The Walking Dead showrunner shoots down Maggie-Negan shippers

The opening eight episodes of The Walking Dead season 11 introduced fans to two new big players: the gigantic Commonwealth community and the fearsome Reapers. But it also spent plenty of time further developing the relationships that have been a part of the show for years. Most notably, we’ve seen a lot of Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Mogan). Given that they’ve been spending so much time together, some fans have started to ship them, despite Maggie wanting to kill Negan for killing her husband Glenn.

If you’ve found yourself in that camp after watching them work together to fight against a common enemy, best not to get too caught up. But don’t take it from me. “I think that sometimes strong emotions, in any direction, can cross wires,” The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang told Insider. “With these two, there’s not a romantic intent that we’re doing.”

Fans started to see signs of a potential romance between the duo during Episode 5, “Out of the Ashes,” when they shared a telling glance before Gabriel and Elijah arrived on the scene to break the tension. What’s more, they vowed to make a truce if Negan helped Maggie take down the Reapers in Episode 7, “Promises Broken.”

But even without Kang confirming that romance isn’t in the cards here, there have been plenty of moments this season that show it’s not going to happen. For instance, Negan left Maggie for dead in the season premiere. And then in Episode 7, Negan said that if he had the chance to redo his past, he still would’ve murdered Glenn and Abraham in the show’s infamous lineup scene.

The Walking Dead showrunner on why fans saw romance between Maggie and Negan

After shutting down talk of shipping, Kang laid out her theory on why fans may have seen a romantic connection. “They have amazing creative chemistry. I’ll say that,” she said. “Those two, they just are really good on screen together. It’s also fun to watch them.”

Rather than taking the romantic route, Kang is interested in seeing how the two would react to being brought together. “We really are trying to play the story of: ‘How do two people who just hate each other and don’t trust each other navigate each other?'”

Maggie and Negan might not be in love in The Walking Dead, but shippers can always look to alternate universes to scratch that itch. For instance, remember when Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Mogan played Batman’s parents in 2016’s Batman V Superman.

Angela Kang and Scott M. Gimple honored for their work on The Walking Dead

Elsewhere, both Kang and AMC chief content officer Scott M. Gimple appeared on a list from The Hollywood Reporter highlighting  Hollywood’s 50 Most Powerful TV Showrunners of 2021. They also appear on Variety’s 2021 TV Producers Impact Report. On Twitter, Kang was excited to be recognized for her work:

As we look forward to the rest of season 11, fans will be keeping a close eye on how Maggie and Negan’s partnership pans out. Sadly, we have to wait until the next batch of episodes starts airing on February 20, 2022 to find out more.

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