Negan is one ofWalking Dead’s most despicable villains - he brutalizes his own followers, maintains a harem of coerced ‘wives’ and introduces himself by beating a beloved character to death. And yet despite his horrifying actions, one moment was intended to establish that Rick Grimes is far more dangerous, showing that Rick’s humanity was severely in question. This scene was acrucial part of Rick’s journeywhilealso subtly foreshadowing his death.
InThe Walking Dead #107, Rick Grimes travels to the Saviors' compound to rescue his son Carl, who stowed away on one of Negan’s trucks. Rick fears the worst, especially once Negan hints he had Carl tortured, leading to a fight between the two. During the clash,Rick bites down hard on Negan’s arm, withWalking Dead’s creator confirming this moment was meant to send a message.
InWalking Dead Deluxe #107from Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Dave McCaig, Kirkman notes that the bite was meant to send a clear message about how Rick differs from Negan. Kirkman writes:
“Did you f******* BITE me?!” That was a fun line of dialogue I knew I had to put in there. A moment where Negan is ignoring the pain of being bitten and is more indignant about the IDEA of someone biting him. I also liked how it made Rick Grimes seem so much more ruthless and less civilized than Negan. … Anyway, good issue showing how sane Negan can seem, while totally being insane.
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Rick Represents a New Order, While Negan Is the Worst of Humanity
The entire issue stresseshow reasonable Negan actually is. While the Saviors ruling over other communities is morally wrong, they have consistent rules and don’t engage in abject cruelty for its own sake. Negan even states that killing Glenn was done to prevent more excessive bloodshed - Rick’s group had to know that they were powerless to resist, otherwise they would have lost more people fighting back.
While thisdoesn’t make Negan any less evil, it does emphasize that he’s not as chaotic as he seems. Negan doesn’t make decisions on a whim - he truly believes that his violent, fascistic world view is correct and that it’s the only way humanity can survive the zombie apocalypse. Negan slaughters his victims and maims his own followers, believing it’s the most effective way to keep order. In contrast, Rick is actually far more chaotic - he’s governed by his own sense of morality and his need to protect his family and allies.Rick is prepared to do terrible things in service of those goals, and will tear down anyone who stands in the way of them.
This is crucial to Rick’s journey because of his final opponent, the Commonwealth.Ruled by Pamela Milton, the Commonwealth is an attempt to recreate human society as it was before the outbreak. Rick could live a comfortable, civilized life in this society, but his conscience won’t allow it.Rick unseats Milton and takes over the Commonwealth, enforcing a new, more egalitarian way of life.Walking Deadargues that Rick’s more chaotic morality is preferable to a stable but unjust society. However, before he could become a redeemer, Rick had to become a"living zombie."
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Rick’s First Bite Against a Human Turned Him into a ‘Living Zombie’
But This Monstrous Moment Was a Vital Part of His Journey
In his commentary, Kirkman points out that Rick biting Negan calls back toWalking Dead #57. In that issue, a group of bandits attack Rick, Abraham and Carl. When the leader orders one of his men to rape Carl,Rick loses control, tearing the man’s throat out with his teeth before beating his lackey to death, despite the fact that Abraham already has him at gunpoint. In theDeluxereprint of that issue, Kirkmandescribes this as Rick becoming a zombie:
Rick essentially becomes a living zombie in order to save [Carl]. I’d had the “Rick bites a guy like a zombie” scene planned for a while. … I just thought it would be cool to push things to the point where Rick had to behave like a zombie in order to survive. From there, it was just a matter of coming up with a situation dire enough to drive Rick to do that.
One ofWalking Dead’s most iconic moments is when Rick declares,“We are the Walking Dead,“giving up on any hope of humanity regaining control. Later, he declares he was wrong, showing how his arc goes from traditional authority figure to hopeless ‘living zombie’ to the instigator of a better world. Rick makes society better than it ever was by enshrining new values, but before that, he had to be stripped of his prior perspective.
Rick behaving like a ‘living zombie’ - biting his enemies and doing everything he can to hurt them - shows him beingstripped of his sense of ‘civilization’ in a way that ultimately leaves him open to better ideals. Negan can justify burning his followers with an iron because their obedience keeps his settlement going. However, having become a living zombie, Rick has firsthand experience of a dark lesson: humans are capable of anything, and the species should only survive if it actually deserves to.
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Rick Grimes' Death Turns Him into an ACTUAL Zombie
Trying to Bite Carl Shows Rick Is Gone Forever
Of course, these instances of Rick becoming a ‘living zombie’ also foreshadow his eventual death inThe Walking Dead #192, when he’s assassinated by Pamela Milton’s son.Rick is shot in bed, having just set society on the track to recovery in a better form. Carl later discovers him as a zombie and is forced to execute the shambling remains of his father before he can be bitten. Combined with Rick’s earlier ‘bites,’ the moment makes it clear that he’s truly gone, and that Walkers hold no essence of their former selves - Rick might have become a ‘living zombie’ to save Carl, buttrying to bite his son shows there’s nothing of Rick Grimes left.
Rick’s character arc is perhaps the best part of the originalWalking Deadcomics, as he goes from small-town cop to mythic savior of humanity. However, the journey between those states includes a long plunge into darkness, with Rick’s fight against Negan showing how far he’s fallen. Giving up on the ‘civilization’ that Negan tries to embody ultimately helps turn Rick into the manWalking Dead’s remaining humans need to lead them into a better tomorrow.
The Walking Dead Deluxe #107is available now from Image Comics.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadis a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
