Massive spoiler warning below for any Walking Dead fans who aren't caught up with the comic book series and/or don't want to hear about potential storylines on the TV show.
The Walking Dead TV show is currently in the middle of the comic book source material's biggest and most game-changing moment, and though we don't yet know whose head will be crushed in when Season 7 gets here, we know it's going to completely flip the show around. In the latest issue, #156, creator Robert Kirkman gave readers arguably the second craziest moment in the series, and it's indeed that shocking Negan twist that actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan cannot wait to get to in live-action. Here's how he put it when talking about Negan's future.
I don't think he'll go good, but the Alpha thing was pretty sweet. It was fucking great. . . . I saw that and I called Kirkman and go, 'Oh, motherfucker, let's do this!'
I avoided talking specifics about the particular moment in the intro just in case there were any spoiler-phobes still reading, but now we'll get into it. The issue in question was basically devoted to the now-escaped Negan getting acclimated within the Whisperers' community, and after many moments meant to convince readers that a softened Negan had fallen head over heels for their leader Alpha. Alas, Negan's true self is revealed in the final moments when he takes advantage of Alpha's fractured emotional state to slice her throat. And then decapitate her while insinuating that Rick will get quite the shock when he sees it.
Everybody's face probably looked like this when it happened.
The entire issue was pretty magnificent and was a nice bottle episode departure, and it's a no-brainer why Jeffrey Dean Morgan expressed to ComicBook.com that he is already amped up to take on this scene, even though we're likely still years away from getting to that point in the TV show. (I mean, there was this, but that's probably nothing. Or is it?) There a shit-ton of huge moments and events that will blow everyone's minds in the meantime, but it's awesome that the actor is already anticipating that situation, since it should make for a great episode.
Of course, since it's so far away, the show could very well HEAD in a completely different direction with the Whisperers, if they're even included at all. (They're too important not to include, but you guys know how this show works.) And Alpha might see a different demise if showrunner Scott Gimple sees fit, but it will hopefully be just as powerful on the screen as it was on the page.
The Walking Dead will return to AMC for Season 7 on Sunday, October 23, at 9 p.m. ET, at which point we can actually see Morgan as Negan for more than just ten minutes. To see everything else coming to TV later this year, check out our fall premiere schedule.
