The anticipation has been killing fans who are dreading finding out who Negan will bludgeon to death when the villain arrives on The Walking Dead. Yet, for all this chatter about Negan, the show has yet to show us his face. While people are familiar with actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan, The Walking Dead has only recently revealed one photo of Negan (above). And for those who've yet to crack the comic books that the series is based on, Morgan will be the only image of the villain that they know. But what does Negan look like in the comics? And does Morgan hold a candle to the cartoon version of the man who infamously wields Lucille — his baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire?
In the AMC photo of Negan, we only see the character from behind while holding his club of death, but there are some other little nods to his comic counterpart's look other than Lucille, namely his leather jacket and red scarf. Still no face though. The Walking Dead promoters are clearly enjoying building up the tension of this unseen threat who fans know will wreak havoc on Rick and his crew. Luckily for viewers, they don't need to see a photo to know what Negan will generally look like on the show since Morgan is a well-known actor from TV series like Grey's Anatomy, Weeds, Supernatural, and The Good Wife, not to mention he already played a comic book antihero come to life in the movie Watchmen as the Comedian. Though I suppose he'll be playing this dastardly character with a different edge.
Here's what Morgan will have to live up to:
Negan Is A Smug S.O.B.
Negan's arrogance shines through in the above photo with his sadistic side smile. Because of his aforementioned role of the Comedian in Watchmen, I know Morgan will nail that look of twisted confidence.
He Has Got Some Serious Facial Features
Negan looks as if he was cut from stone — and not in the beautiful Statue of David kind of way. He's a big block of a man with hooded eyes, thick eyebrows, and a large forehead and his facial features are all very dark. While Morgan doesn't perfectly match Negan's appearance, I think his look as a whole isn't too far off since he has a way to make his own dark eyes look quite menacing.
He Rocks A Mighty Cleft Chin
One of Negan's discerning features is that prominent cleft chin. Morgan has recently been sporting a beard at promotional events for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which he plays Bruce Wayne's dad (opposite Walking Dead star Lauren Cohan as Bruce's mom), so it's been difficult to look into his chin status. Yet, in the name of research, I looked at older photos of Morgan and while not nearly defined as Negan's, there are some pictures when I swear I could spot the tiniest of dimples in Morgan's chin.
He Doesn't Have Beard
The other part of an exposed cleft chin is the fact that it comes without a beard. I'm a sucker for a good beard and I more than approve of Morgan's well-groomed mustache and beard that he's been rocking recently. That's why I'm desperately hoping that Morgan went barefaced for his Walking Dead appearance — I will have a significantly better chance of not being physically attracted to his homicidal maniac of a character that way. (I would also advise putting Morgan's dreamy role in P.S. I Love You far, far away from your mind.)
He Is A Big Dude
While the Governor was tall, he was pretty lanky. That's why I'm so happy to see that Negan, as the next big villain on the series, is not only tall, but is also really broad and muscular — it really makes for a terrifying foe. Morgan definitely has that similar build, and Negan has the sort of stature that could easily overwhelm my hero, Rick Grimes, in a fight. While I adore Rick, I wanted Negan to be more believably threatening than the Governor and it looks like my wish has been granted.
Then again, I'm sure I'll be taking that wish back during the Season 6 finale when Morgan first shows up as Negan, wielding Lucille. *Shudder*
Image: Gene Page/AMC
