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‘The Walking Dead’ Season 6 Finale: Robert Kirkman Says Negan’s First Appearance Will Be Different To The Comics

By Rachel Tsoumbakos
Published on: 19:17 PST, Mar 25, 2016

For comic book fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead, the season 6 finale is going to be monumental with the arrival of Negan and the scene that could potentially take out a much loved fan favorite character. But will that scene play out just like in the comics? The show’s creator, Robert Kirkman, says no.

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains information about the upcoming season 6 finale of AMC’s The Walking Dead. It also contains information about the comic book series the show is based on. Please proceed with caution if you wish to avoid spoilers.

In the comic book series of The Walking Dead, the arrival of Negan (to be played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the TV series), heralds the death of Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun). It is a moment that has been talked about obsessively since it occurred and even more so as Glenn has become a fan favorite on the TV show.

So how will AMC deal with the possible backlash over losing such a fan favorite if they stay true to the comics in the season 6 finale of The Walking Dead? According to Robert Kirkman, the man who created the Walking Dead comics and also acts as a TV executive producer on the show, the scene will be shaken up a little. While he tells Entertainment Weekly it is to keep things a surprise on the show, some fans are left wondering if it is because AMC don’t want to lose one of the show favorites.

“Something as well known as that moment — maybe it would seem like it wouldn’t be a great thing if we did an exact sort of thing just because people might be expecting it. All I want to say is, read the comic, but you’re not going to know what to expect. Part of the reason that that moment was such a big deal in the comic is the fact that you did not expect that it was going to happen, and so we’re very confident that we found a way to keep it as unexpected in the show as it was in the comic. So it should be just as intense, just as heartbreaking, and just as shocking.”

It is not the first time in recent weeks that AMC has swapped out a character’s death for a secondary, less favorite character. In episode 14 (entitled “Twice As Far”) of The Walking Dead, AMC swapped out Abraham’s comic book death, opting to kill off Denise (Merritt Wever) in the exact same manner. Could this be the avenue they chose with Negan’s iconic kill?

Of course, the devil is in the detail when it comes to AMC talking about The Walking Dead. So could Glenn still die, but perhaps in a completely different way to in the comics? Only time will tell it seems.

If the recently leaked video of the season 6 finale is anything to go by, the first encounter between Rick’s group and Negan appears to occur without Glenn present. After combing that video, the characters shown include: Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Carl (Chandler Riggs), Abraham, Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and Aaron (Ross Marquand). Also present is a body lying at the feet of Negan’s group. Negan himself isn’t present here, so the potential is this body isn’t as important as fans might first believe, especially since the very first introduction of him appears to occur at nighttime outside Rick’s group’s RV.

Regardless of how the season 6 finale of The Walking Dead plays out (because, let’s face it, Negan’s first appearance and Glenn’s death could still go either way), Kirkman is advising fans that Negan is absolutely everything fans are expecting. He told EW that seeing Jeffrey Dean Morgan bring Walking Dead’s biggest bad guy to date to life actually gave him goosebumps. He was so excited to see Negan finally brought to life and just can’t wait for Walking Dead fans to see it as well.

Season 6 of The Walking Dead returns to AMC with Episode 15 (titled “East”) on Sunday, March 27 at 9 p.m. ET. The Season 6 finale, as confirmed by Entertainment Weekly, will run for 90 minutes and will premiere on Sunday, April 3 at 9 p.m. ET. As yet, no title or synopsis for this episode has been confirmed by AMC.

[Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Images]

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