When AMC's The Walking Dead introduced Negan, he was the greatest villain that Rick Grimes had ever faced. The leader of the Saviors made an unforgettable first impression with his trademark weapon of choice; Lucille. Many viewers tuned out during seasons seven and eight, tired of seeing their heroes under the oppressive rule of a ruthless enemy. But Negan was not able to permanently hold his position of his power; he was eventually defeated and held in a cell for over seven years. He left the cell apparently a changed man.
Over The Walking Dead's last few seasons, the writers have written Negan a redemption arc. Maggie Rhee, who initially wanted Negan dead for brutally murdering her husband, has been able to view Negan as an ally. AMC has even announced that Negan and Maggie will be receiving a spin-off series called Isle of the Dead. While some fans are overjoyed about Negan's redemption, others are not convinced. He was formerly a ruthless apocalyptic dictator after all. Can Negan truly be redeemed? Well, the answer is complicated.
Can Be Redeemed: Negan Wasn't Always a Villain
Before Negan became leader of the Saviors, he was a gym teacher that wanted to help his students. Unfortunately, he lost his job after a violent incident between him and a man who was rude to his wife, Lucille. Negan struggled financially and was not in any position of power. He did not find a new job and spent his time playing video games and buying things he couldn't afford. During this time, Negan cheated on Lucille with her best friend, but broke off the affair when he learned his wife had pancreatic cancer. This made Negan realize that he was a terrible husband, and so he dedicated his time to caring for Lucille and scavenging for supplies. With Lucille's condition worsening, Negan experienced both guilt and fear during the beginning of the outbreak. While Negan was a flawed man even before the apocalypse, he did feel regret and desired to set things right. Surprisingly, he was also initially hesitant to even kill a walker. There's no shortage of villains who have redeemed themselves throughout movie and TV history, and The Walking Dead has already shown that Negan is capable of change — sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse.
Can't Be Redeemed: Used to Enjoy Brutally Killing People
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A zombie apocalypse and the fall of civilization might not allow people to be their best selves, but Negan took things to an extreme and for a time was a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. He took pleasure in the people he killed, laughing and mocking people as he took their lives. Negan also killed people in the most brutal of ways, including burning people alive, disemboweling people alive, and bashing people's heads with a barbed wire covered baseball bat. If Negan only killed people during situations he thought necessary, he would kill them in more humane ways.
Some fans argued that Abraham and Glenn's deaths were justified because Rick's group had killed many of the Saviors. But it has been forgotten that the Saviors were the first to threaten and kill members from other communities. They nearly killed Abraham, Sasha, and Daryl before Rick's group acted out against the Saviors. Negan was also aware of the Saviors having killed children, but distanced himself from it despite making the Saviors claim that everyone is "Negan." To have killed people is one thing, but to sadistically enjoy murdering people with excessive violence is another. That will always be a part of Negan's history.
Can Be Redeemed: Helped Defeat the Whisperers
During the Whisperer War, Negan played a key role in bringing the war to an end. He joined the ranks of the Whisperers and killed the leader of the group, Alpha. Negan put his own life at risk finally fighting for the good guys, working with people like Carol and Daryl. After the death of Alpha, the Whisperer known as Beta replaced her as leader of the Whisperers. Negan created a distraction that allowed Daryl to finish Beta once and for all. Even after the end of the Whisperer War, Negan joined the fight against a new enemy; the Reapers. He went on to protect Maggie Rhee and her son, Hershel. It won't be possible for Negan to undo his past wrongs, but it seems like he has abandoned his villainous ways and will no longer be featured as an antagonist. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is too charismatic for the writers not to want his character to transform into a redeemed hero. They are the ones calling the shots, and with Negan obviously being a fictional character, that redemption will most likely happen.
Can't Be Redeemed: Inconsistent Writing
When Negan appeared in Season 7, he was written to represent the worst of the worst. But as the series progressed, he entered anti-hero and later heroic territory. The truth is that the writing behind Negan's character has been very inconsistent. It seems like the character changes at the drop of a hat to serve whatever the writers want, rather than happening organically. For example, Negan supposedly cared for children when he previously condoned the murder of a young boy that forced Hilltop to submit to the Saviors. Negan also claimed he would never kill a kid when he nearly struck Carl Grimes down with his bat. Carl only survived due to the arrival of Shiva the tiger and Ezekiel's forces.
Negan also denounced sexual violence while forcing women to be his wives. If the women considered trying to escape, Negan threatened that he would harm their loved ones. Dwight was one of the people who faced such retaliation; having his face burned with an iron by Negan. Lastly, Negan said in The Walking Dead's final season that he would not allow himself to be put down like a dog "like Glenn was." As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Jeffrey Dean Morgan fought against the line, but it still managed to find its way onto the show. For Negan to make such a comment after so many years had passed in The Walking Dead universe, showed that the "Old Negan" was still very much a part of him.