over. The former Savior leader, who regretted his past actions, lived in isolation after that and tried to keep his distance from the residents of Alexandria. Due to the comic taking this direction, Negan played no role in the Commonwealth arc. The show, on the other hand, wisely avoided this ending for him by having him ignore Carol’s order.

In contrast to the comic, the TV show’s version of Negan is determined to be a member of the community. Considering that Maggie (Lauren Cohan) may attempt to avenge her husband’s death, Negan is putting himself at great risk by sticking around. This could mean that The Walking Dead is also changing how things will end with the two of them. In the comic, a remorseful Negan was willing to let Maggie kill him when she sought him out, but his defiant attitude and smirk after returning to Alexandria in “Here’s Negan” suggests he’s taking a different approach. It looks like he’s committed to living his life here, and that he may not give Maggie an opportunity to take that away. Negan being resistant could lead to a much more intense encounter than the one that occurred in the comic, which culminated in her leaving him to his misery (not unlike what happened in season 9).

While it’s true that keeping Negan in Alexandria could result in his death, it’s certainly a more interesting alternative to banishment. This will allow viewers to see the tension between Maggie and Negan escalate as the story progresses in season 11. It would be a shame if this story ended too soon, and now that he’s elected to stay, The Walking Dead can do what the comic didn’t by involving him in the Commonwealth story and drawing out the conflict with Maggie.

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