The Walking Dead: Dead City Is Retconning Negan's Villainous Past

Contains spoilers for "The Walking Dead: Dead City"

When Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) first appeared on "The Walking Dead," he was a baseball bat-wielding maniac who often committed atrocities with a smile on his face. For example, in Season 6's "Last Day on Earth," he plays a game of "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe" to determine which unfortunate soul he's going to bludgeon to death. In Season 7, he viciously offs Glenn Rhee (Steven Yuen) and further establishes himself as a ruthless bad guy. These days, however, Negan is a hero alongside Glenn's wife, Maggie Greene-Rhee (Lauren Cohan), on "The Walking Dead: Dead City."

Of course, Negan experiences some significant character growth as "The Walking Dead" progresses. A long-term prison stint and several heroic acts redeem him over time, making him more sympathetic. Furthermore, while she can never truly forgive him, even Maggie learns to accept him and the pair manage to form an alliance of sorts. This relationship is further developed on AMC's newest spin-off as Maggie needs Negan to help save her son and take down The Croat (Željko Ivanek).

That being said, "Dead City" wants viewers to believe that Negan has always been a good man at heart, and that just isn't true. Negan used to be the ultimate villain, and erasing that history betrays the character's entire journey thus far.

Some critics believe that "The Walking Dead: Dead City" is unnecessary and brings nothing new to the dynamic between Maggie and Negan. She still hates him for killing Glenn, and he begrudgingly agrees to help Maggie find her kidnapped son because he owes her. This time around, though, Negan tries to convince his old nemesis that his evil shtick was all an act to protect the Saviors.

"Dead City" doesn't look past Negan's debaucherous history, but it's trying to recontextualize it. Prior to becoming an antihero, he gleefully slaughtered other human beings and coerced women into sleeping with him. He was evidently evil for a substantial period of his life, and that shouldn't be overlooked just because he's a somewhat decent person on "Dead City." He claims that he always felt guilty about his past actions, but the reality is that he used to be a vicious tyrant who felt zero remorse. 

Negan arguably earns his second chances on "The Walking Dead," so the latest spin-off doesn't have to give viewers more reasons to root for him. By implying that he was always good at heart, however, "Dead City" risks making his entire road to redemption feel meaningless. There's nothing wrong with adding new layers to Negan's character, but let's not rewrite his history in the process.