Just because you create something doesn't mean you have to like it. Kurt Cobain grew tired of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" after a while; Johnny Depp rarely watches the films he appears in. There's no rule that says you have to stick with something once it's out there.
But "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman doesn't subscribe to that way of thinking. In fact, he shares the same excitement that fans of the hit AMC series do. That is why he cannot wait for the arrival of Negan, the iconic villain from his source material, in the season six finale on April 3.
"Seeing Jeffrey Dean Morgan in costume, holding Lucille, saying lines - yeah, I don't get goosebumps a lot, but that definitely happened," Kirkman said.
Why is Kirkman and his nation of Dead Heads so excited for this one particular character? If you're not familiar with Negan, here's how Kirkman compared him to the show's other villains.
"Negan is Kind. Negan is respectful. Negan is psychotic. Negan is ruthless. This is a very nuanced character that has a lot of different shades to him. There's a lot of honor to him. There's a rule system in place. I think he's unlike anything anybody's experienced in The Walking Dead thus far.
"He's definitely a different kind of bad guy. He's sadistic and dangerous and all those things that you would expect from a Governor, but he's much more in control. He's much less sporadic and he has much less of a temper. This is not a guy who's going to lose control and start shooting his own people the way the Governor did."
As many comic book readers know, Negan's introduction into "The Walking Dead" universe is a significant one. It may even be the biggest moment of the entire series. The show hopes to capture that same air of importance as Kirkman describes the character's arrival as "intense, heartbreaking, and shocking."
He knows that the comic has set a high bar for the show to reach.
"I think everybody on the show recognizes it for the iconic, monumental moment that it is in the comic book series," Kirkman said. "No one is discussing not doing something like that in the show. It's a very big part of his introduction and we want to do it justice."
"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays on AMC at 9 pm ET.
