The Walking Dead returns is imminent, and by this point, we all have our theory about who Negan will murder with his baseball bat, Lucille, in the opener.
I arrived at my own personal theory through a process of deduction. To summarize: The actors who play Rick, Eugene, Daryl, and Glenn were all seen on the set filming a birthday message to Demi Lovato, ruling them out. Abraham ruled himself out when Michael Cudlitz mentioned in an interview that not only does he continue to get scripts, but that he will continue on the show with Negan at least “for a while.” We also think we caught a glimpse of Abraham in the season seven trailer that takes place after the Negan kill.
We have to rule out Aaron, Sasha, and Rosita because they’re not major enough characters to satisfy the bloodlust of The Walking Dead fans.
That leaves Maggie and Michonne. It’s not going to be Michonne because Michonne is untouchable. That leaves Maggie, who also makes the most sense, based on clues from her Instagram account, as well as the fact that the death of a pregnant Maggie would be the most disturbing death possible and Greg Nicotero has said those who have seen the scene have been incredibly “disturbed” by it. Maggie’s death also plays into the heartbreaking origins of Negan’s bat, Lucille. Negan lost a wife, so it seems likely that he might take a wife, and Maggie is the only candidate who fits that description.
Moreover, this quote via Digital Spy from Jeffrey Dean Morgan — who plays Negan — best befits the heartbreaking death of Maggie, because not only do we lose Maggie in that scenario, we have to witness Glenn suffer through it. Anyone who has ever seen a movie like Beaches or My Girl knows that the real devastation comes not in the death of a character, but in witnessing the grief of the closest survivor.
“You need to be very careful about what you wish for because you are going to get it and more this year. It’s emotional. It’s hard. It’s hyper-violent,” he promised. “It’s a lot to take. When the audience sees it, they will know exactly what ‘a lot’ means.”
Despite the evidence that points toward Maggie — and possibly a second character, as has been rumored — many still strongly believe it will be Glenn who dies in the season premiere. I am not convinced. I am even less convinced that it was Glenn based upon this interview between Kevin Smith and four of The Walking Dead cast members: Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan), Andrew Lincoln (Rick), Norman Reedus (Daryl) and Steven Yeun (Glenn). Asked who Negan killed in the season premiere, Jeffrey Dean Morgan smiles and says, “No one sitting here.”
Again, that rules out Glenn, Daryl, and Rick, and along with the other evidence that rules out Glenn, it certainly feels like he’s safe come Oct. 23. Meanwhile, I’m just going to start working on Maggie’s obituary.
