The Walking Dead Surprises With Shock Negan Reveal (2024)

Warning: this story contains spoilers for Sunday's "The Rotten Core" episode of The Walking Dead.Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has had many wives, but only one love: Lucille (Hilarie Burton Morgan). "We would've loved to have had a kid," Negan told Michonne (Danai Gurira) in Season 9 of his beloved wife, whodied by suicideas she succumbed to pancreatic cancer. "We would've loved to have had a kid like Carl." While Negan would take a fatherly liking to Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming), there was never a Negan Jr., or another Mrs. Smith.

Until now.

Sunday's "The Rotten Core" episode of The Walking Dead revealed Negan and Annie (Medina Senghore) are married — and she's 12 weeks pregnant with Negan's child. Six months have passed since he left Alexandria in the mid-season premiere, only to fall in with Annie's group of tenants holed up inside the Riverbend Apartment Complex where they live.

Negan left because he couldn't trust Maggie (Lauren Cohan) not to avenge Glenn (Steven Yeun), her husband murdered by Negan years earlier. Negan lives, for now, but he promised to settle the score with Maggie and Glenn's son when Hershel Rhee (Kien Michael Spiller) has grown up.

"When we left Negan, and he walked off and he left Maggie, we really felt like that was finishing the arc of, 'I want to be a joiner now, I want to be part of this group, let me redeem myself, let me prove myself.' Everything really changed when Maggie came [back]," showrunner Angela Kang explainedonTalking Dead. "I think if you're Negan, why would you trust Maggieafter what she didat Meridian? We felt like with that headspace, he really went into the world feeling like, 'I'm just going to start over,' whatever that looks like. But we know that Negan is a social animal, he really likes to have people to talk to, so it felt to us like he would fall in with a group."

"He would probably pretty quickly make himself invaluable to some people," Kang continued. "It felt like if he falls in with a completely different group and there's no baggage there, he really is in a different headspace where he realizes, 'If I can wipe the slate clean, can I make some choices that are different this time around? Can I? Have I changed?CanI change?'"

See reactions to the Negan baby below, and follow@CameronBonomolo on Twitterand@NewsOfTheDeadfor TWD Universe coverage all season long.

From @NickNafster79

"...and then I felt a great disturbance, like millions of single women crying out in anguish." #TheWalkingDead #TWD @TWalkingDWorld pic.twitter.com/GciuJsvyQI

— Nick Nafpliotis (@NickNafster79) March 28, 2022

From @Smeary

WHOA! Negan is married?!?!?!?!

WHAT? #TWD #TheWalkingDead @WalkingDead_AMC

— Smeary (@Smeary) March 28, 2022

From @vintagewritten1

What? Negan and Annie are married? Wow. Really moved on from Lucille. 😳 #TheWalkingDead

— Sarah Soll (@vintagewritten1) March 28, 2022

From @teenwolfhuman

NEGAN IS MARRIED #TWD #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/ddBGAVNXgm

— ~Brittany~ (@teenwolfhuman) March 28, 2022

From @TanStrongDubya

Negan works fast #twd #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/QhMgGsuOkC

— Miss Tan ❤️🎨👏🏾 (@TanStrongDubya) March 28, 2022

From @PaulNiemeyer1

Negan put a ring on it! #TheWalkingDead #TWD #TalkingDead pic.twitter.com/LKpTqB8qtt

— Paul Niemeyer (@PaulNiemeyer1) March 28, 2022

From @planet_TWD

This really caught me off guard, not sure how I feel about this. Kind of feels like it was only put here so Maggie can’t kill Negan, not sure but we will see how it plays out. I’m really interested in Annie’s character though!! I hope she isn’t killed off so soon #twd pic.twitter.com/Ro2U9mW4pc

— PlanetWD (@planet_TWD) March 28, 2022

From @_taylorquinn

that was shocking about Negan……but I am really liking Annie #TheWalkingDead

— Taylor Quinn (@_taylorquinn) March 28, 2022

From @LexCorp213

Negan married 🙄 #thewalkingdead #twd pic.twitter.com/BY09Mzqzak

— 🌻⭐️Lexie🌙🌻 (@LexCorp213) March 28, 2022

From @CheshireKat_92

Negan got married while he was away. #TWD pic.twitter.com/nyDfg4HFhv

— Kat J. (@CheshireKat_92) March 28, 2022

From @2PACisalive_

Married?! #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/89a8AZH25I

— Reefie Baby ♥️ (@2PACisalive_) March 28, 2022

From @LauraBongiovan9

Negan's going to be a father!!!! 😱😱😱#TheWalkingDead #TalkingDead

— 🎭Laura Giglio Bongiovanni🎭 (@LauraBongiovan9) March 28, 2022

From @Jeremy_OHWX

NEGAN'S HAVING A KID!?!!!?!??! #TheWalkingDead

— Jeremy W 🌪️🇺🇦 (@Jeremy_OHWX) March 28, 2022

From @TheAbeFord

So Negan got married and impregnated Annie within two months? #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/H9pFJL94Yp

— Abraham Ford (Parody) (@TheAbeFord) March 28, 2022

From @ChattGM93

Married and expecting. I was not ready for all of this tonight. HOT DAMN THIS IS A LOT!!! #TWD

— Anthony Chatman (@ChattGM93) March 28, 2022

From @MoeHamka_

In the span of a couple episodes Negan got married, got a woman pregnant and is saving Maggie's kid #TWD pic.twitter.com/SDtmkSMxsf

— Moe (@MoeHamka_) March 28, 2022

From @IvyLouLou

Negan catching some feelings in this episode. #TWD #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/T4NeoSbile

— Ivy Lou (@IvyLouLou) March 28, 2022