‘Walking Dead’ Season 6 Spoilers: Robert Kirkman Says AMC Show Will ‘Never Be The Same’ After Negan’s Arrival

“The Walking Dead” has delivered many game changes over the past few seasons. From cannibals, to the return of long lost characters, and even a surprise pregnancy thrown in, fans of the AMC series have seen it all. However, nothing – not even the comics – can prepare fans for what’s coming next.

Although the show is currently on hiatus until Feb. 14, all viewers can think about is the upcoming introduction of the graphic novel villain Negan. He has yet to make his way on screen, but the midseason finale ended with Daryl (Norman Reedus), Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) coming across a group of Negan’s men on the road.

“As far as shake-ups go, we have lots of shake-ups from season to season,” comic creator and “Walking Dead” executive producer Robert Kirkman explained to Entertainment Weekly. “It keeps things interesting – keeps the blood pumping, I like to say – but Negan is kind of an atomic bomb that’s going to be dropped on the show and the show will probably never be the same after that. So buckle up, I guess?”

In the comics, Negan is the leader of a group of survivors called the Saviors. They control the other survivor communities – including Alexandria and a group called the Hilltop Colony. The Saviors demand supplies in exchange for protection. But the catch is that the others can’t refuse their services.

Negan and the Saviors are responsible for a number of cruel attacks on Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the other survivors. And, of course, comic readers can’t forget that Negan is also to blame for the death of a major fan favorite character.

It’s unclear if the TV series will take that route when it comes to killing off said character, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who was cast as Negan in November, has teased that the show will closely follow the pages of the comics.

“As far as I know, it’s going to be very much parallel to the comic books,” Morgan previewed to TV Guide. “If you know what’s coming, then I don’t have to tell you.”

Negan will reportedly make his debut on-screen in the Season 6 finale of “The Walking Dead.” The show left off with the fate of the Alexandria survivors in the air after the fall of the wall.