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Negan’s timeline at a glance
| Story stage | What happens | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Before and early in the apocalypse | Negan is a gym teacher whose life with Lucille and her illness shape the man he becomes. | Season 10, Episode 22, “Here’s Negan” (a flashback episode released late in the series’ broadcast order) |
| First appearance and the Saviors | Negan confronts the survivors; the next season reveals that he killed Abraham and Glenn. He leads the Saviors until their defeat. | Season 6 finale through the Season 8 finale |
| Prisoner and reluctant ally | Rick spares Negan and imprisons him. Later, Negan is released and kills Alpha during the Whisperers conflict. | After the Saviors’ defeat; later seasons |
| Uneasy peace with Maggie | Negan apologizes to Maggie near the end of the original series. She lets him and Annie stay, though their past remains painful. | Season 11 |
| Manhattan | Maggie and Negan continue their story together in a dangerous, walker-filled New York City. | The Walking Dead: Dead City |
Before the apocalypse: Negan and Lucille
The television backstory is told in “Here’s Negan,” AMC’s Season 10, Episode 22 listing. The episode originally aired May 6, 2021. Its present-day frame follows Carol taking Negan away from Alexandria; his memories reach back to his marriage to Lucille, her illness, and the choices he makes while trying to find medicine.
AMC describes Negan before the outbreak as an ordinary, flawed man and a gym teacher. Lucille’s death and the demands of survival help shape the brutal leader the other survivors later encounter. The episode connects that transformation to personal loss rather than presenting Negan’s later identity as having appeared fully formed.
Negan arrives: the Saviors and the deaths of Abraham and Glenn
Viewers first meet Negan at the end of Season 6, in “Last Day on Earth.” The episode ends on a cliffhanger; the Season 7 premiere reveals that Negan has killed Abraham and Glenn with Lucille. AMC identifies Glenn’s death as a lasting source of Maggie’s resentment, a conflict that continues to define their relationship long after Negan loses power.
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- 10-inch scale figure showcased in The Walking Dead themed window box packaging and includes black circular base
- Features spectacular likeness of the actor Jeffery Dean Morgan and sculpted in the iconic outfit from Season 7 of AMC's The Walking Dead
- Figure includes scaled "Lucille" barbed-wire baseball bat
Negan leads the Saviors through their war with the other communities. In the Season 8 finale, “Wrath,” the Saviors are defeated. Rick chooses imprisonment rather than execution for Negan, despite Maggie’s demand that he answer for Glenn’s death. That decision turns Negan from an immediate enemy into a living reminder of what Maggie lost—and leaves the two characters on fundamentally different paths to justice.
Imprisonment, release, and the Whisperers
Negan spends years imprisoned. Later, Carol arranges his release in exchange for killing Alpha, the Whisperers’ leader. Negan infiltrates the group, keeps Lydia from her mother, kills Alpha, and returns with her head. His actions help the survivors in their conflict with the Whisperers, but they do not erase his past or settle what he owes Maggie.
Rank #2
- Highly articulated, 7" scale figure packaged in a collector edition window box
- Figure includes scaled 'Lucille' barbed-wire baseball bat and stylized brand specific display base
- Figure features impeccable actor likeness and sculpted in the iconic outfit from season 7 of AMC's the Walking Dead
“Here’s Negan” was released after these events in the show’s story. Its flashbacks revisit the origins of Negan’s relationship with Lucille, while its present-day plot follows the tensions after Maggie’s return to Alexandria. For viewers following story chronology, the episode’s past scenes belong before Negan’s rise as a Savior; its Alexandria frame belongs much later. It is therefore best understood as a late-broadcast flashback episode, not as a self-contained prologue to the entire series.
Season 11: an apology, not a clean reconciliation
Negan and Maggie remain uneasy allies as they face the Reapers and the Commonwealth. Near the end of the original series, Negan apologizes for taking Glenn from Maggie and Hershel. Maggie accepts the apology but makes clear that there will be days when having Negan around is difficult. She nevertheless allows him and his pregnant wife, Annie, to stay.
Rank #3
- Spectacular likeness of the actor Jeffery Dean Morgan and sculpted in his outfit from season 7 of AMC's the Walking Dead
- Figure includes Lucille barbed-wire bat, pistol and knife
- Designed with 22+ points of articulation for dynamic posing
- Featured in Walking Dead themed classis clam shell packaging
Dead City: Maggie and Negan in Manhattan
The Walking Dead: Dead City continues their story in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan filled with walkers and human threats. AMC actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan described the series’ relative time jump in a 2023 interview: “Where this story takes up is a couple years later and where we find my character, well he’s gone through some hard, bad stuff.” “A couple years later” is an approximate description, not an exact in-universe date.
As of October 8, 2026, AMC’s Dead City listing shows three seasons. AMC announced Season 3 on June 10, 2026, with a July 26, 2026 premiere date; the season’s premise has Maggie and Negan trying to build a thriving community in Manhattan. This is the latest chapter established here, not a claim that the story ends there.
Rank #4
- A PREVIEWS Exclusive
- Measures approximately 6.25” tall
- Negan's clothing, pants, and belts are crafted from real cloth
- Negan comes equipped with a knife, pipe and his signature bat, Lucille
- Four interchangeable hands and stand also included
When does Here’s Negan take place?
There are two useful answers. In broadcast order, the episode is Season 10, Episode 22, released May 6, 2021. In story order, its flashbacks reach back to Negan’s life with Lucille before and during the early apocalypse, while its framing story takes place after Maggie has returned to Alexandria. AMC’s episode description and retrospective establish that broad placement, but do not provide exact calendar dates for each event.
Comic and television versions of Here’s Negan
The Walking Dead: Here’s Negan! is a collected comic backstory; the television episode is part of the show’s continuity and adds a present-day framing plot. Treat them as separate versions of Negan’s backstory rather than assuming their scenes or chronology match exactly. The comic is a way to read a Negan-focused story in print, while the episode places its flashbacks within the television series. A reference entry identifies the collected edition, but edition availability and current stock are not established here.
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- Stylized collectable stands 3 ¾ inches tall, perfect for any The Walking Dead fan
- Collect and display all The Walking Dead POP Vinyls
- Collect and display all The Walking Dead POP Vinyls
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