Who is Negan in The Walking Dead?

The man with the barbed-wire bat · The Living Threats

Negan (The man with the barbed-wire bat) is a character in The Walking Dead, part of The Living Threats. Negan arrives at the end of a long funnel — roadblocks, whistles, and a forest clearing where Rick's invincible group kneels in a line. Leather jacket, swagger, and Lucille: a barbed-wire-wrapped bat he introduces like a partner. The Saviors run an empire on a simple subscription model — half of everything, or the bat — and their leader is its grinning theology. What Negan does in that clearing resets the series; who he turns out to be, across years of cell bars and second chances, is its longest redemption question.

When does Negan first appear?

Negan first appears in Season 6, Episode 16 (“Last Day on Earth”) of The Walking Dead (2010–2022, AMC).

Who is Negan connected to?

Relationships already established when Negan first appears — nothing from later episodes.

• Rick Grimes — The clearing, the bat, the war

Which group does Negan belong to?

By the time Negan appears, The Living Threats also includes Merle Dixon, The Governor.

Watching right now? Open Negan in the interactive map, set the episode you've reached, and see every relationship and bio update you already know — spoiler-free.