‘The Walking Dead’s’ newest villain has certainly made his impact, but it hasn’t been entirely positive. Here are some ways they can make Negan a character worth watching.

It’s not too much longer until The Walking Dead returns to television, as many of us were reminded in last night’s Super Bowl ad.

I’m feeling a mixed bag of emotions with the return of my long-beloved series. On one hand, I’ll get to see a group of survivors I’ve followed for years unify against an army in the television retelling of one of the comic’s most famous story arcs, March to War.

I’m excited, I guarantee you that. But I have this lingering doubt in the back of my head that I’ve had since episode one of season seven; is the television show doing justice to Negan?

From the cartoonish dialogue to the mannerisms that seem better suited in the Ministry of Silly Walks, Negan’s portrayal is worrisome for a lot of fans. The worst part is how they’ve been stuffing him down our throats, almost to say, “Don’t you see? He’s really really bad, but also kooky!”

With one-half of the tumultuous seventh season behind us, The Walking Dead has some rectifying to do on the part of Negan to hopefully gain back some of its chagrined viewers. Here’s how I think that can be done.

Stop Trying to Prove What He’s Capable of

Out of the eight episodes in the first half of the current season, seven of them involved either Negan himself or the Saviors causing havoc for our survivors. This isn’t to just say that they show up and collect what’s owed from the indentured settlements. No, they’re knocking down secure gates or beating the hell out of undeserving victims.

In this constant onslaught of proving Negan’s might, it’s already beginning to wear the treads of our interest of an otherwise compelling character. To excessively show us time and time again that Negan’s not someone to mess with, viewers begin to see him as someone to be dealt with as quickly as possible and not someone we want to know more about.

To fix this, Negan’s presence should be spaced out in the latter half of this season. Rely on that emotional barrage that the viewers have been put through already to give Negan the clout he deserves.

Let’s think back on The Walking Dead’s first real villain, The Governor. Season three was concluded with his unsuccessful raid on the prison that led to him killing his own people. He disappears a defeated man. Season four seems to be a time of relative peace for the survivors until in the last seconds of the episode, “Internment” where we see The Governor looking on from a distance as he plans his retaliation. After five unrelated episodes and an entire year of downtime, it takes only a matter of seconds to reminded us that The Governor is still a very real threat.

Negan’s appearances should be like seeing Darth Vader or the Borg in their respective universes. Time-tested villains that even on their umpteenth appearance still feel fresh. It’s doable, but they need to turn down Negan’s prolificity to make it happen.

Bring Negan Back to Earth

In a show based around a comic book, you’re going to have some moments that don’t work on screen as well as they did in the more fantastical comic medium. Now, The Walking Dead is at least rooted in a world that was once normal, so these moments don’t come around too often, but Negan is the exception.

He’s like the Joker joined a motorcycle club. He’s Tarantino and Romero in one. It’s an awesome concept but not if you want to keep things relatively realistic. Negan’s got to become more nuanced in his words and in his actions.

I’m sure many television viewers know that Negan’s comic counterpart is a foul mouth who’ll crack off-color jokes all the time, even as he’s in immediate danger. This is something that doesn’t translate well for a lot of fans who’ve invested time into this horror-drama. Sure, the recklessly wanton way he operates is supposed to strike fear in viewers but it’s coming off more as a gimmick. The whistling, the saunter, it gives the image of someone who’s just begging to be dethroned, not someone who rules the roost.

Again, comparing him to The Governor and his comic counterpart, the showrunners took lengthy measures to make the eyepatched antagonist enjoyable to watch. Some of the things that they changed specifically were how he interacted with his zombified daughter which, if they were to accurately depict from the comics, would have rubbed people the wrong way and taken away from his presence. This is just one of many things they changed about The Governor to make him more presentable. The same applies to The Hunters/Terminus, as well.

If anything, the showrunners can keep that maliciously carefree attitude we’ve come to expect, but fix his dialogue to be more effective to a large audience and not just your average Mad Magazine subscriber. It’ll pay off in the long run.

You’ve Shown us How, Now Show us Why

Negan's smiling because there's a new preview for #TheWalkingDead! Watch cast interviews & new footage here: https://t.co/ovVl6Tdm0b pic.twitter.com/wrlPk8ry2a — The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) February 6, 2017

Again, nothing can be done about the objectively declining episodes of the current season. We saw Negan beat two main characters to death in the first episode and we ended with a disembowelment. Most of this is true to the comic, but now it’s time to help us understand why Negan feels this is the way to rule.

A character’s motivations are pivotal to making them effective, especially with villains. To understand why certain steps are taken will help viewers believe that they’re needed. Backstory is a fantastic way to show motivation and it’s just what Negan’s character needs.

Gustavo Fring from AMC’s other smash-hit Breaking Bad is a great example of a fleshed out villain. Making money was the name of the game for the would-be kingpin, but through flashback’s to his younger years, it became clear that vengeance was another motivator. When he threatens to kill Walter White’s entire family, we don’t see an over-dramatised character, we see someone who will stop at nothing to end those that have wronged him.

To bring things closer to home, The Hunters are a great example of motivated villains. Why have they devolved to cannibalism? Well, because they tried the nice way and it didn’t work. Through Gareth’s flashback at the beginning of season five, we see people pushed to a point of no return. Thus, The Hunters were born.

This isn’t so much a misstep in what’s already been shown to us but a way of making Negan’s resurgence all that more appealing. With the “Here’s Negan” mini-comic progressing every month, the showrunners already have good content they can use to fuel his backstory. It’s time to start laying that foundation before people see nothing but a lunatic that needs to be put down.

The Roadmap

(Beware, some comic spoilers lay below. Skip this section to avoid them.)

The one thing that sets Negan apart from any of the other villains on The Walking Dead is that he’s here to stay. I don’t mean that this upcoming war is going to last multiple seasons, I mean that Negan survives and eventually joins Rick’s group as a loyal soldier.

Now, assuming that the show isn’t going to deviate much from this idea, they’re going to have a real problem on their hands if people can’t stand the sight of Negan. While he may find redemption in viewer’s eyes by picking up Ricks banner, the character’s past actions aren’t going to just be forgotten. These steps must be taken so that we’ll root for a character that many can’t wait to see killed.

In Closing

The Walking Dead’s season seven premiere and subsequent episodes to follow surely weren’t what the showrunners were expecting. While the show is still dominating the market on Sunday nights, Negan’s flubbed introduction and continued mishandling has become a glaring blemish for the show’s prominence.

While it’s important to stick to a vision and not allow viewers to dictate every aspect of a narrative, it’s also important to look at the numbers. When viewers are flocking away from a show in droves, it’s time to reassess. While Negan’s handling is not the only thing to blame for this downtick, it’s definitely contributed to it.

When I met Negan in 2012, I remember pacing around my room as I read and reread his bloody introduction. Every issue that followed, I ate through them looking for more ways to understand this new villain. I haven’t felt that drive about his television persona even once.

With these changes and additions, Negan can become a character that makes our eyes widen, not roll. With the premiere of the rest of season seven only days away, we look forward to seeing how they redeem the bat-wielding baddie.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on February 12 at 8/7c. You can always catch up on past seasons on Netflix or AMC’s website.