negan as a metaphorical god
i just realized megan’s cruelest moment mimicked a biblical or an abrahamic test.
in the bible god demands Abraham to sacrifice his own son to prove his absolute faith and submission. rick is put in this exact same position by negan when he asked him to cut his own sons arm.
just like abraham, rick goes through with it until the very last second.
in negans mind, stopping rick from cutting the arm was an act of supreme mercy, just like god sparing isaac.
what’s interesting is when negan does it we view him as a monster, but in theological tests it’s the ultimate test of loyalty and righteousness.
obviously negan isn’t god, but the writers absolutely leaned into this wrathful god imagery. he was deliberately executing a perverted version of the Biblical story of abraham and isaac to establish himself as a literal deity to rick.
and if you look at the saviors and how they operate…
“i am negan” sounds like a collective identity where all individuality is surrendering to a higher power. does that sound familiar?
personally, i think it’s genius how he used ancient psychological and mythological blueprints.