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A Difference of Evil: Negan vs. The Governor

May 6, 2014
Lizzy IversonbyLizzy Iverson
in Comics
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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Hey everyone! This week we asked our fantastic new intern Stephan to write a post for the site, and man, did he deliver! Check out his comparison of The Walking Dead’s two greatest villains, and how Rick dealt (or would have dealt) with each:


Last week we wrapped up the “All Out War” story arc, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions. Is Rick making the right decision? Will Negan rise to power again? Will Carl “Bust-A-Carl” and do what he thinks is right? Although all of these will be answered in the future, some other interesting, less definitive questions come to mind in the aftermath of this power struggle. Why did Rick allow Negan to live? Would he have allowed the Governor to live given the opportunity? Were Negan’s atrocities less than the Governor’s? Did he pose less of a threat? Or was he a different kind of threat?

Brian “The Governor” Blake was in charge of the community known as Woodbury and died in battle at the prison. Although many of the residents thought of the Governor as a hero, their chosen leader who was providing safety and a life worthwhile, he lived a double life similar to the notorious serial killer Ed Gein, who is infamous for keeping severed body parts. He even kept his dead mother in his own home (Let’s not forget about that toothless Penny Kiss…)! Further more, people who knew him considered him pleasant and charming, much like The Governor. Blake, away from his community’s eyes, raped and tortured Michonne, and killed any new non-infected humans whom he crossed paths with, “turning” them to be used as entertainment. After being mutilated himself, he sought vengeance and launched an attack on the prison, ending in numerous deaths on both sides of the battle. This man was obviously riddled with emotional issues about his “daughter” and control.

Negan, the leader of the Saviors, used fear to rule over his community, enslaving the women to be his many “wives,” though perhaps the word “property” might be more appropriate. The Saviors were ordered to attack neighboring communities if an ongoing ransom wasn’t paid and savagely beat Glenn to death in front of the surviving members of Rick Grime’s unwavering group. However, despite Rick and the Survivors betraying and attacking Negan (including Carl’s Rambo flashback), he allowed them to live. Negan, unlike the Governor, is calculated and controls his temper. One could equate him to a dictator, ruling with fear, where his punishment and policy is well known to his people (look at Dwight and Mark’s faces.)

With these two extremes of ruling over a community, did Rick feel differently about the Governor compared to Negan? Much like the show, Rick wasn’t given a choice. Rick never seeks bloodshed, and in the comic, even states before the people of Woodbury attack, “We will be ready for them,” not “Let’s go kill the Governor.” Eventually the Governor does attack, and is killed by Lilly, not a member of Rick’s group, but if given the chance, it’s fair to say that Rick would have pulled the trigger. Whereas with Negan, he obviously was spared by Rick, a symbol of the humanity left in this desolate world. The main difference between these two villains is a difference of motivation. One was willing to kill for entertainment and sought to remain unopposed in the community he built, and the other killed to remain in control, for the betterment of his people.

However, it’s also clear that Rick has grown. He’s becoming a person who shows mercy, and has come a long way from the vengeful man we saw during the prison arc. But then again, only time will tell.


What do you think of this comparison of Negan vs. the Governor? Would Rick have definitely killed the Governor if given the chance? Discuss below!

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Comments 5

  1. Phillip Blake says:
    9 years ago

    The Governor was much more Evil, but then again, Negan killed Glenn.

    Reply
  2. mo says:
    9 years ago

    Negan would of chewed the governor up and spit him out

    Reply
  3. Czar Cody LaCrone says:
    9 years ago

    The Governor is by far more Evil in a stance. Let’s compare – The Governor, on first arrival, cuts of Rick’s hand, locks them all away, and rapes Michonne many times. He also has killed MANY random survivors, including those from the helicopter crash, and kept their heads in a tank. The Governor, when attacking the prison, causes the death of Axel, Patricia, Billy Greene, executes Tyreese, Alice, Hershel himself, and directly orders for Lori and Judith to be shot. Now Negan – He only kills Glenn and Spencer himself. He causes the deaths of many during the war, I’m sure Holly was a direct result of him. Dwight shot Abraham without knowledge from Negan, so I don’t attribute his death to Negan. Negan also allows MANY times, the survivors to live. The Governor would not have shown this mercy. It is also shown that though Negan has more personnel in his army, The Governor is better equipped due to the National Guard station close by. The Governor also rules by trickery and great charisma, not overtly melting people’s faces with hot irons like Negan does. One is more tyrannical to his own people, the other does everything he THINKS will save his town. In the end, The Governor’s actions have proved that he is more evil, the deaths alone under his reign. Sure, Negan bashed Glenn’s brains in, infront of everyone, but The Governor ran a tank through the prison, and killed over half of our beloved characters in the volume Made to Suffer.

    Reply
  4. Francesca Ford says:
    9 years ago

    I agree with others who have said the Governor is far more evil. The Governor was a sick, evil man who took advantage of society collapsing in order to engage in his sick shit. I find it hard to imagine that given the opportunity, if zombies had never arisen, he would not have done many similarly vile things in his life. On the other hand, Negan is simply wrong. I am not saying he is not evil. To be that wrong is without a doubt evil, but at least Negan had a reasonable goal in mind – preservation, both of life and society. There is a huge world of difference between the man who simply wants to sadistically stand back and enjoy watching the world burn and the man who, though he employs horrible – even self destructive and thus contradictory methods – is nonetheless aiming at making society better off. Considering the idea of no zombies having come about from Negan’s perspective, I believe it is clear he never would have been a villain. It wasn’t that the circumstances changed him, he was just, wrongheadedly, trying to make best of the situation, not take advantage of it in the way the Governor did.

    Reply
  5. A_Hidell says:
    9 years ago

    Both evil characters. There seems to be an obsession by Image to stress the subtleties of the small differences between Negan and the Governor. But this is all moot because I think the fans object to the same *storyline* being repeated – rival camp with crazy/evil bastard leader tries to take down Rick. Fine – they are not exactly the same people – but look at the bigger picture guys!

    Reply

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