‘Walking Dead’ Season 7 Spoilers: Key Art Teases The Return Of Negan And His Bat

If you thought Negan was through bashing skulls with his trusty bat, you were dead wrong.

Key art, released by AMC on Wednesday, suggests that not only will Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character be back with a vengeance in Season 7 of “The Walking Dead,” but he’s on a hunt for more blood. The poster shows Negan shrouded in darkness, with his barbed wire-wrapped bat, Lucille, front and center. In large red letters the photo warns that his twisted fun has only just begun. “Walking Dead” fans will have to wait until Oct. 23 to find out what the show’s most notorious villain has up his leather sleeves.

While the latest season of the AMC series is nearly one month away, the network has provided fans with several teasers. On Sept. 8, set photos appeared online, seemingly showing fans the inside of The Sanctuary, where Negan and his crew have set up camp. The photos showed the chain-link fence and “wall of walkers” set up by the Saviors to keep unwanted guests — alive and undead — from entering. Despite its brooding appearance, The Sanctuary appears to be in relatively good shape. Not only is it neat and tidy, but it’s villainous inhabitants have gone the extra mile to make it entirely functional in a world overrun with zombies.

AMC has also shown “Walking Dead” fans the inside of The Kingdom, a safe haven that is entirely the opposite of Negan’s humble abode. Fans will recall from the comics, written by Robert Kirkman, that the Kingdom is located inside an abandoned high school in Washington D.C. Those who call it home sleep in tents outside the facility with a wall of buses and sheet metal to protect them. Photos show plants thriving in what used to be filing cabinet drawers and wind chimes made out of old keys and kitchen tools.

At present, little is known about what will happen in Season 7 of “Walking Dead.” One thing is for certain though — viewers will finally learn who was killed by Negan’s bat at the end of Season 6.

When last we saw the cast, Lucille had just been swung in the general direction of several much beloved characters kneeling on the ground awaiting their fate. Promotional clips for the show, released Sept. 6, featured Negan delivering a lengthy speech while different scenes play out. Bits and pieces of a car chase and Negan pounding Lucille against a gate were also shown. According to the Huffington Post, Reddit users suggest that the short teaser reveals that Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) is shown in the trailer, meaning it was not him who was killed in the Season 6 finale.

“The Walking Dead” returns on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 9 p.m EDT on AMC.