The Walking Dead fans hoping this season’s main antagonist, Negan, would soon meet his maker will have to hold out for at least another season. Love him or hate him, during a recent appearance on Sirius XM’s The Howard Stern Show (via ComicBook.com), actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan revealed that he’ll be back as Negan for the eighth season of the hit AMC series.
Morgan, who has mentioned in the past that he will have a long stay on the show, said, “I know that I’ll be around for season 8. We finished [season 7] a week ago.”
For those surprised by the lack of Negan in the show’s two most recent episodes, the actor confirmed, “The next two, I’m really big in. I’m f—ing heavy in those.”
While previous Walking Dead villains, most notably David Morrissey’s the Governor, were generally liked by fans despite the despicable things they did, audience members have had a more lukewarm reaction to Negan. Perhaps it’s because of the nature of his introduction or his over-the-top ruthlessness as a character, but the show’s declining ratings from last season to this one have largely been attributed to the bat-wielding psychopath. However, once Rick and company inevitably start fighting back against the Saviors and Negan is no longer seen as an untouchable, unbeatable opponent, it’s entirely possible that viewers will make their way back to the long-running drama.
Just like the Alexandrians, audiences won’t be getting rid of Negan any time soon.
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The Walking Dead Season 7 airs on AMC on Sundays in the US and on Mondays on Fox in the UK.
Originally published November 30, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
