Negan: Everything We Know About The Walking Dead's Villain

When The Walking Dead returns for its seventh season, we'll be seeing a whole lot of the inside of someone's head. But we'll also see, metaphorically, inside the head of the new villain, Negan.

How much do we know about him so far, though?

Let's start with the information provided by the TV series.

First of all, it's clear that Negan, as played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, has some sort of code and rules. His people follow him and it is not blindly. Despite Dwight's early efforts to escape Negan, he returned, was punished, and now faithfully follows Negan's every word - even if it means putting an arrow through an innocent doctor's head.

As Negan's monologue ensued in the finale episode of The Walking Dead's sixth season, we saw that he's not exactly unreasonable when you compare him to Rick. Take a look at what Rick's group did to Negan's leading up to the big moment. How many Saviors, members of Negan's group, were killed? Too many to count. Now, Negan shows up and he wants justice. Sure, his method is savage and terrifying but it is not so different from jamming knives into a sleeping enemy's head.

Negan is also very organized. He managed to have members of his enormous group on a seemingly countless number of roads to block off Rick's RV and the Alexandrians straight into his trap. This guy didn't rise to power strictly through brutality but also through a twisted form of charisma and organization which people respond to.

Aside from these facts and insights, The Walking Dead series hasn't provided us much more information about the villain. The comics, however, have gone into more than enough detail to gather a preview of what's ahead for the show and figure out just who Negan is.

As the entire world knows, Negan's comic book introduction was adapted almost word for word to television (it just took out a WHOLE LOT of f-words, c-words, and other colorful language choices which would've made the FCC richer). He walked off the final pages of issue #100 leaving a dead Glenn behind him and shaking up the world of The Walking Dead for good.

One thing was clear from his introduction and several moments which followed: killing doesn't mean anything to Negan. While Negan isn't afraid to kill someone who questions, stands up to, or betrays him, it's not his goal. He is not a psychopath driven by a thirst to kill. Rather, he kills for a purpose when he has to. When Spencer Monroe attempted to betray Rick Grimes, Negan slashed his stomach open and told him that he knew there was guts in him somewhere. Never does he take death as seriously as he takes the well-being of his prized lady, the barbed wire wrapped bat he calls Lucille.

Speaking of ladies, Negan has several "wives." Back at his hideout, a warehouse called the Sanctuary, Negan keeps his harem of wives safe and in minimal clothing at all times. They do what he wishes in exchange for his protection. He doesn't hit them - but they still fear him. He has a very strict "no rape" rule among his crew, so despite being a "wife" by choice based on survival and lack of other options, Negan doesn't look at his wives as being forced to be with him.

His men, however, are a different story. Should any of the men in Negan's crew betray him or try to leave, he will burn their faces with an iron, as seen evident in Dwight's punishment in both the TV series and the comics. It's a painful form of punishment which permanently reminds the victim and everyone around them of what happens if you cross the leader.

As time went on, it was revealed that Negan had a bit of respect for the son of Rick Grimes. Though he had a very odd way of showing it, Negan's interactions with Carl displayed his layers of respect for the young man. He may see a future there - or he may see a bit of himself in the child raised by the apocalypse.

Prior to the apocalypse, Negan was a high school teacher and ping pong coach. Robert Kirkman once joked that Negan may have been a car salesman before the world ended but the origin story comic, Here's Negan, recently revealed that Negan was a foul-mouthed teacher who wanted the students to think he was cool.

After the war between Rick and Negan, and we're getting into spoiler territories here, Negan found himself locked up in jail. For years, he lived in an Alexandria jail cell, being held as Rick Grimes' trophy and reminder that the world can be restored. At times, he has even offered Rick advice which Rick ends up using in tough situations with the Alexandrian people. Recently, though, Negan broke out of jail but he doesn't seem to have killing Rick at the top of his priority list.

The Walking Dead will return for its seventh season in October.