Inside the Gory Cheese Grater Scene: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Reveals the Dark Side of Negan in Dead City

Warning: This article contains spoilers for episode 3 of The Walking Dead: Dead City. Jeffrey Dean Morgan recently discussed Negan's brutal act in this episode. Towards the end, Luther, a member of the rebel group, privately confronts Negan about being wanted by New Babylon's Marshals. This confrontation leads to a fight where Negan uses a cheese grater to cut open Luther's forehead, causing him to fall and impale his head on a pipe. Negan is then forced to push Luther's head down on the pipe to finish the job.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Morgan explains why Negan responded with such violence when confronted by Luther in episode 3. He states that Luther was clearly intent on killing Negan, forcing Negan to rely on his old ways to protect himself. Read Morgan's full statement below.

How Old Negan Will Impact Maggie's Rescue Mission

Before the cheese grater, there's this whole dance where I try to avoid him. I warn him multiple times, saying "I don't want it to go in this direction. We don't have to go there. Let's avoid it." However, he insists on going there. So, Negan is once again attempting to be the person we've known for the past few years and do the right thing. But when it boils down to survival, Negan remains true to himself. If it means forcing him down on that pipe emerging from the ground and flashing a small smile, he'll do it!

In The Walking Dead: Dead City Episode 3, we witness Negan embracing his former self once again. This echoes an earlier occurrence in Episode 2, where Negan viciously disposed of a member of The Croat's Burazi, mirroring his actions against Spencer Monroe in Season 7 of The Walking Dead. Negan's new surroundings in Manhattan seem to have sharpened his ruthless nature, potentially affecting Maggie's mission to rescue Hershel.

In episode 3 of The Walking Dead: Dead City, the rebels against The Croat are shown to be a close-knit group, sharing a meal together. Their objective is to help Maggie locate Hershel, but things become complicated when they learn that Negan is responsible for Luther's death. This revelation puts their entire mission at risk, as it may cause the rebel group to reconsider their willingness to assist Maggie.

However, in episode 4, it appears that the rebels remain unaware of Negan's role in Luther's demise as they prepare to launch an attack on The Croat's arena. If they were to discover Negan's involvement during the ongoing mission, it could lead to chaos and the rebels might attempt to eliminate Negan. The consequences of Negan resurfacing will likely become clearer as The Walking Dead: Dead City progresses.

Source: EW