A Walking Dead Character Only Exists In Negan's Mind, According To This Theory

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3, episode 1, "Trillium."The Walking Dead: Dead City season 3 is already heading in a fresh direction thanks to its newest survivors, but one of them may only exist in Negan's mind if this bold theory comes true. Against expectations, Dead City season 3's premiere didn't follow up much on New Babylon, but instead finished the Croat's story as he atoned for his past sins.

A flashback revealed that newcomers Luis and Renata had a traumatic run-in with the villain, as the Croat left several of their loved ones dead, but he vowed to at least do some good before his death. However, before the group set off on their journey, Negan took some time alone, discovering a bar that hadn't been completely abandoned.

Here, he met a man named Dillard who was conversing with restrained walkers, incapable of hurting him. Despite initially being weirded out by the stranger, Negan quickly found himself laughing and drinking with Dillard until Maggie found them.

Rather than Dead City repeating the tiresome Negan and Maggie conflict, their scene in the bar helped begin a new era for the duo, as they appear to officially be putting their past behind them. Bizarrely though, during their confrontation, Maggie never acknowledged Dillard, despite the survivor attempting to make his presence known.

Negan even left without saying goodbye, as the bartender disappeared off-camera and didn't appear for the rest of the episode. This alone may not prove Dillard isn't real, but with new showrunner Seff Hoffman bringing fresh ideas to Dead City alongside Negan's history of hallucinations, it's possible that this quirky stranger doesn't actually exist.

Is Dillard Only Appearing In Negan's Mind During The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3?

Dillard's unorthodox way of surviving mixed with his charming personality makes him one of the most exciting additions to Dead City season 3, yet these traits are exactly the type Negan would come up with. He's always had a sick sense of humor, making it very believable that Negan would invent a bartender that cracks jokes with zombies.

It's exactly the kind of person he'd want to find this late into the apocalypse, as Dillard has seemingly no baggage and sees the fun in this messed-up world, making him a perfect ally for the former Saviors leader. Still, this could all simply be explained by Negan luckily stumbling across someone like him by chance.

When you start digging deeper though, some irregularities start to show. Firstly, the idea of someone surviving the entire outbreak on their own in a single place feels pretty unlikely, especially when Dillard explains the in-built food cycle he has. Add in the fact that none of New York's factions have encountered him, and Dillard's story begins to feel extremely fishy.

The fact that Maggie ignores his introduction and proceeds to give little more than a weird look when Negan suggests taking Dillard on the mission makes it really feel like his existence is simply a coping mechanism for Negan. He's still grieving the loss of Ginny and has also cut ties with his family, leaving him emotionally vulnerable.

Therefore, envisioning someone so like-minded is pretty natural. Lucille's return in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 also proved Negan sometimes needs to imagine others to guide him, suggesting this could be Dillard's true purpose.

We may not get a concrete answer to this mystery until deep into season 3, but based on the newcomer's first appearance, I wouldn't be surprised if he's just a figment of Negan's imagination.

Dillard Being A Figment Of Negan's Mind Would Create A Strange Parallel To Another Jeffrey Dean Morgan Character

If Dillard really is just someone Negan made up inside his head, it would be the perfect 180 of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character in Prime Video's The Boys. Having debuted in season 4, Morgan played Joe Kessler, a CIA agent and long-time ally of Billy Butcher, who was often seen influencing and encouraging the protagonist's darkest inhibitions.

However, while Kessler was once a real person, he was already dead well before season 1 started, meaning the version we saw in The Boys was all just a part of Butcher's mind. Kessler started appearing when Butcher became terminally ill, suggesting his tumor brought out this darker side of The Boys' leader, with Kessler driving him towards a sinister path.

Whereas his deceased wife Becca was like the angel on his shoulder, Kessler encouraged Butcher to kill all supes to ensure there was never another Homelander. Although he was largely absent in season 5, Kessler did make one final appearance that helped set up Billy's major decision during The Boys' series finale, proving he had a quietly critical role.

Seeing JDM go from playing this manifestation of Butcher's hate to this vulnerable version of Negan is fascinating, especially if Dillard isn't actually real. The two roles would be extremely similar, yet Morgan portrays the opposite parts in these shows, highlighting his impressive range.

Although it could be disproven, this theory draws an unexpected parallel between these two projects, making Dillard's true nature all the more intriguing throughout the rest of The Walking Dead: Dead City, and he's definitely a character worth keeping an eye on.

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  Created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard

  First TV Show The Walking Dead

  Latest TV Show The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

  Upcoming TV Shows More Tales from the Walking Dead Universe

  First Episode Air Date October 31, 2010

  Cast Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Lennie James

  The Walking Dead is a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television series The Walking Dead in 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as "walkers." The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.