Negan, the primary antagonist of The Walking Dead’s seventh and eighth seasons, is infamous for his brutal leadership style and tendency to execute characters in the series. One of the most shocking moments in the series occurred in the season seven premiere, when Negan brutally beat Glenn Rhee, one of the original characters, to death with his signature weapon, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, in front of the other survivors.
The reason for Negan choosing Glenn to die is rooted in his “eye for an eye” philosophy, which he has emphasized throughout the series. In the previous season, the group of survivors, led by Rick Grimes, had killed several of Negan’s men in a preemptive strike, hoping to prevent an attack from Negan and his group, the Saviors. When Negan and his group finally catch up to Rick’s group, he decides to make an example out of one of them by killing them in a brutal and public manner.
Negan uses a game of “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” to decide which character to kill, ultimately landing on Glenn. However, Negan’s decision to kill Glenn was not entirely random. Earlier in the series, Glenn and his wife Maggie had been captured by the Saviors and forced to work for them. During this time, Glenn had proven himself to be a valuable asset to the group and had gained Negan’s respect. However, Negan also saw Glenn as a threat, due to his skills as a fighter and his connection to Rick’s group.
Furthermore, Glenn’s death had a significant impact on the other characters and the viewers, as he had been a fan-favorite and one of the original members of the group. The brutality of his death also served to establish Negan as a truly terrifying villain and set the tone for the rest of his arc in the series.
In conclusion, Negan’s decision to choose Glenn to die was primarily motivated by his desire for revenge and to establish himself as a formidable leader. However, Glenn’s death also served to further develop the character of Negan and set the tone for the rest of the series.