Dead City Season 2 May Fix The Walking Dead Fans' Biggest Negan Complaint 6 Years Later

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2, set to be released in Spring 2025, is the next installment of the vast Walking Dead franchise. With long-running characters Negan and Maggie leading the spin-off series, the creators have their work cut out for them in order to introduce a fresh and interesting plotline to go along with well-known personalities. As the fanbase becomes increasingly critical of the overall series and the development of the post-apocalyptic world, the new shows have a lot to live up to when it comes to the beloved flagship series.

One major point of contention among viewers is the controversial treatment of Negan's character. Though he is one of the most popular surviving characters in the franchise, he still continues to be one of the most disliked. As a former villain, some fans preferred Negan as an antagonist and others would have liked to see him killed off years ago. With the promise of him embracing his previous villainous persona, Dead City has the potential to satisfy those most critical of Negan's redemption arc.

Season 9 of TWD Defined Negan as a Hero

Negan is The Walking Dead's most prominent villain. He caused the survivors immeasurable pain, which ignited the start of a new world order for the Alexandria, Hilltop, Kingdom, and Oceanside communities. However, he had a serious character change after Rick defeated him in the Season 8 finale. Following Rick's exit in Season 9 and the seven-year time jump, Negan had spent that entire time locked in a cell in Alexandria. Though not much is shown regarding Negan's complicated timeline during these skipped-over years, the audience learns that he developed a friendship with Judith Grimes. On the other hand, he doesn't fully own up to the damage he did when he was the leader of the Saviors, suggesting he was simply the loser instead of accepting his role as a villain. This left fans wondering if there was any true redemption for the former antagonist.

The moment Negan became a true hero in The Walking Dead was in the Season 9 finale, "The Storm." As a winter storm hits Alexandria, Negan is removed from his cell to keep him alive while they wait out the snow. However, on the way to a warmer and safer location, Judith hears Dog barking in the distance and runs off into the storm. Negan runs after the child, getting hit with debris during his search, and eventually saves the young girl and Dog from the harsh elements. Even for viewers skeptical about his redemption, it's hard to deny that saving a child and animal without any obvious reward was a heroic act. This moment marked the first notably good thing Negan does that changes the viewpoints of other survivors. After this, his behavior and character change lead to others accepting him as a redeemed villain, especially after he assassinates The Whisperers' Alpha and aids in taking down the corrupt regime of The Commonwealth.

Fans Aren't a Fan Of Redeemed Negan

There are many times throughout the later seasons of The Walking Dead in which Negan can be considered a good guy worthy of his redemption arc. On the other hand, Negan's role as a hero is one of the most controversial aspects of the entire franchise. The Season 7 and Season 8 conflict with the Saviors and Negan as an ultimate villain are too hard for some viewers to swallow. These fans don't believe that he is deserving of a redemption arc. There are many who even claim Rick should have killed him instead of sparing him in the Season 8 finale. Killing off beloved characters, such as Glenn Rhee and Abraham Ford, made him an extremely unlikable character. While some viewers were able to get past these deaths due to Negan's character change, others only perceive him as an antagonist who should have met the same bloody fate as villains like the Governor and Alpha.

Alternately, there are many fans who adored Negan as a villain. These viewers thought his role as the Saviors' leader was exceptional and truly captured how an intelligent but ruthless dictator would perform in the post-apocalyptic world. In this way, Negan was the supreme villain of The Walking Dead, representing the most gruesome and disturbing aspects of apocalyptic leadership. Unfortunately, these viewers were also not fans of his redemption arc. Those who enjoyed Savior Negan hated his redemption, feeling as if all of his interesting and captivating personality traits were dimmed as a hero. Some of these viewers would have also appreciated Negan receiving an ending fitting of a horrible villain. That ending to his timeline would have been more favorable to them than him being forcibly rehabilitated through years of captivity and self-reflection. These particular fans are also many of the ones excited about the next season of Dead City, which will feature Negan embracing his previous role.

Dead City Promises to Revive the Savior Leader

In the first season of Dead City, Negan is tricked into helping Maggie save her son Hershel from the Croat, a man who was previously part of the Saviors but disappeared when Negan tried to assassinate him due to his harsh behavior. It was revealed that Maggie knew the Croat wanted Negan and was willing to lure him into New York City in exchange for her son, even though it was likely the former Savior intended to kill Negan for shooting off his ear and nearly killing him. In the finale, Negan ends up in the hands of the Dama, the true leader of the villainous Manhattan group. He is pressured into joining the group, being threatened with the life of Hershel, who he has a personal attachment to, due to feeling guilty about killing the boy's father, Glenn. The trailer for Dead City Season 2 promised that this forced action is going to revive the infamous Savior leader Negan once was.

This trailer featured Negan in his trademark leather jacket, a new "Lucille" baseball bat covered in barbed wire, and his eerie whistle. Based on the short clip, the former villain seems to have embraced his new role, taking over as another fearsome leader determined to do anything and everything to maintain power. However, viewers also know he is being forced into this role, making them skeptical about his dedication to being an antagonist once again. For fans of post-season 9 Negan, this is a welcome addition to the franchise, promising a return of the most entertaining and terrifying Walking Dead villain. Even with the knowledge that Negan is not necessarily doing this willingly, this gives fans of the diabolical character and haters of his redemption arc an opportunity to see him embrace his glory days of quick, witty threats and bashing in heads.

This Time Negan Could Redeem Himself

However, lovers of villainous Negan are not the only ones who should be excited about the second season of Dead City. Those who hated his redemption arc and thought he wasn't deserving of it have the opportunity to see how this morally gray character has changed. This new plotline challenges the likable hero persona as well, bringing into question if the former antagonist is truly capable of turning away from power when it's presented to him. Even those who want to see Negan dead can appreciate how this could be an extraordinary arc for his characterization. As a villain, he was nearly unstoppable, only taken down by the other survivors uniting. His hold on the Saviors was so strong that many of his followers seemed brainwashed, convinced of his superiority, and validated by his brutality. This could very well be the case for another group of violent post-apocalyptic survivors if Negan is truly dedicated to being another dictator.

However, his characterization from Season 9 of The Walking Dead to the first season of Dead City suggests Negan is no longer able to commit atrocities simply to maintain power. If this is the case, and he is only brutal when forced to or in order to stay alive, the second season of Dead City could provide a true redemption for Negan, convincing skeptics that he is worthy of being a hero. In the flagship series, he was also not provided a choice, forced into captivity until he didn't have access to the power and control he once did. In this new spin-off, Negan has the potential to impress some of his haters. Even if one cannot forgive his character for killing off one of their fan-favorite heroes, Negan can have true redemption by once again having power but choosing to do the right thing and turn his back on authoritative, murderous behaviors.

Fans have waited a long time for the second season of Dead City. Since the finale of the first installment in July 2023, the Walking Dead spin-off has left so many questions demanding answers. With Maggie's regretful feelings about betraying Negan and the former villain forced into another harmful role, the show promises a fascinating set of character evolutions. Along with the threat of another major conflict and a fearsome villain in development, Dead City can revolutionize the franchise in a fresh and exciting way.