8 Years Later, The Walking Dead Reveals What Negan Really Thinks About Rick Grimes

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3, episode 3, "Emigrants."

It has been eight years since Rick Grimes and Negan last interacted on-screen, but after all this time, we finally know what the former Saviors leader really thinks about his greatest foe. Ever since Rick's disappearance back in The Walking Dead season 9, he and Negan have never crossed paths, despite both appearing since then.

Not only were both characters present in The Walking Dead's series finale, but Rick also led his own spinoff show, The Ones Who Live, while Negan has been a key protagonist in Dead City. A lot has changed since their last interaction, most notably Negan, who has been on a redemption arc for the better part of a decade.

Still, he has retained some of his more sinister traits despite improving as a person, and his opinion on Rick hasn't changed all that much over the years. While he didn't mention Rick by name, Negan finally referenced him in Dead City season 3, after he chained up two group leaders in an attempt to force them to make peace.

During this scene, the ex-villain mentioned Rick's three-question rule to determine whether people were welcomed into a community, but Negan quickly dismissed this idea, opting to "play a game" instead. Avoiding his methods is one thing, but rather than using Rick's name, he used profanity to describe him instead, confirming there isn't much love between them.

The playful and performative way he tried to resolve this issue proves the real Negan continues to return in Dead City season 3, as he essentially made these leaders human piñatas, but it also gave us a surprising insight into his relationship with Rick all these years later, with the two survivors still not seeing eye-to-eye.

Despite Changing His Ways, Negan Still Doesn't Think Rick Grimes Was Right

Despite still having some violent and unorthodox tendencies, Negan has undoubtedly mellowed out over the years, yet he still doesn't agree with Rick. He has admitted several times in the past that his way of leading the Saviors was wrong and apologized for the pain he caused, but that doesn't mean Negan thinks his enemy was right.

Rick was the one to end his reign of terror, and rather than killing his long-term foe, Rick opted to imprison the then-Saviors leader, allowing him a chance to reform. Had the shoe been on the other foot though, Negan almost certainly would've killed Rick, just like he did the Dama, believing her to be too big of a threat.

This makes it no surprise that he also disagrees with Rick's three-question rule, knowing people could easily lie about their history. Rick was always a good judge of character, but from Negan's point of view, someone's word isn't enough to trust them, hence why he always resorts to much more extreme methods in these kinds of situations.

The franchise hasn't shied away from the fact that Rick often gets things wrong, but he learns from his mistakes far more often than Negan, which is why the latter could never stay in The Walking Dead's Commonwealth. Sure, he's a better man than before, but that unhinged side of him remains too unpredictable.

Ultimately, Negan has shown his humanity as the years have rolled on and clearly knows how to survive, but he'll never get on board with Rick's way of thinking, which stops him from being a proper hero in The Walking Dead.

Rick & Negan Part II Happened Offscreen In The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead's timeline has always been pretty confusing and this problem has only gotten worse since the main show ended, but based on what we can tell, Negan and Rick' highly anticipated reunion seemingly already happened off-screen.

It may seem a little late to have a Walking Dead crossover show; however, it is the natural next step for the franchise, since it's the best way to reunite many characters after several years. One of the most highly anticipated interactions the audience wants to see is Rick and Negan, since so much has happened.

After Rick disappeared, Negan won over the trust of some survivors and even helped save Judith Grimes — Rick's daughter. Seeing his gamble on sparing Negan pay off would be a beautiful moment, yet the duo likely crossed paths before Dead City even happened, given how The Ones Who Live ended.

Rick and Michonne's spinoff appeared to take place shortly after the main show's finale, whereas Dead City is set years afterward. Although Negan had already left the Commonwealth by the time Rick returned from the Civic Republic, it's hard to imagine the two never interacted in some capacity.

Judith received a package from Negan a year after he left the community, suggesting he was still nearby for a while. Therefore, before finding his way to New York in The Walking Dead: Dead City, Negan presumably exchanged words with his former enemy, something that will hopefully be expanded on in the coming years.