The final episode of "The Walking Dead" season 6 ended with a cliffhanger and left viewers guessing who Negan killed using his Lucille. Although several fans have already offered their theories as to who that character could be, series producer Greg Nicotero gave his own insight on the matter.
According to the producer, the upcoming season will definitely kick off where the finale ended. He even said that the character Negan killed might not be the last victim of Lucille once season 7 begins. Specifically, he noted that the character Maggie is not looking too good in the upcoming season.
"There's a lot of great story ahead of us," he said according to Express. "Maggie didn't look so good when we wrapped up that episode - but nobody really looked good in those last few moments."
Also, as expected, Nicotero noted that Negan's actions will have repercussions on Rick Grimes and his group.
"From Negan's perspective, Rick is just as culpable," he said. "Going into Negan's complex and killing people in their sleep is such a brazen move. And Rick doesn't flinch from doing what he needs to do to protect his group."
Despite Nicotero's statements, it's probably safe to say that the identity of the character killed by Negan is still a mystery, at least from the perspective of the series' followers.
Of course, aside from the fact that the showrunners are following the storyline of the "Walking Dead" comics, killing off a character at the end of a season is a time-tested method in keeping viewers wanting for more.
But, in the case of "The Walking Dead," this ploy may have backfired because it left most fans thinking that they will not be able to see their favorite character next season. The fans' disappointment even prompted series creator Robert Kirkman to apologize for what the show has done.
"For some of you, that effort backfired and you're angry," he said according to Vanity Fair. "And for that I'm sorry. The only thing I can promise you is that the season 7 premiere is going to be awesome."
Still, he admitted that the purpose of the cliffhanger is to get people talking about the show and the upcoming season, which worked fairly well.
