What’s Going On With Negan In The Walking Dead Season 8?

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2010-10-30
Negan is M.I.A. on The Walking Dead Season 8 set.
Negan is M.I.A. on The Walking Dead Season 8 set. AMC

Negan is apparently nowhere to be found on The Walking Dead Season 8 set and the show is allegedly five episodes in.

Digital Spy reports Negan hasn’t been spotted on set since filming The Walking Dead Season 8 episode one. The cast is allegedly filming the fifth episode of the season. It’s just a rumor at this point and it doesn’t mean Negan’s days on set are numbered. It’s likely Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan on the show, will film his scenes a bit later.

Morgan also joined the cast of Dwayne Johnson's upcoming movie Rampage , which also stars Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman and Joe Manganiello. Splitting his duties, Morgan is likely going back and forth between sets to work on both projects. Afterall, Negan is a staple character from here on out.

[Warning: The Walking Dead comic book spoilers ahead]

There’s a time jump between the first battle of the All Out War arc and the next. Neither of the two communities can afford to constantly be fighting against the other. After all, everyone has to deal with the walker threat and gunfight will draw large crowds. But the communities that no longer work with Negan cut off his supplies. The Saviors start running low on provisions and they have to be strategic with their fights. There’s also a mole in the Savior’s camp feeding information to Rick.

This time jump would allow for other The Walking Dead stories to be told while Morgan is off filming his movie. It would explain why Negan doesn’t attack often and why he doesn’t have much screen time in the first half. Remember there are other communities as well. The show can focus on The Kingdom and The Hilltop before circling back to Negan. Afterall, Negan’s story doesn’t end after the All Out War arc.

After the events of All Out War, Negan becomes Rick’s prisoner. Rick made the difficult decision keep Negan as a prisoner in Alexandria. Rick treats Negan as humanely as he can; he goes down to his cell to talk to him. Rick allows Negan to bathe and has meals sent to him. Carl even goes to Negan’s cell to talk to him, even if he does so begrudgingly. There comes a point where Negan starts asking for Rick and Carl to stay and chat. It’s pretty sad, but Negan would’ve done far worse to Rick than allow him to sit in a cell.

We doubt the show will kill off Negan. The dynamic between Rick and Negan gets more interesting as the comics progress. They’re kind of what Rick and Shane could’ve been had Shane not lost it in the second season. But there are things Negan does that even Shane would think is crazy. Morgan missing a few episodes isn’t a big deal; we’re sure they’ll be enough Negan to go around in The Walking Dead Season 8.

The Walking Dead Season 8 premieres this October on AMC.

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