Warning! SPOILERS ahead for The Walking Dead #193.
The Walking Dead #193 reveals the fates of many characters, including Negan, but The Walking Dead television series will struggle to give their Negan a similar ending when the time comes. Not that AMC's series has ever been a strict adaptation of The Walking Dead comics, but its most recent season went in a direction that will make syncing up with the end of The Walking Dead comics nearly impossible.
Issue #193 is the surprise conclusion to Robert Kirkman's long-running series, only announced as being The Walking Dead's final issue the day before its release. In a way, an unexpected ending is the perfect ending for a series acclaimed for its shocking character deaths and unseen twists. But now that The Walking Dead comics are over, it's become clear that AMC's The Walking Dead cannot end the same way - and that's especially true in the case of Negan.
The Walking Dead #193 time jumps ahead roughly two decades and the dead who once tormented the living are now barely a nuisance. What exactly transpires in the years between isn't fully explained, but it's obvious that Rick's life and death became an example for others, and in the ensuing years, humanity came together and moved forward. Negan, however, doesn't have much of a role in this epilogue, and perhaps even in this new world. He lives alone, totally isolated except for the occasional supply drops from Carl. They don't speak, and in fact, Carl hasn't seen Negan in years. At the very end of The Walking Dead #193, Negan appears briefly, visiting his wife's grave. It's a sad but appropriate fate for Negan, and one that was previously established when Rick banishes him from Alexandria in issue #174. And yet, AMC's The Walking Dead will likely not see their Negan end up the same way.
The Walking Dead season 9 took great care to rehabilitate Negan's character following the conclusion of the war with the Saviors. While imprisoned, Negan reflects on his past deeds and grows as a person. When he's confronted by Maggie (also one of Negan's final scenes in the comics), he's repentant and actually a bit pathetic. Following The Walking Dead season 9's own time jump, Negan is still behind bars but he's striking up a relationship with Judith, much to the irritation of Michonne. Over the course of the season, Negan proves himself to be a changed man again and again, even risking his life to save Judith in The Walking Dead season 9 finale. While not exactly a member of the family, opinions on Negan in Alexandria are changing and it's very unlikely he'll wind up banished anytime soon.
In which case, the sad, isolated existence teased for Negan at the end of The Walking Dead comic books would be a wild turn of events for the TV show. It can't be ruled it out completely, but giving Negan an ending like this on the TV show would require a lot of backpedaling of his recent character development. AMC's Negan is already a much different character than the Negan from the comics, and even the forthcoming Whisperer War is unlikely to turn him so dark that he'd regress into his old self. Instead, Negan's future on The Walking Dead TV show appears much brighter and not at all similar to the sad, lonely fate Negan has in the comics.
The Walking Dead season 10 airs on AMC this fall.