The Walking Dead: 7 Facts About Negan

At this point, most everyone is all too familiar with Negan on The Walking Dead. If you aren’t a fan of the show, you’ve seen his name, face, and baseball bat plastered on magazines across the country.

If you are a fan of the show, you know he is the most ruthless villain The Walking Dead has ever introduced. In his first interaction with Rick and the group, the guy killed Glenn and Abraham.

This past week, fans watched as Negan and Dwight brutally tortured fan-favorite, Daryl.

The guy is a menace, but his story is actually much deeper than many are giving him credit for. Throghout the comics, as well as the Here’s Negan spin-off, readers learn that this character is one of the richest Kirkman has ever created.

Negan may still be a bit of a mystery to most, but ComicBook.com is here to help.

Click through the slideshow to check out seven facts about the notorious villain.

Lucille Was His Wife

Before the infection hit, Negan was a married man. He didn’t have any kids, but was happily married for some time.

No surprise here, his wife’s name was Lucille.

Lucille was a good woman, but Negan had been having an affair with another woman. In the middle of his affair, Lucille was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Negan immediately regretted what he had been doing and called it quits with his mistress. Lucille knew he had been having the affair, and she brought it up during her battle. Negan said that he chose to end it because he realized what he had been missing, and how much he didn’t want to lose her.

Just before apocalypse began, Lucille passed away. This is why Negan is so attached to that bat of his. 

In his eyes, that’s the love of his life.

 

He Hates Rapists

Negan may be a menace, but there are certain crimes he just cannot abide. He makes it plainly clear that he isn’t okay with rule-breakers, but there’s one thing that he considers even worse.

Negan is not okay with the rape culture of the zombie apocalypse.

This has become one of Negan’s most redeeming qualities, as he frequently speaks out about how awful the act is. If he catches anyone forcing themselves onto someone else, he will put a stop to it, and punish the party responsible.

In the comics, Negan slays a member of The Whisperers after catching them in the act. Even though these actions are acceptable with their culture, Negan refuses to stand silently by.

He may have a taste for violence, but Negan will not ignore these crimes.

 

He Was A High School Ping Pong Coach

In addition to his somewhat-happy marriage, Negan had another good thing going before the infection spread. The guy was a high school teacher.

Not only did he teach, but he was a coach as well. He worked with many sports, but table tennis was his go-to.

Negan spent plenty of time teaching high school boys to play ping-pong, and he was pretty good at it. Negan’s one flaw at this job was his desire to be the “cool teacher”.

In trying to act like his students, Negan often got in trouble for the way he would talk to them. In one particular instance, he made one of his boys cry in front of his friends by taunting him during a match.

Not cool, Negan.

 

Negan Gets Thrown In Jail

In the comics, Rick and Negan go to war. Rick unites the communities of Alexandria, Hilltop, and The Kingdom to fight against Negan’s massive army of Saviors.

When the dust settles, and the fighting stops, Rick stands alone as the victor. With an opportunity to finally kill Negan, as he promised, Rick backed off. Instead, he sentenced Negan to a life in prison.

Rick was trying to make a point by sparing Negan–he wants civilization to be reborn. If he can lock up the one person who has truly damaged him, any of his people can be forgiving.

Negan spends a couple of years in a prison cell before escaping, and aiding Rick against his new enemies.

 

He Isn’t Always A Bad Guy

Negan comes to Rick’s aid later on in the comics.

Yes, he’s been a terrible person. And yes, he did kill everyone’s favorite character. Negan may seem all gloom-and-doom right now, but it gets better.

During his time in jail, Negan spends a lot of time talking to Rick and Carl. When he finally has the chance to escape, he finds himself wanting to earn their trust. 

How does he do that? Oh, just by infiltrating the Whisperer’s camp and assassinating their leader. When the war breaks out between Rick’s people and the Whisperers, Negan immediately rushes to the front lines to fight for the good guys.

You may not like him now, but a new day will dawn.

 

His Jacket It Thick Enough To Stop A Bite

In one of the most recent issues of the comic, Negan is fighting for Rick in the Whisperer War. At one point, he becomes quickly overrun.

During this battle, Lucille breaks and Negan is devastated. Not only did he lose the one thing he cared about most in the world, but he lost his only weapon.

Walkers begin attacking from every angle, and Negan is bit on the arm by several of the monsters. 

While this normally means certain death, Negan shakes them off and stares at his jacket. The leather was so thick that the walker’s teeth couldn’t penetrate it. Negan isn’t entirely invincible, but this helps keep him safer than most.

 

He’s As Honest As They Come

If there’s one thing we can all agree on when it comes to Negan, it’s that he’s completely honest. Like, to a fault.

Even when speaking to his biggest enemies, the guy can’t help but shouting the truth at them. Often times, the truth is more shocking than a lie, and that’s probably why Negan remains honest.

By telling people what they already know, but aren’t expecting, Negan can always catch them off-guard. It could be a weakness down the road, but it’s a huge leg up at this point.

Anything else you want to know about Negan? Any facts we missed? Let us know in the comments below.

NEXT: Daryl’s Story In The Comics / Photos From ‘The Cell’ / Major Easter Egg From ‘The Cell‘ ‘The Cell’ Recap / ‘The Cell’ Review / ‘Service’ Preview / Why You Shouldn’t Hate Dwight Who’s The Boss / Carl Goes To College / Daryl’s Polaroid / Music From ‘The Cell’