An infamous villain from the comic book series of "The Walking Dead" may finally make his appearance on the television show in the upcoming season.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly (EW), showrunner Scott Gimple said that the character Negan could become a vital part of the show in its upcoming episodes. "It's absolutely a possibility," he told the news outlet. "And when I say it's a possibility, we have a plan in place, but there's a couple variables for that plan that we're deciding about. It really depends on a few factors as we move into setting up the last bit of the season story-wise."
Negan, in the comic book's story, serves as the leader of a group known as the Saviors. His character is described as a dangerous psychopath, as per EW, and is worse than a previous villain, The Governor.
Back in February, when show lead star Andrew Lincoln talked to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), he also hinted of Negan being in the TV series. "There are astonishingly brilliant and thrilling characters that I am convinced we would be idiots not to meet in our journey; I would be very surprised if we don't see Negan on the horizon in the not-too-distant future."
THR also noted that clues to Negan's presence in the AMC hit series have long been laid out in season 5, such as when one character was seen swinging a bat at Glenn (played by Steven Yeun). In the comic books, the bat is Negan's favorite weapon of choice, fondly naming his piece "Lucille." Similarly, Glenn also used a bat to use as protection later on in the season.
Fans with observant eyes also pointed out that a poster for "The Walking Dead" seemed to suggest Negan's participation in the series. The fansite UndeadWalking did a side by side comparison of an image from the comic book with an image from the TV poster to prove their point.
But while Negan is a baddie, his character is touted as a fan-favorite that even the creator of "The Walking Dead," Robert Kirkman, said bringing him to the TV series is part of a trend that he hopes will go on.
"When it comes to characters like The Governor, Michonne, Abraham, and others like Jesus and Negan who are fan-favorite characters in the comics, it's always a challenge to get it right because it's those characters-much like Rick Grimes in the beginning-that fans already have a sense of and expectations for," Kirkman told EW. "So we're always careful, and I feel like we've done a really good job servicing those fan expectations. Hopefully that trend will continue...if the characters you mention are to appear soon."
"The Walking Dead" will return for season 6 in the fall.
