Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) made a huge decision in The Walking Dead season 10 finale, one that could have major consequences for his future in the AMC series. Despite the risks, the character has elected to remain in Alexandria rather than remain banished, which goes against Negan's original comic ending.
To get rid of Alpha (Samantha Morton), Carol (Melissa McBride) made a controversial choice to let Negan out of his cell. In order to gain acceptance from the community, Negan killed Alpha for Alexandria. Afterward, the main characters didn’t lock him up, but they didn’t exactly forgive him either. His situation was further complicated by the return of Maggie (Lauren Cohan), who was understandably frustrated at the sight of seeing him walking around free. When she came back, she was told that a verdict regarding Negan’s fate hadn’t been reached yet. That finally came in The Walking Dead season 10, episode 22, “Here’s Negan”. To his disappointment, Carol banished him from the community and forced him to go his own way.
At the end of the episode, Negan defied Carol’s order and returned to the settlement. In response to seeing him again, Carol said that she did it so that her conscience would be clear if Maggie were to kill him – which she believes will happen now that he’s staying. It’s likely that Carol’s opinion on the matter is shared by most members of the community, especially the ones who were around during the conflict with the Saviors. What this means is that Negan can’t count on the people of Alexandria to raise a hand in his defense if Maggie comes for him now. To Carol, Negan refusing to accept banishment essentially absolves them of any responsibility for what comes next. In other words, Negan being killed by Maggie is now on the table. If she were to eliminate him now, there’s a good chance she wouldn’t face any repercussions for it. Few would blame her for avenging her husband’s death.
It does feel like Negan’s choice has made his death in season 11 a real possibility. He survived the comic book version of the story, but that’s largely due to the fact that he accepted a life of isolation. His counterpart in the TV series, on the other hand, is knowingly putting himself in harm’s way, thus opening the door for a different outcome. In the comic, a remorseful and broken Negan made Maggie rethink killing him, but the TV version of her – who already went through that scenario in season 9 – may not back down in season 11, because she originally believed he would be locked up for the rest of his life.
Living in the same town with him is bound to lead to disaster sooner or later. By being in Alexandria in The Walking Dead season 11, Negan will be there when the Commonwealth story starts to develop, and the tension between him and Maggie is sure to escalate during this time. What he will do about a potential confrontation remains to be seen, but his defiant attitude and smirk in episode 22 may provide a hint. Given that Negan truly wants a life for himself in Alexandria, he may be prepared to fight back when - and not if - Maggie makes her big move.
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