The Walking Dead’s season 7 premiere served as the jumping-off point for several fans of the series. The reason for that was the gnarly deaths of beloved characters Glenn and Abraham by Negan. Now, The Walking Dead comic book creator Robert Kirkman has revealed that it was his idea to kill Abraham and not just Glenn, like had happened in the comics, in order to surprise comic book readers. While the decision had its desired effect, Abraham’s death added to the carnage, making the moment too much for some fans to handle, which hurt the show in the long term.
Negan with a wicked smile, pointing his barbed wire baseball bat in The Walking Dead.

Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) prepares to be killed on The Walking Dead, with Negan's bat pointed in his face.