Season eight of The Walking Dead ended with the Rick’s capture of Negan, as well as Maggie’s plot to potentially take down Rick over his refusal to kill Negan.
However, just because Negan has been neutralized for the time being doesn’t mean that he’s no longer a threat. With Lauren Cohan exiting the show (at least temporarily), Morgan on Fear, and Rick Grimes leaving the show permanently, the show will lose three of its biggest leaders, opening up a vacuum in that department. Meanwhile, the various camps — Alexandria, The Hilltop, the Kingdom, the Saviors, and Oceanside — appear to be at loggerheads with no iron fist up top to provide discipline.
With the threat of The Whisperers on the horizon, Negan’s brutal methods — and his ability to unite his own people through fear — may actually become necessary to the survival of everyone else. In other words, Negan is going to continue playing a central role in the series, and as Negan threatens in the latest teaser, Rick “is not saving the world. [He’s] just getting it ready for me.”
“Of course Negan is still Negan — he can’t help but say things that are snarky or kind of rough,” showrunner Angela Kang tells IGN about the current state of Negan. “But we’re gonna see some really different emotional shades to him. He’s essentially been in solitary confinement for a year and a half since the end of last season, and one of the stories that we’re exploring is what that’s done to him.”
Will he be tamed by prison or — as the teaser above suggests — will it only strengthen his resolve when it comes to taking back power?
We’ll find out when season 9 of The Walking Dead kicks off on October 7th.
