’The Walking Dead’: Abraham Star Michael Cudlitz Says Rick’s Plan Against Negan “Sucked”

The Walking Dead star Michael Cudlitz, who played tactician and former Army Sergeant Abraham Ford, admits he “didn’t care for” Rick Grimes‘ (Andrew Lincoln) plan of attack against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

“Let’s be real clear, if he was gonna kill anyone other than me and I had a choice, it would be Rick. Because how many more people was that a—hole gonna get killed?” Cudlitz said to a mixture of laughs and gasps at Walker Stalker Con Atlanta.

“‘Hey, I got a plan, let’s show up to where all the Saviors are with 500 weapons, have them step 15 feet out into the balcony unarmed, and shoot the windows out above his head.’ You all know that sucked.”

Rick retaliated against the then-Savior leader in the Season Eight opener, rallying Hilltop leader Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Kingdom leader King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and their respective forces to spring a surprise attack on the Sanctuary.

The coalition opened fire on the Sanctuary’s windows, drawing a horde of walkers upon the Savior base and ultimately trapping the enemy camp within their own walls.

“It was like the A-Team showed up,” Cudlitz said, miming stray firing before imitating the showy Savior leader.

“He’s right there! He’s right there! He walks out the door. It’s not even like he peeks out. He’s like ‘Well, Rick! Ha ha ha! We better run!’”

Cudlitz, whose Abraham was brutally executed by a baseball bat-wielding Negan in the Season Seven premiere, lightly added he “didn’t care for that moment, in case anyone isn’t aware of that.”

“I disagree, only because I’m still on the show and like my job,” joked Eugene star Josh McDermitt. “I thought it was great.”

Though he freely admitted “the scene bothered me,” Cudlitz’s light-hearted criticism comes from a place of love.

“It’s like one of those things where you’re so into something and then you’re like, ‘really, guys?’” Cudlitz said. “I get pissed off because I love it.”

Cudlitz has since returned to The Walking Dead in its ninth season, lending a voice cameo to the sendoff episode for Lincoln before making his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed 907, “Stradivarius.”

He hopes to next direct future episodes of both The Walking Dead and spinoff Fear the Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC with new episodes Sunday, February 10.