The Walking Dead's Creator Knows Why Everyone Hates Negan, But There's 1 Reason He Still Loves the Villain

Negan has become essential to the DNA of the Walking Dead franchise, but even creator Robert Kirkman acknowledges that for some fans, the foul-mouthed, barbed-wire-bat-swinging character has always been, and continues to be, a controversial addition to the zombie series. However, Kirkman offers a “counterpoint” to anti-Negan arguments, though he also admits that he is biased in favor of the character.

The Walking Dead Deluxe #114, written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard, features the latest installment of the fan-favorite “Cutting Room Floor” section, in which the author takes a retrospective look at the series, through the eyes of a more experienced creative veteran.

With Negan’s initial villainous arc truly starting to heat up at this point in the series, Kirkman took a moment to cite complaints about the character, and The Walking Dead in general, from the time of the issue’s initial release, though not without further explaining the virtues of Negan, from his perspective as a storyteller.

Robert Kirkman Acknowledges Why Many Fans Hated Negan At First, And Why Some Still Do

The Walking Dead Deluxe #114, Written By Robert Kirkman; Art By Charlie Adlard; Color By Dave McCaig; Lettering By Rus Wooten

As Robert Kirkman put it in The Walking Dead Deluxe #114:

Again, I totally see why some longtime readers hated Negan. I get it. In a way he's kind of pissing all over what was a very serious book for a very long time. That can be very off-putting and alienate readers. I've been there, when a thing you love slowly starts to turn into something you no longer enjoy. It can be a bummer.

In other words, Negan is rightly described as a pivotal character for The Walking Dead franchise, but as much as he proved to be a paradigm-shifting character for the story, he was also a turning point for some fans, and not necessarily a positive one. Negan brought about a tonal change for the series, a vibe shift, and for readers who were enjoying the vibe of The Walking Dead up to that point, this wasn't exactly welcome.

That said, according to Kirkman, it added a necessary new dimension to the book, which had run for one-hundred issues up to the point of Negan’s introduction, and would run for nearly another hundred before wrapping up. Kirkman wrote:

To add a counterpoint, I've seen people criticize this series for being repetitive. They say this series is Rick and the group finding a pocket of civilization, integrating, wrecking it, and then moving on. Wash, rinse, repeat. I can argue against that all day long...the locations are all different, the villains are all different, etc. Also, you can distill a superhero book into "good guy fights bad guy and then fights another bad guy and then..." well, you get it. The difference is in the details.

And Negan is, to me, one of those details that provided a breath of fresh air.

While certainly, some might quibble with calling Negan "a breath of fresh air," the point Robert Kirkman is making stands. It is undeniably that Negan's arrival reinvigorated the franchise, giving it new life, and likely extending its longevity, especially once Kirkman made the creative decision to offer the antagonist a redemption arc.

Negan's Villain Era Is Even More Intense In Full Color, But His Redemption Is The True Controversy

Fans Are Eager To Chart Robert Kirkman's Response To The Character

With the Deluxe re-release of The Walking Dead, readers have had the chance to experience Negan's peak villain era once again, this time in full, gruesome color. Early Negan was violent, sadistic, and uncompromisingly foul in every sense of the word, from his mouth, to his intentions. The fact that he would eventually become a fan-favorite is among the most complex aspects of The Walking Dead's legacy, but it is fair to say that it started with the character becoming one of Robert Kirkman's favorites.

After reiterating his counterargument in favor of Negan, Kirkman also mused that his Walking Dead Deluxe commentary has perhaps become too much of an apologia for the notorious character. Though Kirkman recognizes the character's importance now, at the time, he was still very much "another bad guy," one whose role speaks for itself, and shouldn't need defending. "I gotta stop that," he noted, though only time will tell what fresh perspective on Negan that a return to his early work in the groundbreaking Walking Dead comic series will afford Roberr Kirkman.

The Walking Dead Deluxe #114 is available now from Image Comics.