Creator Robert Kirkman dropped a behind-the-scenes bombshell at New York Comic Con today, revealing how he originally planned to resolve the conflict between Rick and Negan in The Walking Dead comic. And it’s quite different than how things ultimately played out.
“I was originally going to have Rick decapitate Negan, and bring his head to Maggie,” Kirkman told fans. That didn’t happen, of course, and Negan continued to terrorize Rick and his band of survivors in the book as he’s doing now in the TV series.
“I had an idea… What if he had a scene with Carl? That’d be pretty cool. And it went on from there. I got attached to him,” Kirkman said.
Kirkman also revealed that The Walking Dead #175 will begin a new era for the comic with an arc titled “New World Order.” The story will have survivors encountering new friends, new enemies, and other threats.
Here’s the cover depicting what appears to be members of a militarized fighting force.
The Walking Dead #175 hits shelves Wednesday, January 3rd.