Summary
AMC’sThe Walking Deadaired over eleven seasons, between June 21, 2025, and July 07, 2025, and since then, many zombie-loving fans still can’t get the show out of their minds. Although there are numerous spin-offs from the iconic TV series remaining today, likeThe Walking Dead: Dead City,which focuses on Negan and Maggie, andThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which follows the story of Daryl and Carol, nothing seems to get fans talking as much as the beloved original series.
EveryWalking Deadfan has their favorite villainfrom the show, whether it’s the calculating and cruel Governor, the morally unstable Shane, the odd yet resourceful Jadis, or the sadistic and tyrannical leader of the Whisperers, Alpha, it seems as though the brutal leader of The Saviours hits many viewers top choice as the show’s most villainous character. Coming across as charismatic and entertaining, Negan has plenty of terrible traits that see him doing despicable acts throughoutThe Walking Deadseries, serving as the primary antagonist in seasons six and eight. One of the less honorable sides to his personality is how he treated women, or his “wives” in the sanctuary.
As highlighted byComicBook,The Walking Deadcreator, Robert Kirkman, recently revealed in the colorized reprint version ofThe Walking Dead Deluxe#105 that he was very surprised at fans' reaction, mostly on social media, regarding Negan’s “wives”. In the comic book, as well as the series, Negan can be seen with quite a few women who he calls his “wives”, in which he intimidates them to be with him as his possessions. As a way of “rewarding” them for being by his side, they don’t have to work for points to survive like the rest of the Saviors. In the show and comic, Negan can be heard stating, “When I choose a new wife, the process is completely voluntary. It’s an honor to be with me, to no longer have to trade points to trade for goods and services. But it comes with a price: total devotion. And that can sometimes be a hard pill for others to swallow. But swallow it they must… or it’s the iron for you.”
“The world is a dark place, and I didn’t want to shy away from portraying that for fear of offending anyone”
Somewhat surprised by the outpour of criticism about this particular aspect of Negan’s makeup, Kirkman wrote inThe Walking Dead Deluxe#105 that “I’d say more than anything else, at least on social media, the harem became one of the most controversial aspects of this comic.” He continues, “Even more than some of the upcoming bits with The Whisperers, which always surprised me. I certainly have a line I won’t cross. No pun intended.” Kirkman goes on to talk about howThe Walking Deadis actually a lot tamer than another R-rated zombie seriesand how he always tried to make sure that the situations reflected in the comics would likely happen in real life, so it wasn’t just for shock value. “I’d always argue no matter how dark things got in this series, you could always pick up a newspaper and read far more gruesome things happening for real.” expressed Kirkman.
Previously, Kirkman also revealed that another ruthlessvillain fromThe Walking Deadwas named after his high school bullyand that he would never consider calling “anyone good” from his writings with the same name. For fans who are looking for more of their favorite villain, it seems as though Negan might be channeling his old ways when season two ofThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityairs this year. However, a release date hasn’t been disclosed as yet.
