The Walking Dead Season 8 will likely follow the events of the All Out War storyline from the comic books. This means there will be an intense power struggle between Negan and Rick that builds up over the course of several years.
Yes, years.
[WARNING: The Walking Dead comic book spoilers ahead, including Negan’s fate]
Rick and Negan are fighting for the long haul. Dethroning Negan can only work if Alexandria can sustain itself. The threat of the walkers is still very real, and herds pass by all the time. It’s not like the groups can have one showdown because these fights would inevitably draw walkers to their locations. Every time they fight, they have to anticipate the walkers that’ll pass through as a result.
So they have to get creative with fighting. For example, comic book Negan figures out a way to hurt Rick’s people without bullets. They lace weapons with walker blood that’s riddled with diseases, so even if a blade just scratches the skin the person can die of infection. As we saw in the prison, disease can quickly wipe out a population. This is a smart move on Negan’s behalf because it’s an effective way to save bullets.
But Negan also faces very serious prospects of betrayal. For the entire span of the war, Dwight works with Rick and the other communities to take out Negan. Dwight quietly meets with Rick and Ezekiel to learn about Negan’s efforts. Without giving too much away, there comes a point where Negan believes he has the upper hand on Rick. Negan thinks he’s won, when Rick suggests they work together to take out the other communities. Rick suggests a plan, which Negan initially refuses since it’s not the way he’s used to operating his community.
Well, Rick plays Negan. He does something in that moment that catches Negan off guard. Negan falls in a pretty humiliating way because no one comes to help him out of it. Negan thinks he can rely on loyalty like Rick does with his people, but that’s not the case. People follow Negan out of fear.
How The Walking Dead Season 8 will play this out is unclear. The All Out War storyline starts with a time jump. By the time we see Maggie again, she’s given birth to her child. By the time we see Ezekiel again, he’s established a trade system in The Kingdom for other communities to get what they need. And Alexandria is thriving under Rick’s rule. Yes, the Negan threat is always around, but they’ve managed to grow during the fights.
The show might not do such a drastic time jump, so they can milk more episodes out of the Negan plot. Once Negan falls, there’s a lull in the comics as they set up for the next threat. We wouldn’t be surprised if the war goes on for at least two more seasons. Negan also isn’t guaranteed to fall like he did in the comics. They wouldn’t have brought on a heavyweight like Jeffrey Dean Morgan to play Negan if they weren’t going to keep him around for a while.
What do you think will happen to Negan in The Walking Dead Season 8? Let us know in the comments below. The Walking Dead Season 8 premieres October.
