Sumith Prasad
AMC’s post-apocalyptic series ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ revolves around Maggie Greene, who seeks the help of her nemesis Negan to retrieve her kidnapped son Hershel from The Croat, a former ally of the former leader of The Saviors. To convince Negan to help her, Maggie lets him know that she will turn him into the marshals of New Babylon if he decides against joining her to find her son. Negan then teams up with her since he doesn’t have any other choice as a wanted man. But what exactly did he do to become a wanted criminal? Let us share our take on it! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Why is Negan Wanted?
Negan, as the leader of The Saviors, is one of the most ruthless characters in ‘The Walking Dead.’ After leaving The Saviors, Negan becomes a changed man and seeks Maggie’s forgiveness for killing her husband Glenn. In the eleventh and final season of the show, he fights for Maggie and her allies as well. But in ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City,’ Negan returns to his old nature. He is a criminal on the run and New Babylon marshal Perlie Armstrong is committed to arresting the wanted man for murder. While trying to find Negan, Perlie reveals that the man he is looking for had killed a magistrate and four others.
As the leader of The Saviors in ‘The Walking Dead,’ Negan tries to implement a certain order among the communities his organization deals with. He aims to restore civilization to the world with violence and brutality. He must have done the same in New Babylon. Negan might have wanted a certain order and justice prevailing at the place, especially after witnessing the plights of helpless individuals like Ginny. To achieve the same, he must have killed the magistrate and other influential people who likely had been incapable of establishing what he wants in the region.
One of the characteristics of Negan is that he adapts to his surroundings well. In other words, he and his actions reflect the society or community he lives. If he killed influential members of New Babylon, it likely means that the region was being governed poorly. Negan must have committed those murders to bring a change to the same. This need for change is what drives him when he serves as the leader of The Saviors in the original series.
“I think that this spinoff is going to take place a couple of years after the Walking Dead finale, and here’s the problem with those couple of years — we don’t see what happens to these characters. Negan has an opportunity to fall into his old ways in these missing years. He is very much a creature of habit, and he knows how to survive,” Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan, told Deadline about his character’s change as a person. The murders Negan committed can also be connected to what really happened to his wife Annie and their child, whose whereabouts are unknown. If their lives were threatened by his victims, the crimes Negan committed must be acts of revenge.
Perlie Armstrong’s unwavering commitment to catching Negan indicates that the latter might have hurt a loved one of the marshal. While trying to hunt down Negan, Perlie looks at the address of an Armstrong family member. The person can even be one of the victims of Negan. Gaius Charles, who plays Perlie, revealed in an interview that the marshal is dealing with his own trauma and haunting past. There is a possibility that Negan has something to do with the same trauma, which explains why the marshal wants him captured at all costs.
Read More: The Walking Dead Dead City Timeline and Location, Explained
