What happened to Negan’s wife Annie after The Walking Dead? Details from The Walking Dead: Dead City, explored

After The Walking Dead came to an end in 2022 and the spin-off titled The Walking Dead: Dead City featuring Negan and Maggie did not include Negan’s wife Annie and their son, fans were naturally concerned about the fate of these two characters. It was speculated that they have been killed off-screen, something that is often done with characters who are to be written off the story.

However, The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 Episode 3 finally addressed the question of Negan’s missing wife and child. In this episode, he finally reveals to Maggie that Annie and Joshua are likely in Missouri as he had sent them there and while he was to follow them soon, he did not and stayed behind instead, hoping for their well-being.

As the episode confirmed the status of Annie and Joshua, let us now explore the reason behind Negan making such a decision regarding his wife and child.

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The Walking Dead: Dead City reveals that Negan had sent Annie and their son to Missouri

In the episode titled People are a Resource, Negan finally addresses the reason behind Annie and Joshua not being there with him. He recounts Annie’s fate to Maggie as he tells her that Annie was assaulted and robbed by a group of men, who were then hunted down by Negan and murdered.

Negan tells Maggie,

“A few years ago, Annie, Joshua, and I were living in this little cabin outside of New Babylon. One day, Annie decided to go into town to do some trading. When she wasn't home at nightfall, I knew something had gone wrong. I went looking for her. I found her. She had been robbed, beaten, and —.”

He then further adds,

“She begged me not to do something stupid. The hell, you know me. I found 'em. All five of 'em. Some shit drinking hole. Honestly, I don't think I even wanted to kill 'em. After that, we were on the run, and it was very hard for Annie. So I put 'em on a wagon train to Missouri, and I said I'd be right behind 'em. I stayed. I think about them every single day. I hope to god they are okay, and maybe I have no right in hoping that.”

While Negan’s decision to send his wife and child away to keep them safe made sense, it was not entirely clear at that point why he did not go with them. Since he was a wanted man, leaving with his family would have made more sense but he chose the opposite, and the reasons behind that were not addressed during the time he talked about Annie.

With The Walking Dead: Dead City, set to return for a second season on May 4, 2025, more insight into Negan’s decisions can be expected. Talking about reprising his role in the second season and reuniting with his killing weapon Lucille, Jeffrey Dean Morgan mentioned to Collider,

“Well, I freaked out. I didn’t realize how much I missed her, not only as Negan, but as myself. Just getting to hold that damn bat again adds something to that character and the swagger and the confidence and the humor that Negan has. It’s been sorely missed.”

His words show more action can be expected from Negan’s character and therefore, some explanation regarding his storyline might also be focused on in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2.

The Walking Dead: Dead City can be streamed on Netflix.

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