Will Rick Or Negan Die In The Walking Dead Season 8?

Brandon Davis

04/24/2017 04:40 pm EDT

Heading into the eighth season of The Walking Dead, the show's core characters are ready to get on the front lines and jump into battle.

Armies will collide on AMC when Season 8 kicks off. When armies do battle, death follows. While several characters are suspected of dying in Season 8, based on knowledge of Robert Kirkman's comics, there are a couple of leaders fans should be worried about.

Rick Grimes is in more danger than ever before. The same can be said for Negan.

While the groundwork for their fates has been laid in The Walking Dead comics, possible deviations from the source material or an accurate adaptation will determine whether either character sees Season 9.

Rick

The Walking Dead's writer/creator Robert Kirkman has repeatedly promised to kill Rick Grimes "eventually."

The leader of the apocalypse is still very much alive and well in the comics, having survived the All Out War story, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will survive the show's eighth season. The AMC series suffered a considerable drop in ratings over the course of its seventh season and may prompt the creative team behind it to feel it is time for a change. Whether or not this means it is time to kill off the man the world has rallied behind from Atlanta to Alexandria is to be seen.

Ultimately, though, Rick will likely win the war against Negan and his Saviors and cement himself as the leader of the new civilization being spawned within the Safe-Zone and its surrounding communities.

Given the predictability of the show when it accurately follows the comics, the possibility of going off-book with a character like Dwight could see the leader taken down. Fans expect to see the burnt face traitor to the Saviors form a true allegiance to Rick Grimes but the writers decide to throw a truly unexpected curve ball to audiences, keeping Dwight loyal to Negan would be the most shocking way to do it.

(Photo: Gene Page/AMC)

Negan

(Photo: Gene Page/AMC)

In the comics, Negan also survives the war which pits his Saviors against the other communities. He lands himself in a jail cell within the walls of the Alexandria Safe-Zone where he goes on to spend several years and grow quite a bit of hair.

Not killing Negan was a bold choice by Robert Kirkman in the comics. The character who brutally killed Glenn in issue #100 was wanted dead by thousands upon thousands of readers but the writer decided he wanted to keep the foul-mouthed villain alive. It was a move which cemented Rick Grimes as someone better than the cold blooded killer as he made an active effort to rebuild a society with laws, rules, and consequence. For the first time, an enemy was punished by something other than death in the world of The Walking Dead.

Keeping Negan alive proved handy much later down the line in The Walking Dead comics. Though the ratings remain over 10 million viewers on a weekly basis, if The Walking Dead TV series doesn't plan to last as long as the comics, killing Negan would be a satisfying end to the character's run.

More Walking Dead

With half of a year left until The Walking Dead airs a new episode, stay tuned to ComicBook.com for any news related to the AMC series as it trickles out in the off-season.

MORE WALKING DEAD: TWD Actor Teases Epic Return From Season 1 / FTWD Renewed For Season 4 / Three Actors Promoted To Series Regulars / TWD Showrunner Joins FTWD / TWD F-Take Clips With Rick And Daryl / How Long Until New TWD?

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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