Caution: Spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead

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The Walking Dead will finally deliver All Out War, but that doesn't mean Rick should kill Negan. The zombie drama is set to return this week after a mid-season break and there are plenty of dangling plot threads in need of resolution. The most pressing matter is, of course, the fate of Carl Grimes after it was revealed in the mid-season finale that Rick's son had suffered a fatal zombie bite, but the fates of characters such as Gabriel, Aaron, Edith and Morgan are also very much unresolved for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, however, The Walking Dead Season 8 will boil down to a single choice. Should Rick kill Negan?

Realistically speaking, every viewer knows that Negan isn't going walk out of Season 8 victorious. The Walking Dead might be one of the most depressing shows on television but if the current season concluded with Rick's death and Negan reigning over all, there wouldn't be much of a show left for the already-announced Season 9. As such, it's not so much a matter of whether Rick will beat Negan, but whether or not he'll kill him once the war is finally over.

Related: The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman Regrets Rick Not Losing His Hand On TV

Comic readers will already know that Negan's print incarnation does indeed survive All Out War and is still knocking around as of the latest issue, but it is far from guaranteed that Jeffrey Dean Morgan's on-screen villain will do the same. Rick certainly has plenty of justification for killing Negan - and has promised to do so on multiple occasions - but there are a number of reasons why The Walking Dead would benefit from keeping Negan alive. Here's why Rick Grimes shouldn't kill his sworn nemesis.

This Page: Negan's Survival Would Match The Comics

Saving Negan Maintains Comic Continuity

Negan The Walking Dead Comic

Negan's arrival in The Walking Dead was highly anticipated, largely thanks the immense popularity of the character with comic fans, but the AMC interpretation of the bat-wielding baddie hasn't enjoyed quite the same level of adulation. This, combined with the fact that Jeffrey Dean Morgan hasn't got a history of being a TV regular, may suggest that Scott M. Gimple and his fellow producers could break from comic continuity and have Rick kill Negan at the climax of All Out War.

But now more than ever, The Walking Dead should be attempting to maintain as much continuity with the comics as practically possible. The imminent death of Carl Grimes marks the show's most significant departure from its source material to date and although producers have promised that The Walking Dead will use other characters to fill in Carl's storylines, the series has lost a key element. Perhaps more worryingly, the rumors that Maggie actress, Lauren Cohan, also plans to quit the show refuse to subside and, if proven true, The Walking Dead would be deprived of another character vital to its future.

As such, Season 9 of The Walking Dead is in serious danger of straying very far away from the comic books. Although this isn't inherently a bad thing, history would suggest that any time a comic adaptation takes too many liberties with its source material, fans begin to switch off - something The Walking Dead simply cannot afford with its constantly-dropping ratings. Keeping on Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan would allow the AMC series to bring some vital comic storylines to the world of live-action and give the show a sense of continuity. Killing him off, on the other hand, would be another step into risky, unfamiliar territory for The Walking Dead.

Negan standing in Alexandria, arms outstretched holding Lucille with a pool table behind him.

Negan's A Surprisingly Good Protagonist

It might come as a shock for television-only fans to learn that not only does Negan survive All Out War, but after a significant amount of time, he actually comes close to something resembling a protagonist. It might be impossible to imagine the current Glenn-mashing, wife-collecting on-screen version of the villain working side-by-side with Rick Grimes but it's a trick that has worked surprisingly well in the comic series.

Related: The Walking Dead Characters Who Are NOTHING Like The Comics

Anyone familiar with Supernatural will know that Jeffrey Dean Morgan is incredibly adept at evoking sympathy in an audience and is more than capable of carrying off a good-guy persona. While TV-Negan perhaps hasn't received as much acclaim as his print counterpart, a future transition from evil to not-quite-as-evil has the potential to be a powerful future storyline in Season 9 or beyond.

Such a concept would also mark a welcome change of pace. One of the foremost criticisms of The Walking Dead is a slow pace and lack of fresh ideas. Although the "good guy turning bad" storyline has been done with a number of characters, it would be a significantly different approach to turn that trope on its head and have one of the show's arch villains join the good guys for once and Negan is charismatic enough to execute the transformation successfully.

Rick Sparing Negan Would Give Carl's Death Meaning

Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes in The Walking Dead

Negan isn't the key here, though. Assuming Carl Grimes doesn't pull off a miracle and survive when The Walking Dead returns, the youngster's death actually makes Negan's survival look far more likely.

The main story between Rick and Carl in the first half of Season 8 was a difference in moral stance. Going to war with The Saviors has made Rick ruthless. The leader of Alexandria is telling anyone who'll listen that he will be the one to take Negan down and he's refusing to risk the safety of his community by helping strangers such as Siddiq. Carl on the other hand, keeps imploring his father to take a more ethical approach and to act like 'the good guys', rather than just claiming to be them.

Related: Everyone Who Died (So Far) in The Walking Dead Season 8

Rick has yet to take his son's advice to heart and, quite frankly, is unlikely to do so in the immediate aftermath of Carl's death. However, it would be a hugely emotional and intense moment if, upon winning the war against the Saviors and seconds away from killing Negan, the words of Rick's late son rang in his ears, forcing him to take the merciful path and let Negan live.

Concluding the All Out War arc in such a way would help give Carl's demise a sense of purpose and develop Rick as both a character and a bona fide leader of people. Conversely, if Rick was to ignore the wishes of his son and execute Negan on the spot, Carl's death could feel like a very hollow and cynical exit.

More: The Walking Dead: Norman Reedus Promises 'Closure' When Season 8 Returns

The Walking Dead season 8 returns February 25th with 'Honor' on AMC.