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Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes; Michael Cudlitza as Sgt Abraham Ford; Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha.

(Gene Page/AMC)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here's something that should add even more mystery to the Negan cliffhanger at the end of "The Walking Dead" Season 6.

Executive producer Greg Nicotero tells Digital Spy the show will deviate from the comics in terms of the aftermath of Negan's arrival heading into Season 7.

[SPOILERS stuff ahead]

"I don't think we would be doing the material justice if we just regurgitated it word for word," Nicotero said. "There are iconic moments, and there are things that we will pay tribute to, and even if we don't do it exactly the same way that we find it in the comic book, we will find a way for fans of the graphic novel to feel like they are getting their money's worth."

Some fans may assume Nicotero is teasing the biggest change possible from the comics, which would be Negan not killing Glenn. That might be a bit of a reach, but it wouldn't be that much of a reach to see Abraham take Glenn's place.

Still, Nicotero's comments aren't all that shocking. The show has already put storylines in place that deviate greatly from the comic. For instance, Abraham was the one to take an arrow through the eye in Robert Kirkman's origin story, not Denise.

There's also Michonne and Rick's relationship, which isn't a part of the comic either. Plus, there's Daryl Dixon, a main character on the TV series who does not exist in the comic.

As Nicotero said, there are iconic elements of the comic book that will work their way on screen, such as Ezekiel and the Kingdom. However, I could see the show further deviating from Kirkman's story, especially when it comes to Dwight.

Dwight winds up being a double agent of sorts in the comic book, bouncing between the Saviors and Rick's group. But I don't see that happening on the show, given Dwight's rivalry with Daryl.

One other change could be Glenn and Maggie's baby. In the comic, they have a baby boy. But the series already has one baby in Judith. It's more likely Maggie will lose her child.