Where Is Negan On 'The Walking Dead'?

Rick Grimes and an alliance comprised of the Alexandria, Hilltop and Kingdom communities is waging [...]

Rick Grimes and an alliance comprised of the Alexandria, Hilltop and Kingdom communities is waging All Out War against big bad Negan, but the bat-wielding leader of the Saviors hasn't made an appearance since the season 8 premiere. Tonight's episode, "Some Guy," puts the spotlight on Carol and Ezekiel's mission to keep a powerful weapon from making its way into the hands of the Saviors, so it's fair to ask — where the hell is Negan?

In 8x01, Rick unleashed a massive horde of walkers on the Sanctuary and opened fire on a fleeing Negan. He escaped, but not before Rick captured a snapshot of Negan's momentary defeat. Last we saw him, Negan may have been shot and was revealed to have taken refuge in a trailer surrounded by a flesh-hungry horde of the undead — the same trailer Rick's trusted ally, Father Gabriel, is currently holed up in.

The past three episodes have each pushed into the next: weeks have passed in real time, but in the show, the events of 8x01, 8x02, 8x03 and 8x04 have taken place over the course of just a few hours. Gabriel is currently trapped between a rock and a hard place — he's confined to a trailer with the same man who executed Glenn and Abraham with a baseball bat, there's a flood of walkers trying to claw their way inside, and there's no apparent means of escape — making it a very real possibility that Gabriel will die.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays the big bad, said season 8 will explore some of Negan's backstory through other characters — if Negan didn't bash Gabriel on sight, the two could be hashing out a way to escape their current predicament.

"We're going to find out a lot more about Negan," Morgan said. "There is a lot of Negan's backstory out there. We haven't filmed any of that, but there are conversations with a few characters where we'll find out a little more about him. We'll have some quieter moments this year, some one-on-one interactions where you'll learn more about where he's from. Even if you hate Negan, you're gonna start to understand how he became the man that he is and why he does the things that he does. I'm learning more about Negan every time I put on my leather jacket."

Negan and Gabriel being trapped together could be one of those one-on-one interactions that could pull a little of Negan's history out of the enigmatic villain. Or Father Gabriel could be a mole, as some theorize, and the two accomplices could be plotting a daring escape. Keep tuning into The Walking Dead Sundays at 9/8c on AMC to find out.

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