MovieChat Forums > The Walking Dead (2010) Discussion > They pretty much have to make Negan the ...

They pretty much have to make Negan the lead now


With Andrew Lincoln leaving Michonne was the obvious character to fill his shoes, but now that shes leaving Negan/Jeffery Dean Morgan really is the biggest star they got left. They really aint got much choice but to make him a full on good guy and have him be the lead on the show. Daryl isn't the type to be the leader and focus of the show, he's a great side guy but his character just aint the right fit for the Rick role.

Negan could easily slide into the Rick role and give the big speeches and be a strong leader, they've already started his redemption this last episode. He tried going back to Sanctuary and picking up where he left off, but he saw its empty and his empire has crumbled, he has nowhere to go except back to Alexandria.

Also you can tell he truly cares about Judith and wants to be better for her. I can see the whisperers attacking Alexandria and Michonne lets Negan out to help and he proves himself. Cause i don't see Negan going back to just sit in his cell again for years. He's gonna earn his redemption and eventually become apart of the community just like in Carl's dream.

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If they let Negan back in with open arms they are just cementing their foolishness. He is a straight up murderer who killed their friends.

He tried to escape and only returned because he's too lazy to actually do any work surviving.

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I know what Negan did but its time to move on, its been over 7 years, Negan has changed and he could be a valuable asset to the community. We saw The Governor couldn't change but its clear as day Negan has and is at least trying to make an effort, time to forgive and move on.

Do you think Carl's dream was for nothing? he saw Negan reformed and apart of the community, planting a garden, it was his dream to see Negan forgiven and a changed person.

Whether you like it or not its gonna happen, Michonne is leaving and the show is gonna be lacking star power, and Negan is the only big star they got left.

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You're a better person than me. I'd have put a bullet in him at the earliest opportunity.

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Carol and Darryle are both signed for three more years.

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Yeah but neither of them as i said are fit for the Rick role aka the lead, Norman Reedus has said himself Daryl aint a leader or the type to give speeches and bring everyone together, hell he barely even talks, he grunts. And Carol's role has been kinda small this season, i really don't see them making her the lead character.

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They are making Daryl more of a (reluctant) leader this season. Tara can't run it on her own. She is smart like Michonne said, but when the whisperers come to the gate, she immediately calls for Daryl. It should be interesting to see how Daryl deals with Alpha. She is supposed to be like Carol during her darker days, so Daryl kinda already knows her.

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Just wondering :
Did anyone else laugh when Judith took that pot shot at him on the motorcycle?

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The line after Negan crashes is hilarious "Language! I'm a kid asshole". But yeah Judith has alot of funny scenes, just the fact that shes so tiny and a little girl makes alot stuff she does funny.

Loved the scene where she catches Negan trying to escape and motions with the gun for him to get off the fence, i know Necotero on Talking Dead said he had to do that take like 3 different times cause he kept cracking up when she did it.

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This isn't the first time you've mentioned this. You seem to be a big fan of the idea.
I am not..
But now I think this;
As I move through life I find that younger people who were not born or were very young during certain life shattering events do not seem to fully appreciate their power..As example I would mention things like the OJ Simpson trial or 9/11 ..
How does that apply to this show?
Well, they've almost successfully removed most witnesses to the worst of Negans deeds..
But there's still Daryl, Carol, Aaron, Rosita and Tara (Michonne, for now) that will never forgive and accept Negan.
He can never be their leader.
And neither will a good share of the viewing audience.

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Thanks very much for that comment. It's exactly what I was thinking. A lot of younger folks in the current era behave as if the world didn't exist until they were here to experience it. I can't tell you how many times at work a millennial has said, "Well that happened before I was born."

What? How dismissive can you be of past evil events?

Negan's actions were on a par with war crimes committed in years past. Seven years in prison -- hardly hard time either-- does not adequately compensate for all of his murders and mutilations of innocent people.

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Exactly..I have had similar experiences with millennials at work about everything from historical events to music and film..If they weren't here or at least "of age" then nothing really matters or is very significant. Unless it somehow can be used by them.
Is it just me or didn't other generations have an interest in other things before their time? I just know I did.

Likewise I see taking the most directly affected out of the picture might make it easier for them to attempt to redefine the kind of person Negan is. As if the viewers forgot.
We know they want to redeem what would not be redeemable.

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I certainly had an interest in things that happened before I was born. Let's face it, 99.9999999999999999999999999999% of everything that has ever happened took place before you were born. This is one of my favorite clips illustrating this: https://youtu.be/nE0mKpShJSU

Yes, if the folks like Maggie were still around, Negan could not be a part of the community.

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I don't see the war crimes comparison. In fact, as far as the war between the 2 camps Rick's actions were BY FAR the more war crime like. Negan killing 2 but letting the rest go free vs Rick's whole team breaking into a enemy facility and murdering them all in their beds.

If we weren't following Rick's team for all of the earlier seasons I would have a hard time believing that Rick's team was actually the good guys.

Don't get me wrong, Negan should be dead, the whole story writing that saved him was awful. I'm just saying Rick's group doesn't have a lot of room to complain about Negan's group's behavior.

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Point taken. I see Negan's actions as a whole- including his absolutely grisly mutilations of his own people -- like ironing people's faces or throwing them outright into a furnace-- as things that constitute crimes worthy of death. But those were not crimes against Rick's team.

TWD has fallen into a typical trap where the bad guy (of the particular season) is more compelling than the other characters. This trope happens in a lot of popular culture.

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He is far more interesting as a character than Daryl is.

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I think thats where its heading as Negan took down Alpha in the comics though there will be a lot of resistance against him being the leader esp from Daryl. Judith could maybe vouch for him but she doesnt have much influence so it will be interesting to see how the show pull it off without it being ludicrous.

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