Warning: The following contains possible spoilers for AMC's "The Walking Dead."
In issue 100 of "The Walking Dead" comic book, creator Robert Kirkman introduced the character of Negan and nothing was ever the same. The intelligent, charismatic, psychotic and brutal character became the defining villain of the series, more so than Shane, the Governor, the cannibals at Terminus or any other foes our heroes came up against.
Negan was a different breed entirely. He is "The Walking Dead's" version of The Joker. That is why comic book readers have been so anxious to see him on screen. But six years after AMC's "The Walking Dead" exploded onto the TV scene, those fans are finally getting their wish.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan will make his debut as the iconic villain in the season six finale. However, showrunner Scott Gimple and the network have refrained from giving away too much about his introduction, opting instead for secrecy and suspense. Well, to whet your appetites, here is the first "look" at Negan.
(Spoiler Alert)
It makes sense that the primary image of this promo is Negan's legendary barb wired bat that he affectionately nicknamed Lucille. As comic book readers know, Negan introduces himself to Rick's gang by beating Glenn to death with it. It is one of the most shocking and disturbing scenes in the entire series.
As show watchers know, we are going to get a version of that climatic moment in the season six finale. However, will Glenn be on the other side of that bat? Recent spoiler reports have claimed that the episode will end on a cliffhanger, with the audience not knowing who Negan killed. That would be incredibly frustrating for fans who have been waiting quite a long time for this.
Adding to the ambiguity is the fact that Glenn has almost died several times on the show already and both actor Steven Yeun and Gimple have addressed the rumors by explaining that the show could diverge from the comics.
Will it? Nervous fans want to know. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to find out.
"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays on AMC at 9 pm ET.
