The Walking Dead Showrunner Says Rick And Negan Aren't Very Different

05/26/2017 03:45 pm EDT

In recent seasons, The Walking Dead has featured a blurred line between its protagonists and antagonists at some points. While the line was a bit more clear when it came to the Governor or the people of Terminus next to Rick and his group, it's not all black and white when it comes to Negan.

Both characters do what is necessary to protect their people and preserve their own lives. While Negan trots about with a baseball bat, talking about his actions, Rick is quick to draw his revolver and eliminate all threats within reach. So, are Rick and Negan truly all that different?

Comicbook.com caught up with The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple ahead of the seventh season to hear his perspective on the two leaders.

"I think if we followed Negan we might even be in the same place that we are with Rick where we're like, 'Whoa. What you're doing there seems like the behavior of a bad person,'" Gimple said. "What's interesting is, I think for Rick's experience, he's justified in what he's been doing. The world has formed him this way and what he's done has generally been a reaction to being threatened and trying to make sure that his people live. Things are getting greyer and greyer and greyer. But I think the things that Rick has done you can hold up against the things that Negan has done and it's not a vast gulf between those two but the way that they operate is very different. Their philosophies are very different and that's maybe where we see one person being the hero and one person being the villain."

While fans of The Walking Dead have witnessed Rick's rise into the leadership position within his group and the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Negan's leadership role at the Sanctuary remains unexplained on the television series. Robert Kirkman's comics, however, have done an intriguing job of revealing the villain's backstory, introducing his heartbreaking past and taking readers right up to the point where he becomes the leatherclad menace we met in Issue #100.

MORE WALKING DEAD: TWD's Five Worst Characters / New Photo Of Johnny Depp's Dead Head Prop / Negan's Backstory Reveals Completely Different Character / Watch Negan's Alternate Kills / TWD F-Take Clips With Rick And Daryl / Major Criticism Fixed For Season 8 / TWD Casting Two New Characters

The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October of 2017. The first trailer is expected to arrive at San Diego Comic Con in July. For complete coverage and insider info all off-season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

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