The Walking Dead Changed Negan’s Name Just Before Release

The Walking Dead #95 marked an important milestone as it was the first time the name “Negan” was mentioned. Although Negan, the bat-wielding antagonist, wouldn’t make a physical appearance until issue #100, the name-drop was a significant hint of the forthcoming storyline titled “A Larger World.” This scene takes place when Paul Monroe, also known as Jesus, guides Rick Grimes’ group to the Hilltop colony. Interestingly, Negan’s name underwent a last-minute change from its original form, “Naygus.”

According to writer Robert Kirkman in the Cutting Room Floor feature of The Walking Dead Deluxe #95, “Negan, if in name only, is introduced in this issue. It’s cool seeing the characters mention him without him actually being introduced.”

Kirkman explained, “Originally, he was named Naygus, but it turns out that’s the leader of the Ferengi people from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. So his name was changed before it saw print, thankfully, when I realized I wasn’t coming up with a cool-sounding name from scratch as I thought, and was actually just recalling something that lived deep within the recesses of my superhero, horror, and sci-fi addled brain.”

This colored reprint isn’t the first time Kirkman has shared this interesting tidbit of The Walking Dead trivia. If you’re ever asked, “What was Negan originally named in The Walking Dead?” now you know the answer.

In a 2016 episode of Talking Dead, Kirkman elaborated on his thought process behind the name. He said that he “wanted the name to sound negative in some way, so I was calling him ‘Naygus’ for a long time, which is just a word I thought I pulled from thin air.” After realizing “Nagus” was a Star Trek term, Kirkman thought, “I can’t call him Nagus. So then I was like, ‘Okay, Negan. That sounds fine.'”

The latest reprint, The Walking Dead Deluxe #95, is currently available from Image Comics and offers a fresh look at this iconic issue with added colorization.

Source: comicbook.com