It’s been one long, stressful summer for “The Walking Dead” fans after season six’s wicked cliffhanger.
Fans were introduced to the comic’s main and most dangerous villain Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan. Creator Robert Kirkman lived up to fans’ expectations as one of Rick’s crew members will meet their demise to Negan’s barbwire baseball bat Lucille.
Dead heads have been racking their brains trying to figure out who was on the receiving end of Lucille. The season seven premier could follow the comics like the finale of the prior season, killing off a fan favorite. Kirkman, however, has hinted numerous times in different interviews that he will stray from the comics, so anyone could be on the chopping block.
This does not mean that the walkers at home have not been digging for clues. The show films in Atlanta and provides set tours perfect for curious fans looking for hints at the next season.
“We tried to squeeze something out of the few actors and set workers we met,” said Jennah Marston, a graduated student from UWG. “No one was talking, of course.”
The creators have not and will not let this cliffhanger be ruined until the season’s premier. The slew of promotions have promised a lot of blood and an abundance of Negan.
Negan is notorious for being ruthless, and his character’s promotion abides by the comics. Morgan brings the character to life with an entrapping, taunting and downright chilling persona as he reigns down on Rick & Co.
For most of season seven, Rick and the group will most likely be under Negan’s control or fighting against it. Negan makes it clear that they can either work for him and live, or die.
The newest trailer shows Rick, played by Andrew Lincoln, looking truly defeated and lost after Lucille claimed her victim. Rick is the foundation of this group, and if Negan can break him down, then maybe the group has finally met their maker. Fans of the show have seen the group at many lows, but nothing compares to the look on Rick’s face while Negan taunts him in the latest trailer with “He’s my right hand man. Do you have one of those? Or did I just kill him?”
Rick is shown dripping sweat, splattered with fresh blood and his eyes are vacant. Rick’s crew has always had a backup plan until now.
At the end of the promo, Negan drags Rick into a trailer with an axe. Splattered brains and blood are in the final shot. This trailer leaves us with another cliffhanger: will the creators kill off the show’s main protagonist?
As Negan says, “things have changed,” and judging by what has been shown so far, it is fair to say season seven will promise that.
