Nothing stays dead forever, it seems. At least that's the way things work in the world of The Walking Dead. The legendary AMC franchise has been showcasing what "dead" truly means for the past 15 years, as Rick Grimes and his not-so-merry band of survivors have attempted to fight for the living against a horde of undead zombies, heartless tyrants, and even some of their own.
The franchise itself even proved its unwillingness to die when the original series and its original spinoff both concluded, only for a new trinity of spinoffs to take the TWD Universe into its next era, showcasing what life is like for some of the longest-standing characters after the credits rolled on TWD's series finale. One of those spinoffs brought back the once-thought-to-be-dead Rick Grimes to wrap up his and Michonne's arc, showing us all that sometimes the best kinds of stories can't die.
And now, one of those spinoffs has done the unthinkable by bringing back one of the original show's staples for another run. Be warned: It's one of the most "ruthless" characters of them all.
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 to bring back Lucille
No, it's not 2017 and no, you didn't read that wrong; The TWD Universe is bringing back Lucille. After months of fan discussions about whether it would happen or not, the first trailer for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 has confirmed that Negan's unrelenting barbed wire bat will be making a hellacious comeback in the coming months.
Negan first debuted Lucille, alongside himself, in The Walking Dead's sixth season finale. One of the most infamous episodes in the show's long history, he used it to bludgeon "the camera" to death, with the creative decision to not reveal the victim until the season 7 premiere receiving a ton of criticism from fans. That eventual season 7 premiere also divided audiences as it showed the violent scenes in which Negan infamously, brutally killed Abraham and Glenn with the bat while everyone else - including Glenn's pregnant wife Maggie - was forced to watch.
Lucille became a big part of who Negan was, as the villain constantly referred to it as a person, treating it like it was a completely separate character. In many ways, she was, as the show did the same, setting Lucille up to be as great a threat as Negan and, for three seasons, they were inseperable from each other.
We eventually learned that he named the bat after his dead wife and, upon making peace with his past, he burns it in a cabin fire. This came after the defeat of him and his Saviors by Rick Grimes and years of imprisonment in Alexandria, upon which he slowly began to redeem himself. Although Maggie would never be able to forgive him for what he did to Glenn, the two did form an uneasy alliance on multiple occasions throughout the final season of The Walking Dead.
They did revisit their long-standing feud in Dead City's first season when the had to form an even more uneasy alliance to go to New York City to save Maggie's son Hershel. Negan reluctantly agreed to help her, but he eventually found out that she had been planning to swap him for Hershel, finding out that his old pal, The Croat, wanted him to serve him as part of the city's new leadership. Maggie eventually felt guilty for the betrayal, prompting her to return to save him in the upcoming second season, but the Negan that she finds will be a very different man.
With a new version of his sacred bat back in his possession, Negan is helping The Croat and The Dama usher in a new era in New York. He didn't want to do it, but as the latter threatened to go back and hurt Hershel, he agreed. The underlying point of this season, however, will focus on whether the reformed Negan likes the power that reliving his glory days as the leader of The Saviors will bring with it, or is he simply biding his time to find a way out. Either way, Maggie is in for a shock when she crosses paths with him once again in The City That Never Sleeps - a shock that will lead to her handling the bat herself.
Watch the trailer for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 below:
The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 premieres on AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, May 4.