Negan has been a crucial part of AMC's The Walking Dead for the past five seasons, beginning as the show's Big Bad before eventually mellowing into more of a general nuisance for the main characters more than anything else.
With The Walking Dead finally coming to a close with its latest and final season, there are plenty of unresolved storylines regarding Negan's character. These plot threads must be dealt with before the imminent finale in order for actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan's fan-favorite character to earn a satisfying conclusion in viewers' eyes.
Negan Needs To Acknowledge The Value Of Human Life
Upon their meeting, Negan and Rick disagreed on one very important facet of survival: the value of human life. While Rick had come to see that people were important in keeping each other alive and humane, Negan viewed them as nothing more than a resource, needlessly subjugating those with less power than himself.
Since his time as the leader of the Saviors, Negan has spent years with those who profited from Rick's leadership style, being able to see the shortcomings of his own outlook on leading. Whether or not Negan has learned from this experience is something that must be shown before his final appearance to prove once and for all to the former Savior that human life is far more than a mere resource to be profited off of.
Negan Needs To Reunite With Lucille
During his time as the series's main antagonist, Negan wielded perhaps the most classic weapon in the entire franchise: Lucille, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. After Negan's defeat, however, Michonne reveals that the bat was left behind in a field, abandoned.
While unspeakable acts have been committed with Negan's signature weapon, it clearly had deep personal value to him, as the bat had been named after his late wife. Ever since losing Lucille, Negan has experimented with similar weapons, never settling on one for long. Should he ever be reunited with Lucille, it would be interesting to see exactly what Negan would do with it.
Negan Needs To Be A Leader Again
Though Negan was a sadistic ruler with a power complex, it must be admitted that he was a capable leader in most respects, keeping his people as safe as he could, so long as they didn't get on his bad side. Since the fall of the Saviors, however, Negan has been purposely kept from any positions of power by the core group.
In order for Negan's story to be properly concluded on The Walking Dead, he must get one more taste of power. This would serve as a Litmus test to see if he really has changed at all since his time as the Saviors' leader. If so, then his redemption arc has been complete. But, if not, then the characters on the series will have a very large problem on their hands.
Negan Needs Closure In His Relationship With Judith
Though Negan has been portrayed as a ruthless and uncaring man, he has consistently been shown to have a soft spot for children, especially the progeny of his archrival Rick Grimes. Since Rick's disappearance, Negan has forged a heart-warming bond with Rick's daughter Judith, who is too young to remember his crimes against her people.
Over the course of the last several seasons, Negan has come to Judith's aid on a number of occasions, even risking his own life to save hers during a dangerous winter storm. Before the series comes to a close, fans must get closure regarding this unusual friendship and an answer concerning whether or not it can last the test of time.
Negan Needs To Confirm Whether His Actions Were Right Or Wrong
There is no denying that Negan committed plenty of shameful acts while leading the Saviors and while controlling Alexandria, yet it is also true that Rick's group attacked Negan's first, which lead to their subsequent subjugation. With this fact being established, many fans have wondered if Negan wasn't right to lash out and demonstrate his might against Rick and the Alexandrians.
If Negan is to complete his character arc, the series must establish once and for all if he was right or wrong in his actions as the Savior's leader. If he was indeed right, then he must be vindicated in some way that lets the Alexandrians understand his perspective. If not, then Negan must begin the first steps in making up for his misdoings.
Negan Needs To Atone For His Sins
Negan has certainly transformed over the years since the fall of his empire, but he has yet to atone for the many sins he committed before Rick dethroned him. Making his entrance by killing both Abraham and Glenn, Negan went on to commit various atrocious acts before finally being defeated by Rick Grimes.
In the eyes of many viewers, Negan has yet to truly pay for what he has done. Despite spending years locked away in an Alexandrian prison cell, Negan has very rarely shown any remorse for his actions and has even taunted some of the show's main characters over their trauma after watching him murder their friends. If Negan is to complete his redemption arc, he must recognize and atone for his sins.
Negan Needs To Figure Out Where He Belongs
Since the fall of the Sanctuary and Negan's imprisonment, the former post-apocalyptic dictator has felt quite out of place in Alexandria. Now that he is officially a free man, this displacement grows even worse, as it is consistently made clear that those around him don't want him there.
Negan must decide once and for all where he truly belongs. Things are coming to a head with his fellow Alexandrians, who seem less and less willing to tolerate his presence, especially now that Maggie has returned. Before the end of the series, Negan must either firmly establish himself as an Alexandrian, or leave their walls forever.
Negan Needs To Settle His Rivalry With Daryl
Daryl Dixon is one of The Walking Dead's best characters but also happens to be one of Negan's biggest rivals. Having fought on opposing sides in the Savior War, the two have not forgotten the trouble they have each caused the other, even all these years later.
Though Daryl still hates Negan with a seething passion, he does distinguish himself from the many others in the same camp by managing to be reasonable. Unlike Maggie or Aaron, who both lost spouses as a result of Negan's actions, Daryl is willing to listen to Negan if he has something to add. Nevertheless, if the two characters are to have satisfying conclusions, they must find a way to make peace with one another.
Negan Needs To Make Things Right With Maggie
After brutally killing Abraham Ford in the Season 7 premiere, Negan took the life of a second victim, Glenn Rhee, as retribution for Daryl's rebellion, in one of The Walking Dead's most unexpected moments of all time. This put Negan quite cleanly in the crosshairs of Glenn's widow, Maggie Rhee.
Ever since Maggie's return to the series, the tension between her and Negan has been palpable. Both have shown their desire to see the other dead, and their rivalry has nearly cost them their lives on several occasions, constantly disrupting their current mission. Though their hatred for one another is justified, it isn't sustainable if either hopes to survive the coming conflict with the Commonwealth.
Negan Needs To Choose To Be A Hero Or A Villain
Though Negan was primarily presented as a villain in his early seasons on the series, more recent episodes have sought to redeem the formerly hated character. The writers have expanded on his personality, revealing his soft spot for children, as well as his tragic backstory, all in an attempt to get the viewers to sympathize with the show's one-time Big Bad. Now, as the series ends, Negan is at a crossroads.
While Seasons 9 and 10 of The Walking Dead have heavily crusaded for Negan's redemption, episodes of the current season have nudged him closer to the dark side once more, causing the audience to wonder if he is truly redeemable after all. By the time the show comes to its conclusion, this question must be answered once and for all: will Negan be remembered as a hero or a villain? In the end, it is up to him to decide.