Simon (Steven Ogg) is a memorable villain in The Walking Dead who could have had a much more interesting arc in the show had he not died so soon. In the season 6 finale, one of the greatest villains in The Walking Dead makes his first appearance. Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) arrives on the scene to terrorize Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his group of survivors. The leader of the Saviors, Negan, was for me, the moment The Walking Dead found its footing after a few seasons of stumbling that nearly turned me off the show entirely.

Negan’s community, the Saviors, is almost more interesting to me than the man himself. Undoubtedly, the Saviors are an antagonistic community in The Walking Dead, but that doesn’t mean they are straight villains. If you look at them from one angle, they could be seen as the inevitable outcome of what Rick and his group would eventually become, an insular, but approachable society that believes that violence is the only way to stay safe. That’s one of the reasons I’d like to have seen Simon stick around a little longer and explore the nuances of the Saviors.

If Simon Didn’t Die, TWD Could Have Pitted Him Against Negan In An Epic Rivalry

Simon And Negan’s Relationship Could Have Mirrored Negan And Rick’s

Simon is Negan’s right-hand man when the Saviors are introduced, and a brutal and sinister member of his group. I immediately saw him as the more unhinged, but equally dangerous version of Negan. As soon as Negan himself worried that Simon may be a tad too violent, I was expecting the inevitable betrayal, which, of course, happened a season later. Simon’s viewpoint that the Saviors kill everyone who disagrees with them goes up against Negan’s philosophy that only a few should be killed to be made an example of, and Simon leads an attempted coup.

The coup is quickly crushed and Negan chokes Simon to death in a one-on-one duel, surrounded by the other Saviors, and that’s the end of Simon, at least as a human. I think I saw Zombie-Simon chained to a fence in a later episode. Despite his cruel methods, I could kind of see where Simon was coming from. Sure, he was exceptionally violent and brutal, but he also really seemed to believe that violence was the only way for the Saviors to survive. Negan and Simon are cut from the same cloth, but Simon wants to go one step further than Negan.

It also would have been a satisfying mirror of Negan’s relationship with Rick, and put Simon in the Negan role, and Negan in the Rick role, which would be some satisfying symmetry.

He feels like a real character and the triangular conflict between Rick, Negan, and Simon would have opened some really interesting story possibilities. Negan kind of floats around after Rick departs the series and I felt like his arc stagnates. Having Simon still around to pose a threat would have given Ngan an important mission. It also would have been a satisfying mirror of Negan’s relationship with Rick, and put Simon in the Negan role, and Negan in the Rick role, which would be some satisfying symmetry.

Season
Episode

Simon’s First TWD Appearance
6
16
“Last Day on Earth”

Simon’s Last TWD Appearance
11
24
“Rest in Peace” (flashback)

I Loved Seeing Simon Pop Up In TWD: Dead City & I Want More

Simon Should Appear In More Flashbacks

At least we got to see Simon once more in TWD: Dead City, if only briefly. He appears in season 1, episode 4, “Everybody Wins a Prize”. It happens in a flashback, set before the Saviors met Rick’s survivors. In it, Simon and Negan meet with “The Croat” (Željko Ivanek), one of their allies, who tortured a young girl for knowledge of a hidden cache of weapons. It’s a violent enough display that even Simon is horrified and that is the type of character that I would have loved to explore more, whether in The Walking Dead or Dead City in future seasons.