Jeffrey Dean Morgan will return as Negan in season 2 of the spinoff, The Walking Dead: Dead City in 2025. Morgan has portrayed the villain since the season finale of season 6, which aired in 2016. He began as leader of the Saviors and overtime made drastic attempts to redeem himself. His story continues in the first direct spinoff, Dead City.
Negan's comic story differs some from his series story, for example, his physic is much more intimidating in the comic with a more muscular build and his language was toned down, A LOT, in the series. Another difference in his bond with Judith (Cailey Fleming), which is non-existent in the comic since she died as an infant.
Similarities between the two versions of Negan include his intelligence; both were able to control hundreds of followers and infiltrate the Whisperers group while also manipulating Alpha (Samantha Morton). They both shared their fondness for Lucille, the weapon, and the wife, often treating his "dirty girl" (the nickname for the weapon) better than his fellow survivor
Negan was given an origin story in the episode and comic titled "Here's Negan." This inside look into the life of Negan gained the character a bit of sympathy for the tragic loss of his beloved wife.
In 2020, during the Comic-Con@Home panel, Morgan shared that the scene he missed playing out was when Negan held an emotional funeral for Lucille after he beat Beta to within an inch of his life, and she broke in the comic. This storyline serves as his goodbye to the weapon, which is so much more than a baseball bat to Negan, which kept him company for so long, but also the long-awaited goodbye to his wife, whose death propelled him to become Negan, the feared leader of the Saviors.
"That kind of emotional...cause Lucille represents so much to him beyond a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. And I always loved that."
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan
In 2021, the scene was adapted for the series in "Here's Negan." At the beginning of the episode, Carol (Melissa McBride) takes Negan to what was Leah's cabin to keep him away from Maggie (Lauren Cohan). He is disappointed but accepts what Carol tells him was the council's decision. After hallucinating his younger self, who taunts him, Negan returns to the tree where his neck was slashed by Rick (Andrew Lincoln). He begins to look for Lucille, unearthing her from her burial site.
While taking out some walkers, Lucille is cracked, causing him to fall to his knees in heartbreak over his loss. Back at the cabin he bids his wife a final farewell, apologizing for all he has done, including naming "a stupid baseball bat" after her. He wraps the bat in a towel, throws her in the fire, and she is destroyed.
