The Walking Dead: Was That Really Negan?

At the end of Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead, some viewers may have been left thinking they just met Negan. Be warned, spoilers for the thirteenth episode of The Walking Dead, The Same Boat, follow.

Just as Carol and Maggie reached the gates of freedom, having escaped their captives, Rick, Glenn, Daryl and a couple of others stormed into this Saviors’ compound with their hostage. Upon hearing from Maggie that all of their captors were dead, Rick began questioning their hostage who was earlier heard to have the name, “Primo.”

The man dodged Rick’s questions, though. He told Rick, “I’m Negan, s—head.” He went on to tell Rick they can sit down and chat about all the things Rick may want to know but Rick quickly raised his python and shot the man in the head.

So, was that man actually Negan?

Okay, give me a second to stop laughing at the fact that someone may actually need that question answered… Okay, okay. I’m back… That was a gas, though.

No, that was not Negan. First of all, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is playing the big bad on The Walking Dead. That was not Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It was an actor by the name of Jimmy Gonzalez, you may have seen him in Taken 3 or Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, but he’s still not Jeffrey Dean Morgan or Negan. Second of all, Negan isn’t going to die nearly as quickly. In fact, he probably won’t die at all, but that’s a story for another time.

Finally, Negan is not going to arrive until the finale. While showrunner Scott Gimple tried to build the mystery of when Negan will make his mark on AMC’s series by saying he could appear in any episode, several cast and crew members have confirmed that his introduction doesn’t come until the finale (see: Lennie James says Negan’s finale entrance is phenomenal).

So, no, that wasn’t Negan, and we still have a couple of weeks until we actually meet him. Don’t rush. Once he arrives, you can never go back.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 PM ET on AMC.