Dead City Season 2's Newest Villain Might Beat The Walking Dead's Biggest Antagonist In 1 Major Way: "Between Bruegel & Negan, I'm Not Sure Who Would Come Out On Top"

The newest villain in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 may beat out the franchise's biggest antagonist, according to executive producer Scott M. Gimple. After a first installment, which leaned all the way into the unlikely partnership between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan), The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 returns to AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, May 4. It will see the reluctant partners fighting for control of Manhattan, albeit they're on opposite sides. It will be complicated by the arrival of a new baddie: Bruegel, who is played by Sons of Anarchy and Prison Break alum Kim Coates.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Tatiana Hullender, Gimple offered insight into how Bruegel and his group of survivors operated and what makes them stand out compared to past Walking Dead villains. Gimple, who is the chief content officer of The Walking Dead universe at AMC, explained all of the new character's contradictions and what makes Bruegel such an interesting antagonist that could give Negan a run for his money in the humor department. Gimple's quote is below:

What Bruegel's Arrival Means For The Walking Dead

A Veteran Actor Adds Some Unease To The Spinoff

Bruegel's character description lists him as the leader of one of the fiercest gangs in New York City. He is noted to be manipulative and intelligent, even more so than viewers might initially believe, which falls in line with the varied way that Gimple makes sure to describe the chair. He joins the spinoff after the eventful Dead City season 1 ending, at a time when there's a growing war for control of New York City. Maggie's path will cross with Negan again, as both soon realize how fraught the path forward will be.

The Walking Dead: Dead City, which is showrun by Eli Jorné, has a dedicated team of producers that includes Cohan, Morgan, Jorné, and Brian Bockrath. They've brought in a veteran performer who's well-positioned to toss up the world of the zombie franchise, which has been so reliant on villains. It was none other than Morgan, changing the show forever when he made his debut as the seemingly irredeemable Negan at the end of The Walking Dead season 6.

The spinoff is welcoming other actors into the Walking Dead: Dead City cast, including Keir Gilchrist, Dascha Polanco, Jake Weary, and Pooya Mohseni. They are all poised to complicate the narrative in their own way, though none more so than Coates. Fans will know him for his role as Tig in Sons of Anarchy and Sullins on Prison Break, in addition to roles on CSI: Miami, Bad Blood, and the recent American Primeval.

Our Take On The Walking Dead's Newest Villain

It's Time To See Negan Rattled

One of the fun things a long-running hit like The Walking Dead can do is bring in bigger and scarier villains each time. It's a tricky gambit that isn't easy to pull off. But in success, there is the added bonus of seeing someone like Negan on the defensive. That, on its own, might be worth the price of admission for The Weaking Dead: Dead City season 2.