The Walking Dead Showrunner Admits Negan Might Be Wrong About One Key Thing

Whether we knew it at the time or not, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has been on a momentous journey ever since he murdered Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) in "The Walking Dead" Season 7, Episode 1 ("The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"). In the time since Glenn's death, Negan's community (the Saviors) has dissolved and he has started to pay for his crimes.

However, ever since the six-year time jump in Season 9, Negan has appeared on a road to redemption (or thereabouts, anyhow). Though many characters on the series often remain skeptical of his intentions, none are as continually suspicious of the former Savior leader as Glenn's widow, Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan). Interestingly, writers have forced Maggie and Negan to work together repeatedly since the Season 11 premiere, sparking much speculation about the evolving relationship between the two enemies. 

In a recent interview, the showrunner of "The Walking Dead" questioned whether Negan might have made a serious mistake about Maggie in the Season 11, Part 2 premiere.

In Season 11, Episode 9 ("No Other Way"), Maggie chooses to take Negan's lethal advice in dealing with the threat posed by the few surviving Reapers. Though we would never have expected it before, Maggie has turned into a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, closer in style to Negan than anyone else before. Taking their history and Maggie's recent actions into consideration, Negan quickly opts to depart their shared community rather than constantly look over his shoulder for a seemingly inevitable attack from Maggie. 

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "The Walking Dead" showrunner Angela Kang referenced Maggie's previous "rogue" state in Season 9 (when Maggie tried to kill Negan in his cell) as something that Negan believes could recur in the future. "For Negan, he is a smart guy and he is just doing the math and all it takes is one more really bad day and I could be gone," Kang said. "That guy is a survivor."

But is Negan's estimation of Maggie's decision-making process correct? 

"I don't know if he's right," Kang said (via Entertainment Weekly). "I think that those two have a very complicated relationship, but the thing that he is right about is that Maggie has been in a place where Maggie decides in the moment. Maggie is not a team player right now."

Though Maggie would certainly have preferred to kill Negan at any previous point, Kang appeared to cast some doubt on the certainty that Maggie has her sights set on exacting her revenge all these years later.

"But I think in their own way, they are making peace with each other by saying we should just not occupy the same spheres," Kang said. "And he's taking his destiny in his hand beyond that."