It's no secret that Negan is one of the scariest characters introduced in The Walking Dead. But how exactly did the villain survive and get his own one-off comic book? Interestingly, Robert Kirkman revealed that Negan was supposed to be killed off but had the most unlikely savior.
In the comics, Negan's last appearance was in The Walking Dead #174 where he was confronted by Maggie Rhee, who was out to avenge her husband Glenn. Although it was assumed that Maggie shot Negan, the new comic Negan Lives #1 confirms that it didn't happen. However, it wasn't because Maggie was feeling generous.
Kirkman revealed in the Letter Hacks column at the end of Negan Lives #1 that the villain was only spared by Maggie because artist Charlie Adlard wasn't convinced about the way Negan would be killed off (via Comicbook.com). Kirkman then shared part of Adlard's email about the death.
"Are you trying to say that this is some sort of 'id' thing where deep down inside, that's what she wants to do, even though she's being convinced she doesn't have to shoot him," Adlard wrote. "It just feels a bit forced. As I said, the more I got to know Negan — especially over these last few years — the more I wished he'd stayed around till the end. I wish redemption would've worked for him."
We agree with Adlard on this one considering that there is still so much that we want to learn about Negan. Needless to say, we're glad that Kirkman took the artist's thoughts into consideration and went with a comic book focusing on Negan.
Negan Lives #1 is available now.
Related: The Walking Dead Creator Reveals Why Negan was Brought Back
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