'The Walking Dead: Dead City's Newest Villain Is Upstaging Negan in More Ways Than One

Villains are the bread and butter of The Walking Dead, bringing along more excuses for bloodshed and brutality and heightening in intensity with each new post-apocalyptic evil. The early seasons had characters like Shane (Jon Bernthal) filling in an antagonistic role, but it was the Governor (David Morrissey) that laid the foundation of what many of the future villains would look like: a survivor leading a community via mostly bloody means. However, none have been more unforgettable than the quick-witted, bat-wielding Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), whose jaw-dropping entrance of whacking Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) has been seared permanently into our minds. However, his spin-off show with Maggie (Lauren Cohan), The Walking Dead: Dead City, seems to be setting up another memorable villain that may give Negan a run for his money.

Following Negan's redemption arc, Dead City tries to push him back to his old ways in Season 2, Episode 2, where he has to put on a show of cruelty to band together the groups of Manhattan under the Dama's (Lisa Emery) blackmailing direction. In the crowd, the most striking face belongs to veteran actor Kim Coates, whose distinct costume, piercing eyes, and intrigued smirk make us anticipate the character he is going to play. We soon find out he is one of the leaders of the group, Bruegel, but it is in Season 2, Episode 4, where he really gives us a performance that threatens Negan's title of The Walking Dead's most memorable villain.

Kim Coates' Bruegel Has a Big Personality Just Like Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan

From his bold entrance to the subsequent merciless displays of subjugating other communities, Negan was certainly a force to be reckoned with during his run of villainy in The Walking Dead. It was his mix of sheer brutality and witty humor that drew us to the character, easily becoming a fan-favorite villain with how incessantly quotable he is and his impeccable style of delivery. Ahead of Dead City Season 2, executive producer Scott M. Gimple told Screenrant that another villain was going to be introduced, one that would be "one of the most unique villains that we've seen on the show for years." Referring to Coates' Bruegel, Gimple teased that he would rival Negan specifically in the comedy department, one of the former antagonist's defining traits. He says, "Jeffrey has definitely been an incredibly funny villain at times, but if there were a Def Comedy Jam battle between Bruegel and Negan, I'm not sure who would come out on top. They're both hilarious."

Gimple further teased the kind of character Coates would play. "Bruegel is a wheeler-dealer. He is both incredibly modern and of the moment, and yet you could see him in an old Western being the guy who is trying to blow up the town so that he can run his railroad through it." He describes,"He is a fusion of a brutal king and a jester, and Kim Coates is just brilliant." Before Bruegel even appears on-screen, anticipation is already building for the character — who wouldn't be excited by that description? While Bruegel's brief appearance in Episode 2 further ignited that anticipation, Episode 4 proves that he lives up to the hype formed around him, making it clear that Negan has some serious competition for his long-held crown.

Kim Coates' Bruegel Breathes New Life Into 'The Walking Dead: Dead City'

Bruegel practically carries Episode 4, immediately commanding attention with his distinct appearance and eccentric grandeur. Even the setting of the art museum, filled with priceless paintings like one of George Washington crossing the Delaware, adds to the mystique and oddness of Bruegel's character, partly demonstrating how he still values the pre-apocalyptic lifestyle and hinting at what he truly prioritizes. (When it catches on fire, he is more concerned about the painting than his underlings' welfare.) The gambling ring of fighting walkers also adds to this effect, where Bruegel cheats by using a human instead of a walker to ensure he wins resources, including that museum.

Coates' performance cinches the character's ability to play on your mind long after the credits roll. Looking back on his roles of the tough and callous Tig Trager in Sons of Anarchy or, more recently, the oily and feared Brigham Young in American Primeval, it is clear that his experience with rough-around-the-edges characters is paying off in the post-apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead. Coates gives Bruegel that sinister edge that lets us know he is capable of nasty violence, but delivers it in an unnervingly humorous package with a crisp suit and slick hair. If Negan was the leather-donned, bat-swinging product of his circumstances, Bruegel is his modernized counterpart of a greedy, highbrow businessman with an insidious streak. But who would win the throne for most memorable?

Bruegel Isn't Scared of Negan in 'The Walking Dead: Dead City'

While Bruegel is metaphorically rivaling Negan for his title of the most unforgettable villain of The Walking Dead universe, he is also clearly not afraid of Negan, which is refreshing. Even the Croat (Željko Ivanek) and the Dama somewhat defer to Negan, aware of what he is capable of, which is why the Dama constantly reminds Negan of what she holds over him. Bruegel witnessed Negan's performance and seems to be intelligent enough to sense how dangerous he is, but he eagerly exchanges quips with Negan as if excited by the prospect of flirting with danger. When Negan strong-arms him into agreeing to join the Dama without any caveats by threatening to expose his secret of the human fighter, Bruegel barely flinches, and the closing scenes are a promise to himself, Negan, and us that he wasn't planning on backing down. It was about time someone really rattled Negan, and it looks like we're just getting started.

Also, even if Bruegel only matches Negan in the comedy and brutality departments in future episodes, he already has a slight edge over him in terms of villainy due to his genuinely sadistic streak. For Negan, cruelty is a perceived necessity; for Bruegel, it is an option he eagerly takes. We know this through his human pet who acts as a walker in the fights, and we find out he is Bruegel's pre-apocalyptic bodyguard Tony (Nate Adrade), someone Bruegel found a better use for after the "shitstorm to end all shitstorms." Whether Tony was used for plundering resources or simply entertainment, he is a provocative sight as he bites into raw rats with a broken spirit, lighting up for the prospect of serving Bruegel only to be killed pitilessly to keep the secret. With this being our final visceral memory of Bruegel in Episode 4, one that is easily imprinted behind our eyelids, it is clear that Negan needs to start sleeping with one eye open, both to defend his life and his throne.