Negan

A ruthless survivor who rose to power in the zombie-ravaged world of The Walking Dead, Negan built and commands a large faction of brutal enforcers, imposing his will on surrounding communities through fear and violence.

Few villains in Modern Age comics announced themselves quite like Negan did in The Walking Dead #103 in 2012 — Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's post-apocalyptic Image Comics saga was never the same after his arrival. Over roughly 14 years, he carved out a place among the most talked-about characters in the series, sharing those harrowing pages with survivors like Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes, Michonne, Andrea, and Dwight. His debut issue carries genuine key-issue weight, and his presence across The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead Deluxe, and Image+ speaks to a character whose impact on the story demanded revisiting again and again. If you're exploring the darker, more morally complex territory that made Image's flagship zombie epic a cultural phenomenon, Negan is absolutely essential reading.