15 of The Walking Dead’s most vile villains ranked
3. Negan, Leader of the Saviors
Who is he: Negan is a jerk who used what we assume you might be able to (vaguely) consider charm to construct the Saviors and create a violent moral code to instill control over any and all communities in the area. Basically, he’s a vulture who steals other peoples’ survivalist resources and underpays his lower-tiered workers. He instilled intimidation tactics to make survivors feel like they needed to align with the Saviors. Now, we’re just recognizing the root our hatred of Negan: He essentially created the apocalyptic version of capitalism, along with his own monopoly. (Which is further proof that Negan is evil.) However, in recent seasons, Negan has been humbled especially by Rick and Michonne Grimes. Whether it was his near-death experience of years of solitude, Negan might be the same condescending jerk, but he has at least feigned some form of empathy, thanks to Judith.
Worst act of villainy: Aside from being a serial rapist (yes, coercing women to become his wives and fornicate with him through intimidating or weird survival-based incentives is a form of coercion and thus sexual assault), we already know what his most nefarious moment is: Killing Glenn and Abraham. We could make a short list of some of his biggest moments of villainy. Now that his villainous tirade has passed and he’s living in the shadow of his own evil glory, there probably won’t be many opportunities for him to successfully regain that title in the near future.
Weakness: After breaking out of Alexandria’s prison cell and venturing off to his long-since dismantled Savior fortress, Negan has one of the saddest introspective moments in his character arc. Sure, it was brutal watching him kill some wild dogs — with the help of a walker — but the scene when he returned to his old abode is a major, and necessary, kick to his pride.
Redeeming qualities: He did find and save Judith after she ran off during the blizzard. It’s clear Negan has a soft spot for the little Grimes girl, same as he did for Carl. Thanks to him, she was reunited with her family so they could enjoy a wholesome snowball fight at the end of season 9.
First appearance: “Last Day on Earth” (season 6, episode 16)