The Walking Dead Characters: Negan

The Walking Dead Characters:

Negan

"The Walking Dead" will enter its seventh season on October 23, and after leaving on a massive cliffhanger, excitement and anticipation are at all time highs. 

For the next few days I will be posting articles about the main characters you will see in the upcoming season, from faces we've seen since the first season to ones we'll be introduced to once season seven begins.

**THERE WILL BE SHOW AND COMIC SPOILERS!**

You have been warned.  If you want to keep reading, do so in knowing that I will be divulging comic book and television show spoilers.  Information was derived from personal comic book readings, show watching, The Walking Dead wiki and imdb.com.

**SERIOUSLY, SPOILERS WILL ABOUND 

FROM HERE ON OUT**

Negan: The Comics

Negan is a casual, jolly, savage man who adores violence and mayhem.  He's intelligent, logical, has a knack for controlling and manipulating others, and has an affinity for profane language and offensive comments.  He has a morbid, perverse sense of humor but also has a charismatic persona and domineering presence that intimidates both friends and foes.  He's got a pedantic nature to him, reveling in helping others explore their thoughts, feelings and ideas and displays profound moments of wisdom when counseling people.  He's very reasonable for the sake of practicality, and possesses a sense of sympathy under his cold exterior.  He believes his horrific methods keep people in line, and in a philosophy that the strong are to protect the defenseless.

Before the apocalypse, Negan was a sports enthusiast, used car salesman and a high school gym teacher and expert ping pong player, often challenging his students to play, but getting into trouble with the parents due to his vulgar language.  He married a woman named Lucille, who passed away and it affected him so much he named his signature weapon - a barbed wire baseball bat - after her.  After the apocalypse, he became the leader of the Saviors, a massive group of people who intimidate and make demands of other survivors, including the Hilltop.

He captures Rick and some of his members and lines them up, and to make an example he kills one of them, picking Glenn by eenie meenie miney moe.  He forms an odd relationship with Rick's son Carl, and  becomes Rick's biggest adversary and wages an all out war on Rick.  Negan looses the war and instead of being killed by Rick, he's put in prison in Alexandria.  Two years later, Brandon releases him to take him to a new group of survivalists who are against Rick - the Whisperers - thinking Negan will join with them against Rick.  Instead, Negan cuts off the head of the Whisperer leader and takes it back to Rick, and joins his side in the war against the Whisperers.

Negan: The Television Series

Before the apocalypse, Negan was a used car salesman, and after the apocalypse he formed a group known as the Saviors, consisting of thugs and bandits who operate under his command.  Ruthless and uncompromising, he grows his group to over one hundred and establishes several outposts.  He intimidates other survivors into giving him half their stuff, including the Hilltop.

When Rick hears about Negan's ways, he takes his group and assassinates a group of Saviors at an outpost.  Negan retaliates by taking Rick and several of his group captive and orders him to give the Saviors half their stuff, and to make an example he'll kill one of Rick's group with Lucille - his signature weapon, which is a barbed wire baseball bat.

Negan is easily the biggest adversary Rick has faced, and it'll be interesting to see how his character will be flushed out on the television series.

Negan: The Actor

 Jeffrey Dean Morgan was born April 22, 1966 in Seattle, Washington.  He's a very well-known actor who has appeared in several television series including "Grey's Anatomy," "Supernatural," "Weeds" and "Extant," as well as movies such as "Watchmen," "Red Dawn," "P.S. I Love You," "The Accidental Husband" and "The Losers."