With the upcoming arrival of Negan, he will be unlike the other villains that showed up in ‘The Walking Dead,’ as explained by the team behind the hit zombie drama.
In a prologue scene that aired during the ‘Into the Badlands’ episode, the AMC series first mentioned its popular comic book villain Negan, who will be portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Talking to the New York Times, ‘The Walking Dead’ creator Robert Kirkman discussed the reasons why Negan is "more dangerous" than the notorious Governor, who was previously played by David Morrissey.
"Each villain does get bigger, in a sense. But that's a natural byproduct of the fact that the longer people survive in this world, the more dangerous they have to be in order to survive," he said.
Kirkman made a comparison in terms of the two villains’ period of struggles and how this could be associated with their dangerous tendencies.
"So if you encounter somebody that's been in this world for a year, like the Governor, he's going to be a pretty dangerous guy who's done a lot to survive,” he noted. “But if you find somebody who's been living in this world for three or four years or however long Negan has survived, they're going to be that much more adapted to this world, and that much more savage and dangerous."
Besides being more treacherous than the Governor, ‘The Walking Dead’ showrunner Scott M. Gimple also announced other things about Negan that certainly makes him unique from the main villain of the third season as well as the first half of season four.
"In my opinion, The Governor is more despicable and damaged, [while] Negan is terrifying in that he isn't a psychopath," he said in an interview with TVLine. "He's charismatic and funny. And even sort of friendly. But he just kills, and it doesn't bother him."
Gimple also explained that, while Negan is not completely insane, people will find it extremely difficult to make him see reason due to the fact that he has his plans “all worked out,” thereby seeing himself as the one in control. The producer even shared that Negan can have a bizarre sense of understanding for others.
"He actually recognizes your bad luck in you running into him, yet it doesn't change a damn thing,” Gimple explained. "Robert has created one of the great pop culture characters of the past 20 years. And we desperately want to get him right."
As for, Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) and Michael Cudlitz (Abraham Ford), these major players have expressed their confidence that Morgan will suitably portray Negan.
"I've met [Morgan] and he's a very nice guy and a terrific actor," Lincoln told TheWrap. "I know he's going to be an incredible asset to the show."
Both Reedus and Cudlitz also shared positive words about Morgan, saying that his talent, style and personality will eventually result to the portrayal of an intimidating yet charming character.
'The Walking Dead' season six is set to return on Feb. 14, 2016.
