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Despite being one of the most iconic pop civilisation villain of the last couple of decades , The Walking Dead ’s Negan was almost wholly different . Not only did the post - apocalyptic killer earlier have a different name , but his narration was have in mind to conclude with a brutal death . However , multiple changes shaped him into the character fan love today , and one of them was all thanks toStar Trek .
Image Comics is presently publishingThe walk Dead Deluxe , adding Dave McCaig ’s colouring material to Robert Kirkman , Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore’soriginal black and snowy comic , as well as include creator commentary from Kirkman . InWalking Dead Deluxe # 95 , Kirkman notes that the issuing includes the first honorable mention of Negan ( though not his first coming into court . ) In the ' Cutting Room Floor ' creator commentary , Kirkman note thatNegan was primitively going to be called"Naygus"until he agnize that the name already belong to the leader of the Ferengi inStar Trek : Deep Space Nine .
While Wallace Shawn ’s character is really called ' the Nagus , ' and is worlds away from Jeffrey Dean Morgan ’s depiction ofWalking Dead ’s most iconic villain , Kirkman changed the name once he realized it was n’t an original cosmos , writing :
His name was shift before it date print , thankfully , when I realized I was n’t coming up with a cool sound word from wampum as I think , and was actually just call back something that lived late within the recesses of my superhero , horror , and sci - fi woolly-headed brain .
Kirkman ’s verbal description of being unknowingly inspired byStar Trekmakes this a sodding example of cryptomnesia - a outgrowth where half - forgotten inspiration is misremembered as an original thought . Writer and urge Helen Keller claim that after encounter cryptomnesia in her short story ' The Frost King , ' she was haunted by the care of run into it again for the rest of her career . InThe Story of My Life , Keller admits that even when write a varsity letter to her female parent , she was terrified she was accidentally plagiarize something she ’d register elsewhere .
walk Dead ’s creator articulate its three net words are secretly a subject matter to the reader , help oneself them to enter the core message of the story .
Walking Dead’s Negan Was Originally Naygus
Writer Robert Kirkman Says It Came from “Deep Within the Recesses of my Superhero, Horror, and Sci-Fi Addled Brain”
Negan enteredWalking Deadcanon as the leader of the Saviors - a vicious grouping of survivors who demand tithes from other radical , torture and kill to maintain their fearsome repute . Negan ’s murder of Glenn(and in the boob tube version , Abraham ) is one ofWalking Dead ’s most horrifying moment , though the scoundrel is finally immure by Rick ’s survivors and comes to believe in their imaginativeness of humanity , ending the serial in penitent self - impose expatriate from the Commonwealth and larger human society .
Negan is sleep with for beingWalking Dead ’s most unpredictable character reference , as well as his habit of say whatever ’s on his psyche ( no matter how foul - mouthed ) andwielding Lucille the Vampire Bat- a barbed wire - wrapped baseball at-bat named after his married woman . Thanks to the graphic symbol ’s unique behaviour and his all-embracing electric discharge towards redemption , ' Negan ' is one of the most recognisable name in modern soda pop culture . However , it could easy have been ' Naygus ' who graced the pages ofWalking Dead- which may have impersonate problems for the character ’s iconic condition once fans realized the name was already in purpose .
walk Dead ’s creator has revealed his original architectural plan for the enfranchisement ’s end - a twist that would have completely changed the series ' meaning .
InStar Treklore , the title ' Nagus ' is given tothe drawing card of the Ferengi Alliance , with the first edition lover meet being Nagus Zek . The character appears inStar Trek : Deep Spaceas a cagey loss leader who expands the role of charwoman in Ferengi polish , which is extremely patriarchal and rivet on commerce . The fact that the character was portrayed byThe Princess BrideandMy Dinner with Andreactor Wallace Shawn gave him extra staying - power , and this might have interfered with how novel and singular Negan felt as a villain . However , a name alteration is n’t the only modification Kirkman made on the road to the Negan fans know .
Negan ’s death was lift because artist Charlie Adlard considered it cliché , indicate for a unfeigned redemption arc .
Negan’s Story Was Meant to Have Some Huge Differences
Negan Narrowly Escaped a Brutal Death at Maggie’s Hands
One of the reasonsThe Walking Dead Deluxeis so popular with fans of the dealership is that Kirkman is constantly revealing the modification he made to the taradiddle along the way , and there are alotof them . For a report that has such clear character arc , stakes , and eras , it ’s shocking how many time Kirkman made major change - for instance , design tokill Rick rather than Shaneduring their former confrontation .
In Negan ’s case , both his origin and ending were nearly very different . InWalking Dead Deluxe # 76 , Kirkman explains thatNegan was at one time intend to be the fibre jazz as ' Davidson . ‘Davidson is never seenin the serial , but was the former leader of the Alexandria Safe Zone , exiled after he began terrify his ' subjects , ' and replace by Douglas Monroe . Monroe ’s lingering paranoia over Davidson lead him to be suspicious of Rick , and Kirkman in the beginning intended Davidson to eventually turn back as an antagonist . Kirkman count having Negan be a ' born-again ' Davidson with a raw name and chemical group , but ultimately decided against it , writing :
Would it have been better if Negan had been Davidson ? Would it have made more sense to tie it all together ? Bah ! I say no .
Custom Image by Robert Wood
The Walking Dead ’s zombie are dangerous enemies , but humankind face a bigger threat in the post - apocalypse - and it ’s not each other !
Kirkman also change his mind about how Negan ’s story would end . Talking toInsider , Kirkman discover that Negan was contrive to die inWalking Dead # 174,executed by Glenn ’s former partner Maggie . Kirkman even confirms thathe commute the moment because of a request from artist Charlie Adlard , who say he was"a sting unconvinced"by the scene and was more interested in Negan continue to attempt redemption , calling the development too cliché . Adlard wrote :
This is perfectly no criticism of you at all , but more a criticism of western [ at least ] literature / entertainment , where , because the majority of us find the death penalisation - therefore an oculus for an middle saw - abhorrent , we carry it out in phantasy . Hardly any western baddie get out with not dying at the close . We , as an audience , always demand the ultimate penalisation for our fantasy bad guys . It ’s a shame we did n’t break the mould with Negan … the baddest of risky guys , but very far down the road to repurchase and forgiveness , who pay the common ultimate Mary Leontyne Price - death . think , if he lived , what we could say about our bon ton ?
In the matter as published , Maggie pass up to fool Negan and give him closure , instead telling him he must live with Glenn ’s execution . This concept went even further in the television receiver adaptation , where the character end up getting their own whirl - off withThe Walking Dead : Dead City .
Walkers are well known to be a Brobdingnagian threat in the Walking deadened existence , but the serial publication ' end presents a unexampled job that could destroy what ’s depart .
Despite the Changes, Negan Became Robert Kirkman’s Favorite Character
The Shameless Villain Could Say Things No Other Character Would
If only there was a fictitious character in this Word of God that could say any harsh , crass , offensive thing I could think of , and it would be in fiber …
at last , Negan follow together through the originative squad ’s attainment and the exact right creative chemistry , make it all the more impressive that so many details were once stand for to be different . Walking Deadfans almost get a altogether different villain named Naygus - one whose origin and electric arc were far less unique , and who possessed an accidental connection toStar Trek .
beginning : Kirsten Acuna , Insider
