There has been a lot of talk this season about Negan‘s dramatic entrance on The Walking Dead. Just like his comic-counterpart, Jeffery Dean Morgan’s iteration of the character debuted on the series with a bang. As soon as Negan comes into the play, a major character is killed. In the case of the show, two victims were taken in Negan’s opening scene.
His brutality, demeanor, and vulgarity have made a case for Negan to be called the most ruthless villain in television history. Sure, he was bad in the comics, but this TV version is really something else.
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Fans of The Walking Dead certainly think he’s the worst they’ve seen, and they aren’t sure how much more of the villain they can take. What could be worse than a man who kills beloved characters to prove a point, puts their guts in their loved one’s faces, and smiles while he’s doing it?
To be honest, there is something worse, and Walking Dead fans have already seen him.
The Governor is an unparalleled type of evil that Negan could only dream of becoming. You may not agree, but let’s talk this out.
Negan is a ruthless killer, that’s for sure. It also seems like he enjoys it at times. However, the fact remains that Negan is a smart guy. Everything he does is for a purpose, and his charm is just a tool he uses to get through the day. By appearing chipper all of the time, Negan keeps himself sane, while simultaneously driving others crazy.
Negan is terrifying, but strategic. The Governor, on the other hand, is totally insane.
When fans met The Governor on the show, he had already lost touch with reality. The man kept heads of walkers in fish tanks so that he could try to acclimate to life outside of Woodbury. He even kept his zombified daughter in a closet, trying to pretend that she hadn’t really turned. The Governor knew the dangers of walkers, but he didn’t let that stop him.
You could argue that Negan has done something similar with his wife and his baseball bat. He treats Lucille like a living thing because his wife, whose name was Lucille, was taken from him. But this is a much healthier way of dealing with things. Negan has projected his loss into an inanimate object so that he won’t put himself or his people in danger.
Negan’s completely in tune with what is going on around him, but The Governor was far removed from the shambles of humanity.
Negan has also found a way to have a moral compass, even while doing things so evil. He murders people throughout his time in the comics, but it’s always for a reason. Even on the show, he only killed Glenn and Abraham to keep his word.
Think about it, Rick killed a massive amount of Negan soldiers. Negan sent a message to Rick, saying he would kill one of his as payback. By killing Abraham, he did that. Negan also said someone else would die if anyone made a move on him. Daryl did, and Negan kept his word.
The guy may be a terrible person, but he is honest about what he does. If you don’t provoke it, Negan won’t kill you.
The Governor on the other hand, is a totally different story.
If you could alter The Governor’s plans, in any way, he was going to put you down. Even if you hadn’t done anything yet, he would still end your life before you had the chance. Take the soldiers, for example. These guys were off in the distance, working on their vehicle, and The Governor got word that they were near. He proceeded to take a group of his soldiers to their location, pretend to be innocent, and slaughter the entire group. Those men could have easily given their supplies to Woodbury, and offered to help the community, but they were a threat to The Governor’s twsited way of life. In other words, they had to go.
This is exactly what caused The Governor to be so obssesed with Rick and the prison. The issues were over, but they still posed a threat to him.
The Governor also loses points on the moral chart for his dealings with women. He has proven throughout his run that sexual assault is totally okay. On the show, he got very close to raping Maggie. He didn’t do it, but that’s because he knew he could break her by taking her back to Glenn. In the comics, however, he did rape Michonne. Multiple times. Negan doesn’t stand for that type of treatment of women, and will kill any man who tries.
Lastly, these two have major differences in the way in which they get others to follow them.
Negan stays honest with his people. He will tell them what he expects, and will keep them safe if they do as they’re told. This doesn’t make him a good guy, or even a nice guy, but you know where you stand.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Governor is the ultimate deceiver. He rules his people with a liar’s tongue, and no one has any idea. Whenever he does something terrible, he twists his words so that the people believe they’re being cared for. The man spews lies from the pulpit, and his followers are drinking the kool-aid. Not to mention his identity is a lie in and of itself.
The Governor has revealed that his real name is Phillip Blake, but that’s not entirely true. In the prequel novel about The Governor (which is totally canon), you learn that his name is actually Brian Blake. His brother was Phillip, who was the true leader of people. After his brother’s death, Brian started pretending to be him. The identity of The Governor is completely fabricated, and none of his people even know.
Fans of The Walking Dead TV show believe Negan is the worst villain of all time, and that’s largely due to what he did to Rick. Yes, he ripped your heart out by mercilessly killing Glenn, and yes he has shattered Rick’s humanity. Is that enough to deem him the most evil villain in history?
The Governor has done worse, to many more people, but they just weren’t characters that you loved. He also may not have done those things with a smile on his face.
You can hate Negan all you want, but just remember one thing: the worst has already come and gone.
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