Robert Kirkman chose one of the most brutal The Walking Dead characters as his favorite.

Robert Kirkman, the creator behind The Walking Dead comic book series, has an unexpected favorite character within the expansive universe. While many would assume that he would choose someone like Steven Yeun’s Glenn, Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, or any other impressive character from the original survivors, Rickman’s choice diverges significantly from popular opinion.

The Walking Dead (image credit: AMC)

Despite the array of memorable heroes and villains introduced throughout the series, Kirkman’s preference surprisingly lands on Negan, one of the most brutal characters in the series.

Negan is Robert Kirkman’s Favorite The Walking Dead Character

Season 6 of The Walking Dead introduced Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the notorious Saviors’ leader Negan followed by what has been considered the most shocking and brutal moments in the whole series, Negan beating Abraham and Glenn to death in front of the survivors.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Walking Dead (image credit: AMC)

However, he doesn’t stop there as he mentally tortures Rick Grimes. Following his bloody debut and many other cruel acts, the character eventually embarks on a journey of redemption, and the character even gets his own spin-off alongside Lauren Cohan’s Maggie, The Walking Dead: Dead City.

While many may not find the character tempting, that’s not the case for the creator of the comic book series, Robert Kirkman. During a discussion at New York Comic Con 2019, he revealed Negan as his favorite character from the series, adding that he teared up when he saw Morgan embodying the character on-screen.

Robert Kirkman (image credit: Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

Not just Kirkman, Negan Smith’s redemption story, also considered to be one of the best arcs in the comic series, has been the reason the character has become a fan favorite not only in comics but also in the TV series. And the character’s journey will continue in the post-apocalyptic world in Season 2 of Dead City.

Robert Kirkman’s Unconventional Approach For His Favorite Characters

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kirkman shared that he deliberately avoided having favorites. He said that having such an attachment to a character could skew the narrative by focusing too heavily on a single character.

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes (image credit: AMC)

Kirkman further explained that in such cases he feels compelled to write more stories centered around specific characters. In order to avoid the potential shift in the direction of the narrative, Kirkman takes a drastic approach, killing off characters he became too fond of.

“You know, I don’t really have a favorite. I tend to kill those, just because when I find myself real attached to a character, or if I find myself wanting to write them more and more and steering more story toward them — And that tends to make me want to kill them.”

AMC’s The Walking Dead (image credit: IMDb)

He also shared that he did not want one specific character to affect the “story too much.” Although the series portrays Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes at the center of the narrative, the writer suggests that The Walking Dead lacks a singular protagonist, instead focusing on the collective struggle for survival amidst a civilization-ending threat.

The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Dead City is available to stream on Prime Video.