Negan returns to his “bad habits” in The Walking Dead: Dead City

When Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was first introduced on The Walking Dead, he brutally murdered fan-favorites Glenn Rhee and Abraham Ford. Nobody could’ve imagined that, years later, he’d become one of the ‘good guys.’ But here we are.

In the series finale, Maggie allowed Negan and his pregnant wife, Annie, to remain part of the group. Not only that, but next year we’ll see Maggie and Negan work together in their own spinoff, Dead City.

The Walking Dead: Dead City is the first of many spinoffs to follow the conclusion of the main show. There is also a show following Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) set in France, as well as the much-anticipated limited series featuring the returns of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). Dead City takes place a few years down the line and is set in New York City, although the reason why the unlikely duo of Maggie and Negan travel there is currently unknown. Check out the first teaser:

Prepare for old-school Negan in The Walking Dead: Dead City!

You’d be very wrong if you thought Negan had put his brutal, villainous days behind him. According to Morgan, after he spends time apart from the group, the spinoff will see the character fall back into his old ways. At least he no longer has his signature barbed wire-covered baseball bat with him.

“I think time apart probably will make it worse,” Morgan told Entertainment Weekly. “Negan has an opportunity to kind of fall into some old habits, because it’s all a survival mechanism for him, especially if he’s not with the group. The group kind of tamed him in a lot of ways, and to fit in, he had to stop being who he was. And I think away from this group, he is likely to fall into some old traps and old behaviors.”

When Negan isn’t forced to be a team player, he’s a tyrannical leader who’ll do anything to remain in power; look no further than when he waged war against our group as the leader of the Saviors. “We know how Negan has survived,” Morgan explained. “We have seen him in his progression on how he’s survived and what he does to adapt, and I think he will always be adaptable in any situation. But away from people, he doesn’t do well.”

If Maggie willingly travels to New York City with him, she better be very aware of how Negan has changed (back). Sure, they’re civil right now, but things could get very ugly very quickly:

"Look, we know that he’s going to run off to New York City. It’s him and Maggie, and there’s not a lot of people with him. So, if I do the math on this, he’s going to be in trouble. It’s going to be a bad combination for him."

Prepare for chaos. We hope Maggie has a good reason for traveling with Negan because she’s still got Hershel to look after. Plus, Negan will have a child of his own, too.

The Walking Dead: Dead City will premiere next year, with April being the rumored month of release.

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