'The Walking Dead'
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan in ‘The Walking Dead’ TV series. The Walking Dead/AMC

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) are going to have some interesting chats in “The Walking Dead” season 9. In a recent interview, the new showrunner Angela Kang teased some details about what the post war world looks like. And what some of the personal challenges will be for the main characters, especially Rick.

After winning the war against the Saviors, Rick kept Negan alive. In the next season, the fans will find the character in a cell, and Rick will visit him from time to time to talk. According to a report by ComicBook.com, Kang said that they had a lot discussions at the Writer’s Room, talking about what the world will be like after the war.

Kang explained that there are a lot of people who work as soldiers and generals. Now, the question is what happens to them after the war ends, without a proper transition plan in place.

The reason why Rick has these chats with Negan, Kang explained, is partly because he wants to gloat about his victory and partly because these conversations are like therapy for him. The two characters have something in common as they both apparently feel like dinosaurs after the war.

“Rick is trying to figure out what’s the next step, what’s the next mission, Negan kind of needles him, but Rick needs to be able to justify, ‘This is why I kept you alive, it’s so that we can have a future,’” Kang said. Another reason for Rick to keep his former foe alive is to show him that he was wrong, and show him that they are building a better world without resorting to his methods.

Keeping Negan alive comes with a cost. Maggie (Lauren Cohan), who has emerged as the leader of the Hilltop community, is certainly not happy about this, and this storyline will play out in the next season.