😲 Did The Walking Dead secretly fix a 9-year-old fan gripe? 😲
Negan’s dark past still haunts fans, but one subtle move might’ve settled the score—did you miss it? 👀
👉 Unravel the hidden twist here:

The Walking Dead franchise will continue with The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3 in September 2025, but viewers are not as eager for this installment after the contentious Season 2 finale of The Walking Dead: Dead City. While both of these spin-offs were previously well-received by die-hard fans of the original series, they have received a lot of heat in the last couple of entries, disappointing viewers with repetitive storytelling and an inability to stand out from the previous shows. One of the most controversial aspects of TWD universe right now is how the storyline has developed (or failed to develop) the characterization of long-running characters.

Arguably, no other character is quite as controversial as Negan Smith, who has as many adoring fans as haters who cannot stand his main character status in Dead City. The spin-off has made a substantial effort to make this former antagonist lovable, but many viewers are unconvinced by his characterization, feeling as though he’s strayed too far from his established personality. After many years of his growth and development as a Walking Dead hero, certain viewers still want to see him pay for his past, which overlooks how his storyline has played out in the current spin-off.

Fans Still Want Revenge For Glenn’s Death

At this point in the franchise, it’s hard to imagine how the storyline would have played out if the original series did not kill off Glenn Rhee at the beginning of Season 7. This began a sequence of events that are crucial to the last few seasons of the show, and the impact of the spin-off shows, especially Dead City. Despite this, many fans are still infuriated by Negan killing Glenn in The Walking Dead and want to see the former villain suffer for this horrific murder.

Glenn was a beloved original character who saved Rick Grimes at the beginning of the flagship series, setting him up as not just a likable character but someone who was crucial for the continuation of the storyline. As time went on, viewers realized that Glenn wasn’t quite the underdog that he initially seemed to be, proving himself to be one of the most intelligent and strategic early characters, solidifying his popularity in the fandom. Therefore, even though his death was pulled right from the source material, viewers had hope that this piece of the canon would change to keep him alive.

For this reason, Negan wasn’t just hated upon his introduction because he was a diabolical villain, but because he killed off a cherished long-running character. The creators have worked hard to change the perception of Negan, building him up as the type of protagonist who would risk himself for a little girl and offer to sacrifice himself for the good of others. While this makes the previous antagonist a lovable and complex personality, there are still plenty of fans who want to see him suffer for his wrongdoings prior to his imprisonment, especially when it comes to Glenn’s brutal murder.

Maggie Has Attempted a Couple of Times (But Backed Out)

Image via AMC

The tension between Maggie and Negan has been festering since she returned to the original show in Season 10 and realized he had been freed from his cell, reigniting her fury over his previous actions and Rick’s decision not to execute the Saviors’ leader. In the Dead City Season 2 finale, this tension seemed to come to its boiling point when she made the decision to kill Negan to fix her relationship with her son, Hershel. However, she made a last-minute choice not to go through with it, presumably due to how he mourned the demise of Ginny, a girl he cared for after he killed her father.

This also isn’t the first time Maggie tried to assassinate Negan to avenge her husband’s death. In the original series, she went behind Rick’s back and worked with Daryl to plot the villain’s murder while he was vulnerable in his cell in Alexandria. Similarly to the scenario in Dead City, she changed her mind, but in this previous situation, she saw how much Negan was suffering and decided this was a better fate for him than a quick death. This was a very different mentality for the traumatized widow, but both situations highlight her indecisiveness when it comes to whether she thinks he deserves to live or not.

Some fans are grateful that Maggie has never been able to take that step and murder the man who killed her husband, wanting Negan to continue his journey in the franchise. On the other hand, many viewers were annoyed by this decision in the recent installment of Dead City, believing this would have been a shocking twist that finally made the spin-off worthwhile. Regardless, the likelihood that Maggie will be the one to avenge Glenn’s death is decreasing with each choice to spare Negan and continue to work with him.

Negan Is Suffering For His Past In Dead City

Image via AMC

When discussing whether Negan deserves to pay for murdering Glenn or not, most people jump to the conclusion that this vengeance must entail the former villain’s death. Though Negan has been the good guy in TWD more than once now, these fans eager for revenge don’t believe his good deeds make up for all the terrible things he did prior to the Saviors’ War. On the other hand, there are different ways people can suffer for the horrendous actions they committed in the past, and it can certainly be argued that Negan has suffered tremendously over the last couple of installments.

At the beginning of Dead City, Negan was wanted by the New Babylon Federation for killing some of their men to punish them for attacking his wife Annie. To protect his family from this powerful community, he sent Annie and their son Joshua away, surviving alone to keep them away from his enemies. By the time he was dragged into the situation in Manhattan and forced to embrace his villainous persona once again, he was already agonizing over not being able to be with his loved ones.

In the Season 2 finale of the spin-off, Negan has to grapple with the loss of Ginny, the only person remaining whom he truly cares for unconditionally, shortly after sending Annie and Joshua away after the Dama sent for them. When he’s last seen, he is forced into a tense alliance with Perlie Armstrong and Maggie, still injured from Maggie stabbing him in the back. With the former villain forced to indefinitely part from his family to keep them safe and surrounded by people who don’t necessarily care about his well-being or emotional turmoil, Negan is certainly suffering for his past actions.

Right Now, the Franchise Is Failing This Character In Another Way

At this point in The Walking Dead timeline, Glenn Rhee has been dead for nearly twenty years, which poses the question of whether it’s still necessary to avenge his death or if the franchise should instead work to honor his memory. An obvious way to respect the life and legacy of Glenn would be to give his beloved wife a happy ending and give his son an epic storyline worthy of his father’s. Unfortunately, Dead City has established Hershel Rhee as a subtle villain, featuring the young man betraying his mother and working with the Dama for an idealistic vision of the future.

Thankfully, there is still hope for Hershel, and his misguided actions can be explained as a teenager’s desire to be independent and take control of his future. However, this doesn’t change the current perception of him, with many viewers uncertain about his nature and concerned that his worldview will lead to harm. This is a heartbreaking turn of events when considering Glenn’s legacy, which is not looking positive due to Maggie’s persistent negative characterization and Hershel’s decision to dedicate himself to someone who is potentially more unpredictable and violent than his father’s murderer.

For many seasons, the fandom has been largely split on Negan, with many viewers adoring his redemption arc, some preferring him as a villain, and others still eager for his death. The former are not convinced by his role as a protagonist and think Glenn deserves revenge. Regardless, it seems Negan is not leaving The Walking Dead universe any time soon, but those who want to see his downfall can at least be satisfied with the reality that the former villain is very much suffering in his current situation.