In *The Walking Dead: Dead City* season three, episode five, Negan appears to return to the ruthless, intimidating persona that made him one of the franchise’s most notorious villains. After a weaker second season that portrayed him as subdued and directionless, the episode positions his violent actions and defiance of authority as a major shift, potentially threatening the fragile hope of rebuilding shared by Maggie and the new characters Renata and Luis.

Negan kills Fabian, a food thief who says he wants to murder Maggie, despite Renata’s attempts to stop him, then openly challenges her plan to arrest him. He says he will kill anyone who tries to imprison him again and invites Renata to “bring [her] army”; this follows his earlier killing of the Dama while making it appear to be suicide. The article frames the development as a return of the charisma and menace associated with Negan’s earlier role, including his killing of Maggie’s husband Glenn.