‘Walking Dead’ Season 6 Theories: What Does Glenn’s Fate Mean For Future Plotlines From The Comics?

What could possibly happen next on “The Walking Dead”? Fans of the AMC series have always been able to look back at Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels to get a clue as to what’s coming – but episode 3 might have changed everything.

WARNING: Do NOT continue reading if you did not watch episode 3 of “The Walking Dead” or do not want to know what happens in the comics.

Episode 3, titled “Thank You,” left viewers with their jaws on the ground after Glenn (Steven Yeun) seemingly got ripped apart by a horde of walkers. Of course, no can be sure that the beloved character, who has been with the show since Season 1, is in fact dead. For starters, showrunner Scott M. Gimple said in a statement to “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick that Glenn will be revisited in some way or another to “help complete the story.” That means he could somehow make it out of that unfortunate mess, be featured via a flashback or even become a zombie.

However, if Glenn doesn’t make it out of the situation alive, the death of the character could completely throw off a future plotline that fans have been expecting – the arrival of big bad comic book villain Negan.

Viewers have been speculating about the arrival of Negan for multiple seasons, but the fact that Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the rest of the survivors are at Alexandria means that the villain could be right around the corner. Negan is the leader of a group of savage men called “The Saviors.” They take supplies from communities in exchange for "protection." Their offer is not a suggestion. The communities of survivors either pay up or face the deadly consequences.

In “The Walking Dead” comics, Rick’s crew kills some of the Saviors. Negan retaliates by ambushing Rick while he is out on a run with Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia, Michonne and Heath. He tells Rick that Alexandria must hand all of their supplies over to the Saviors as payment for killing his men. But that’s not enough. To get his point across, he chooses one of Rick’s group to die via Lucille, Negan’s barbed wire covered baseball bat. Negan ultimately picks Glenn, whom he beats to death with Lucille in front of Maggie. Rick promised to avenge Glenn and kill Negan.

Viewers know that the AMC series doesn’t follow the comics exactly. Sophia died in Season 2 and Daryl (Norman Reedus) doesn’t even exist in the graphic novel world. But the death of Glenn at the hands of Negan is a big plot point. Seeing as Negan is the biggest villain that Rick’s group has faced in the comics – bigger than the Terminus cannibals, the Governor, Marauders and the Wolves – the first death at his hands has to be an important one. The death of a random Alexandria survivor won’t evoke the same reaction as the death of a beloved character.

So, does that mean that another major character’s life will be on the line when Negan is introduced? Only time will tell. New episodes of “The Walking Dead” air on AMC Sundays at 9 p.m. EST. Tweet your theories to @AmandaTVScoop.