Now thatThe Walking Deadis over andGlenn has been dead for years, we can finally admit that Negan is an awesome character… right? There have been plenty of big bads that the group has had to go toe-to-toe with over the 11 seasons it aired, but the most-talked-about villain was Negan. There’s no doubt about it;the influence he made on the showfrom his first appearance is still talked about to this day. He was ruthless, charming, savage, and downright unforgivable. Yet, we love him for it. Here’s a list of Negan’s best moments on the show, ranked.
Making Spaghetti For Carl
Quite possibly one of the most random things Negan has ever done, which is why it had to make the list. Negan has come to check on the town of Alexandria and Rick, but Rick is nowhere to be found. So, instead of coming back at a later time, Negan decides to stick around and hang out with Carl and Judith; Rick’s kids. He practically tortures Carl in the name of bonding, making him show him his empty eye socket, before cuddling with Judith on the porch rocking chair. He shaves his iconic beard off, which is a bit disappointing, and then declares that he’s going to make spaghetti, because why not? He puts on an apron and everything, making Carl help, and by the time Rick comes back, Negan is about ready to bust some skulls. Which he does.
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Hot Diggity Dog
This specific scene is often regarded as resembling something that could have been onThe Office,because of how genuinely funny it is. Negan arrives, takes a look around at all the people, and in his iconic raspy voice, he exclaims, “Hot Diggity Dog!” As he says it, the camera dramatically zooms out and swings around a little, taking in the full range of the scene. The entire episode is genuinely meant to humiliate Rick in front of his people, but this specific moment is too good to not include.
Apologizing to Maggie
Maggie forgiving Negan was a controversial choice to make, and many fans of the show were not happy with it. Itwas even rumored that Negan and Maggie were going to have a romantic storyline, but luckily that was put to bed, when Negan finally apologized to her for what he did to Glenn. Still, the way Negan apologized to Maggie for literally destroying Glenn in front of her, and also taking him away from his son, seemed flimsy to fans. It was still a nice moment of closure for the audience who weren’t over Glenn’s death, but were still watching despite hating Negan. They even have a spin-off series set to come out, so it’s exciting to some and worrisome to others, as we get to watch their relationship develop even more.
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His Backstory
When word got out that Negan was getting a backstory episode, many fans of the show, and fans of Glenn in particular, weren’t convinced this wasn’t a ploy to give Negan sympathy. However, it did turn out thatNegan’s backstory is vital to watchin order to understand how he became the way he is; how he went from a gym teacher to a soulless savage. While you watch the episode titled “Seeing Red”, you’re introduced to Negan’s dead wife, Lucille, who played a massive role in making Negan the ultimate villain, whether she knew it or not. Negan tries desperately to find the chemo-therapy medicine for his sick wife;goes through hell and back for it, only to come home and discover that Lucille has decided she’s going to die on her own terms. It’s a hard episode to watch if you’re anti-Negan, but an important one, nonetheless.
Remaking Lucille
It was agreatmoment for pro-Negan fans. Earlier on in the show, before this episode, Negan broke Lucille, which was unfortunate and a bit sad, but also not really, since we didn’t have his backstory yet. However, at this point, he’s estranged from the group, and we’re not quite sure of his plan until he gets his Lucille back. Lucille 2.0, if you will.
Saving Judith From the Storm
Another redemption arc for Negan, and man, this one was big.In all 11 seasons of this hit show, it was very rare to see snow, or anything other than a sunny day. In this episode, however, the group is slammed with a massive snow storm, and they have to form a human chain in order to walk through it. Judith being the child she is, goes after Dog when he runs off and leaves the chain, causing only Negan to run after her. The fact that only Negan noticed Judith rushing off made fans highly upset, because would that have been realistic? Probably not. Did it make a great episode and show the caring side of Negan and how much he loved Judith? Yes and yes.
First Appearance
Genuinely the most anticipated moment of the entire show, was Negan’s arrival. The way the writers of the show set it up and made it almost torturous for viewers to guess who Negan really was until the fated episode, was genius. What Negan did was different from any villain that appeared on the show before and after him. The fear that he installed not only in the characters, but also the viewers was very well done, because of the hype that was formed around his first appearance. He was big and oh, he was bad, and he let everyone know it the moment he stepped out of that rinky-dink trailer; our beloved characters lined up and kneeling in front of him. Of course, who he decided to kill definitely created massive discourse online; tons of fans quitting the show right then and there, but for some, he became a fan favorite.
