In the wrap up of the fifth season of AMC's "The Walking Dead," fans were left with great anticipation for the next installment of the world-renowned zombie apocalypse series.
Rick Grimes and group have already reached Alexandria and they might be ready to take over the walled safe-zone they have always been searching for. The appearance of Rick's friend Morgan Jones may lead to another conflict that fans surely look forward to. And the Wolves are just beyond the walls of Rick's new found haven, waiting for the perfect time to attack and devour.
However, amid all the excitement surrounding what fans are theorizing on what will happen in the upcoming series, comic fans where the hit-TV show is based are highly expecting the appearance of one of the most famous villains in the series — Negan.
As described by Screen Rant, Negan, in the comics, is the psychopath leader of a group named the Saviors whose purpose and goals are nowhere near their name. Negan draws comparison with the Governor as he rules by fear. His most notable trademark is his baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, which he ultimately named "Lucille." The said villain was first seen in issue #100 of the comics, instantly becoming infamous after brutally killing a fan-favorite character (which we will not name but you can guess from the remaining characters!).
Showrunner Scott M. Gimple provided a hint during an interview with EW about the chances of Negan making his debut on the small screen, saying that "It's absolutely a possibility."
"And when I say it's a possibility, we have a plan in place, but there's a couple variables for that plan that we're deciding about. It really depends on a few factors as we move into setting up the last bit of the season story-wise," Gimple added in the interview.
Moreover, EW also predicts that if Negan will appear on TV, there is also a possibility that Paul Monroe aka Jesus (because of his look) will appear. Jesus is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and is the one responsible for connecting the Alexandrians to other communities like the Hilltop that provides services and goods for the benefit of all. This connection, however, leads Rick's group being entangled with a conflict with Negan.
"Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman also gave his piece on the rumor.
"When it comes to characters like The Governor, Michonne, Abraham, and others like Jesus and Negan who are fan-favorite characters in the comics, it's always a challenge to get it right because it's those characters-much like Rick Grimes in the beginning-that fans already have a sense of and expectations for," Kirkman said. "So we're always careful, and I feel like we've done a really good job servicing those fan expectations. Hopefully that trend will continue...if the characters you mention are to appear soon."