Content warning for sexual assault.

The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman is revealing all within the Cutting Room Floor pages of the comic’s Deluxe colorized reprint, and one issue sees Kirkman address a dark moment between Negan and Carl that the creator was glad to have cut. Image Comics announced back in 2020 that it would be republishing The Walking Dead in full color with artist Dave McCaig on board, releasing it on a bi-monthly pattern, and fans have been soaking up these glimpses behind Kirkman’s character development.

The hit AMC adaptation has produced a handful of spin-off series, including The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live starring Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira), The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon featuring Norman Reedus’ titular hunter and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), and The Walking Dead: Dead City following Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan), the latter of which is gearing up for a second season. Additionally, Dwight actor Austin Amelio recently addressed the possibility of his own The Walking Dead spin-off, which would be another fantastic avenue for the writers to explore.

The Walking Dead Creator Reflects on Scrapped Dark Moment Between Negan and Carl

Spotted by ScreenRant and posted within The Walking Dead Deluxe #105’s Cutting Room Floor pages, Kirkman briefly mentioned Garth Ennis’ Crossed comic as one more brutal series, in terms of apocalyptic exploration, than his own. This led Kirkman to discuss a line he wouldn’t cross when mapping out Negan’s tour of the Saviors’ camp for Carl, in a plot to intimidate him. Kirkman revealed he nearly had Negan, “undress down to his boxers and say to Carl, ‘What do you want to do next?’” This isn’t the first time the bat-wielding villain drove the narrative into a darker place during the comic’s development process, as Kirkman also recalled another controversial Negan topic during The Walking Dead’s story in the same issue of the colorized reprint, regarding the antagonist’s “wives.”

Kirkman admitted the original interaction between Negan and Carl had been “scrubbed from my memory,” but recalled it being a misdirect. Negan was actually just changing clothes for the IRON ceremony, but the darker implication was there. Kirkman rounded off the topic by saying he was thankful he decided to steer away from that idea. Furthermore, the reprint has revealed several tidbits from the creator’s mouth, such as inspirations behind iconic moments from the comic and live-action adaptation, including Negan’s most popular line from The Walking Dead being a mistake.

With Negan currently starring in The Walking Dead: Dead City, which was renewed for a second season back in 2023 during season one’s run, Jeffrey Dean Morgan revealed he “freaked out” after reuniting with the character’s trusty bat, Lucille, clearly having missed his on-set companion. Dead City season one is available to stream on NOW, alongside The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Additionally, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has been renewed for a third season and will air sometime in 2025.

The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 currently has a Spring 2025 release window.