Rick Grimes himself, Andrew Lincoln, describes Negan’s impact throughout The Walking Dead Season 7.
While The Walking Dead ended Season 6 last April in historically controversial fashion with Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s mystery-murder-dealing cliffhanger debut as Negan, AMC’s dramatic juggernaut has remained a consistent source of conversation throughout the summer, now into the early fall – likely as intended. While star Andrew Lincoln obviously wasn’t able to disclose the precious piece of intel regarding who Negan brutally killed in the closing moments, he did candidly discuss the impact (pun possibly intended,) of the villain’s presence in Season 7.
In an interview with EW, The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln dishes, to a certain extent, on the distributive effects that Negan will incite, not only by virtue of the person (or persons) he will be revealed to have killed, but his overall influence on Season 7. With Lincoln’s protagonist Rick Grimes among the 11 characters forced to their knees, ready to be chosen for execution by Negan and his fellow extorting ravagers the Saviors, the actor has a clear perspective on the show’s tonal shift. According to Lincoln of Morgan’s Negan:
“It’s such a great part and it’s so beautifully written. And he’s such an important part of the show, this character, that we needed an actor that could step up and take the bull by the horns and drag it forward, and make it his own. And certainly, that’s what we have this season.”
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It should come as no surprise that Negan will end up being such a crucial addition to The Walking Dead. After all, creator Robert Kirkman originally introduced the character in the comic book source material back in 2012 with the intention of shaking up the foundation of the story after the title had been going through its gritty, humanistic zombie apocalypse motions for 9 years. Accordingly, the anticipated introduction of Negan – occurring in the closing moments of Season 6 finale, “Last Day on Earth” – was also indicative of an ennui-assailing injection of adrenaline-fueled chaos, going into Season 7. Lincoln describes Morgan’s fufillment of that capacity, stating:
“I think everybody got a sense of what this actor is capable of in the last episode. But rest assured that that’s really just the beginning of what Jeffrey is creating. It’s very impressive and it’s great fun to work with him.”
Of course, in the pages of The Walking Dead comics, Negan quickly emerged as the definitive antagonist of the mythology, surpassing the eye-patch-sporting megalomaniac The Governor by a longshot. While the villain’s show debut was marred with controversy, most fans did like what they saw of Morgan’ chilling performance, delivering some iconic comic book lines. Respectively, Lincoln believes that Negan has become a welcome late-addition centerpiece to the aging horror drama, affirming:
“Without the baddest of the bad guys, it wouldn’t be the same show. And I think it’s breathed a new terrifying life into the show, and at no better time. What an extraordinary thing, to wait seven seasons to reveal the baddest of the bad guys.”
While eagle-eyed speculators and spoiler consumers still don't have substantive proof about what will happen when The Walking Dead Season 7 commences, Lincoln’s comments do provide some intriguing insight into the shape of the show, which will be dramatically altered by a few swings of Negan’s barbed-wire bat Lucille in the premiere.
The Walking Dead returns on AMC on October 23, dropping what will likely be a bombshell reveal.