The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln, who plays former Sheriff Deputy Rick “Ricky Dicky Doo Da” Grimes in the hit AMC zombie drama, commandeered a phone to bring fans an important video message: the reveal of Negan’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) real name.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Andy’s Message! Boom Shakalaka🖤#AndrewLincoln #RickGrimes #TheWalkingDead #TWD pic.twitter.com/pHXabcc2Hh
— Rick Grimes (@TWDRickGrimes__) October 21, 2017
Like many characters in the lore, Negan’s last name has never been revealed, but by all accounts “Negan” is the villain’s real name: in creator Robert Kirkman‘s “Here’s Negan” limited series detailing the character’s history, Negan is seen arguing with his wife, who refers to him by name.
The foul-mouthed leader of the Saviors was (spoilers) revealed to have been an equally foul-mouthed gym teacher before the outbreak, and his wife had cancer. After breaking things off with his mistress to be with his wife, Negan was at the hospital when the apocalypse first started — and it’s there that Negan’s wife succumbed to her sickness, died and turned, with Negan finally saying his wife’s name aloud: Lucille. The story details Negan’s earliest experiences during the collapse of society, revealing how he first met Dwight (who would later serve the coach-turned-dictatorial-leader as one of Negan’s Saviors) and the origin of Negan’s beloved “Lucille,” his trademark barbwire-wrapped baseball bat named in honor of his late wife.
Kirkman revealed how he came up with Negan’s pretty unique name last year, saying he likes to make up names that “aren’t really names” before Googling them to see if people in the real world actually have those names.
“I just wanted the name to sound negative in some way, so I was calling him ‘Nagus’ for a long time, which is just a word I thought I pulled from thin air,” Kirkman said. “But apparently that’s the Ferengi leader in Star Trek: Deep Space 9, so I was like, ‘Well I can’t call him Nagus.’ So then I was like, ‘Okay, Negan, that sounds fine.’”
As for the TV series’ live-action adaptation of Negan, The Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple previously revealed there’s a “loose plan” for the show to bring the villain’s back story to life in the future.
The Walking Dead season 8 kicks off Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.
