The Walking Dead: Five Negan Kills You Need To Know About

Negan has hardly existed in The Walking Dead‘s TV universe for more than 10 minutes but he has hands down the most conversation starting and terrifying character to cross our screens to date.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s portrayal of the new villain is deeply rooted in Robert Kirkman’s comics. The language is changed a good bit for cable regulations but the character’s attitude and message remain the same. He’s running the show now and he will do whatever he needs or wants whenever he needs or wants in order to survive or simply prove a point.

One of those things Negan is willing to do is kill — as demonstrated in The Walking Dead‘s Season 6 finale and his infamous issue #100 introduction. His kills are also quite unconventional at times, often a tool of manipulation or domination strategy.

While we sit back and wait to find out who Negan’s first victim is on television, we can take a run through his biggest kills in the comics. This does mean full-on spoilers for all The Walking Dead comics to date follow, which could also translate to spoilers for the TV series, as well.

Glenn

Negan’s most infamous kill was his introductory slaughter of Glenn Rhee in issue #100. Glenn had been with the series since the earliest issues and was ready to start a new life with Maggie and his unborn child but Negan had different plans.

Negan bashed Glenn’s head in with his baseball bat Lucille. It was the only time we’ve seen Negan unleash his “lady” on an enemy but with Lucille still in tact, being held by Dwight, we fully expect to see her come back into play sooner than later.

The brutal art work of Charlie Adlard animated Glenn’s death in grotesque fashion. The eye-popping moment sent chills and nausea through readers’ bodies, making one thing clear: Negan isn’t messing around.

Spencer

Spencer Monroe wasn’t a fan of Rick Grimes in the comics, pretty justifiably, too. Nevertheless, his attempt to go behind Rick’s back and align himself with Negan in an effort to kill the leader was rewarded with a knife’s slice through his stomach.

Negan criticized Spencer’s cowardice, betraying Rick rather than killing him himself and spilled Spencer’s guts all over the Alexandria streets, joking about finding them and knowing the guts there somewhere.

Once again, the message of Negan’s ruthlessness, carelessness, and brash willingness to kill were displayed. 

Holly

 

Holly was not really a focal character in The Walking Dead comics and she doesn’t exist on the TV series (though some characters parallel the role) but her death was one of Negan’s most manipulative moments.

After Holly crashed a school bus into the Sanctuary (Negan and the Saviors’ headquarters), she was taken hostage by the menace. Later, she would be returned to Alexandria with a bag over her head, prompting what really became a two-for-one kill with the blood on Negan’s hands. 

When the bag is removed, a zombified Holly lunges for and bites Denise, ultimately claiming her life, too. The distraction allows Negan and his group to launch an attack on Alexandria, illustrating his willingness to kill for any reason and reminding us how little emphasis he puts on others’ lives.

David

 

Even less important in the grand scheme of The Walking Dead‘s story than Holly was a Savior named David. However, his death displayed one of the very few redeeming qualities Negan had to offer.

While Holly was being held at the Sanctuary, David attempted to rape her. Negan enforces a strict “no raping” rule upon his men. He quickly dispatches David via a knife through the throat. 

No, this isn’t enough to make anyone like Negan but it’s a great moment that opens up his head to the audience. Looking back, it may actually be more confusing than anything. How could someone who is willing to kill without remorse have rules that we can actually relate to and respect? 

Alpha

 

Hands down the most interesting moment of The Walking Dead comics since Glenn’s murder was the recent events which saw Negan kill Alpha. 

Years after being locked in an Alexandria jail by Rick, Negan escaped with the help of a teenager named Brandon. Brandon escorted Negan to the Whisperers and just when they got close enough for Brandon to be of no use, Negan killed the boy and looked as though he would link up with Rick’s new enemy.

However, Negan infiltrated the group and beheaded their leader to bring it back to Rick. No one is quite sure what it means just yet seeing as the Whisperer War is still playing out in the comics but it’s the first sign of Negan aligning himself with Rick’s leadership. Will they ever see eye to eye? Probably not. But, are they really all that different?