The Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang revealed Ezekiel’s mindset in a surprising scene that sees the former king try to save Negan’s life. Despite his attempts at redeeming himself after causing so much pain and chaos as leader of the Saviors, Negan still hadn’t found favor in Ezekiel’s eyes. Even so, the former Kingdom leader decided to trust Negan with a plan to help free their people from imprisonment and forced physical labor by the Commonwealth. Negan, however, ends up putting the planned escape in jeopardy after trying to get his pregnant wife, Annie, a break from the hard work. The Warden ends up questioning Negan about a note keeping track of guard shifts, telling him to give him a name for whoever is leading the escape plan.
In order to save his wife and keep Ezekiel from being killed, Negan says that he was the only one orchestrating a rebellion. The former Savior is forced to kneel under a windmill at Outpost 22 – formerly Alexandria – in a scene reminiscent of Negan’s executions using Lucille. The Warden almost kills Negan, but decides last-minute to negate their deal, instead dragging Annie out to be killed instead. Negan begs and pleads for her life, telling the Commonwealth soldiers that it should only be him that they take. Ezekiel is moved by Negan’s genuine, selfless act of compassion for his wife, stepping in front of the soldiers and raising his arms, inspiring other survivors to do the same.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kang revealed why Ezekiel made the surprising decision to defend Negan. She explained that while Ezekiel was often unable to tell if Negan was doing good things for his own benefit, seeing him plead for Annie’s life changed his perspective. Check out what Kang had to say below:
When Ezekiel sees the firing line and he sees Annie there — even the ones who don’t care for Negan and can never forget his past see Annie as somebody who seems pretty good and straightforward. They have no reason to hate Annie. They can see that Negan’s relationship with Annie is making him a better man, or at least he’s trying to be. And Negan doing this thing of saying “It was me,” that’s a purely selfless act. There is nothing he gains from that.
And I think part of Ezekiel skepticism about Negan is “I can’t tell if the things that you’ve done that are good were because you truly had remorse, or if you thought that it gained you something.” Ezekiel doesn’t trust that, but there is nothing to gain from Negan doing what he just did. And Ezekiel knows that. And Ezekiel also knows that if he lets this go forward, it’s just gonna happen again and again and again, and Ezekiel really has a fighting spirit and a spirit of we as citizens have a responsibility to stand up when we think things are wrong. So I think all of those things move Ezekiel.
Negan’s Redemption Defines His Walking Dead Future
Kang’s explanation of Ezekiel’s actions shows that Negan’s character has finally come full circle. In a defining moment that reflects his very first scene in The Walking Dead back in season 6, episode 16, Negan is allowed total redemption by a man who hated him for over half a decade. Ezekiel’s protection of Negan is a symbolic act of acceptance, showcasing that despite all the death and destruction he partook in as leader of the Saviors, Negan is not beyond redemption. Ezekiel sees that his love for Annie changed him, and with that, realized Negan was no longer the monster he had hated for so long.
Negan’s character arc is not over, though, as he is set to appear alongside Maggie Rhee in The Walking Dead: Dead City, airing in April of next year. The Walking Dead spinoff sees Negan accompany Maggie to New York City. While it’s likely the series will have an extensive focus on how Maggie views Negan despite him killing her husband, Glenn, many years ago, Negan’s recent redemption opens the door for a more dynamic exploration of the pair’s relationship. When someone like Ezekiel has decided Negan can be redeemed, Maggie must face the notion of Negan’s newfound heroism despite the grudge she holds against him for all the pain he’s caused her. Ezekiel’s decision to save Negan bolsters his own character while also setting up The Walking Dead‘s continued exploration of the former antagonist’s redemption.