Did They Just Reveal Negan in Season 5 of ‘The Walking Dead’?

Those who watched the season five premiere of The Walking Dead experienced a gift from the television gods. They’re also known as AMC, for the record. After the humungous dud that was the finale of The Strain, genre fans needed a strong showing from the small screen. We got it (we also got the premiere of American Horror Story: Freak Show, which was pretty awesome) in the form of a savage battle at terminus. But we also got something else.

In the waning moments of No Sanctuary we see a flashback that features the weirdos who just lost their lives in a battle with Rick and his gang of heroic misfits. Their standing is quite a bit different than we’ve seen in the majority of this episode; they’re the ones trapped in a railcar. The door suddenly opens, and a big, bulky fellow in the shadows orders the retrieval of one of the prisoners. He’s a grim son of a bitch with a few grim words to share with the prisoners. But it’s the details that matter.

First, this guy looks extremely similar to the Negan we met in the popular Image comic. He’s got he slicked back pony-cut, and his attire looks quite a bit like something we’ve seen him wear in print as well. He also seems to calling the shots, ordering other men around without hesitation. His face is kept entirely concealed. It seems obvious that AMC has a little trick up their sleeve here. Had this fellow been clearly visible, the likelihood of it being Negan wouldn’t feel so imposing. The decision to keep him a mystery however, contradicts that.

Now, I didn’t see Lucille, Negan’s trusty, trademark bat, but that may have been too obvious. It feels obvious as it is, and Scott Gimple and his Talking Dead declaration that there would indeed be a new intense threat this season, coupled with the hint at a greater adversary than The Governor, definitely seem to be clues.

Did I mention the fact that Kevin Durand was allegedly approached about playing the character?

It looks as though we may have just got our first glimpse of the next big threat to Rick and his group.

But if Negan does indeed show up this season, one must wonder, how long does Glenn have left?