Women of The Walking Dead: Let’s talk about Lucille

She may have only been present for one episode of The Walking Dead but the impact she left behind was enough to change lives for the better and worse. As we draw a little closer to the end of Women’s History Month, I wanted to take the time and write about several women from The Walking Dead.

Let’s begin with a woman who actually needs an introduction outside of Negan’s deadly barbed-wired bat; Lucille (Hilarie Burton Morgan). For those unfamiliar, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was a powerful leader of The Sanctuary and Rick Grimes’ (Andrew Lincoln) number one enemy outside of the ever-present walkers.

The Walking Dead spent a great deal of time on Negan, showing us inside The Sanctuary, how everyone lived based on a points system, his “Wives”, and essentially how he ran his empire. Depending on who you asked, he was either the same as Rick or the complete opposite.

He was responsible for the deaths of Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) while also having a sweet spot for children. But we all can agree that at his core, he was someone who cared about his people and knew how to survive in the still very unpredictable walker apocalypse.

Who was Negan’s first wife, Lucille on The Walking Dead?

While his first and only true wife had long since passed, she was never truly gone as Negan named his weapon of choice after her. But who was Lucille?

In the episode titled, “Here’s Negan”, audiences were treated to a little backstory. Negan and Lucille were married but we saw the kind of disaster their marriage somehow became.

Negan’s job is on the line, he rather play video games and forgo responsibility, he forgets to pick Lucille up from her doctor appointment where she not only discovers that she has cancer but that he’s cheating on her with her friend. Fed up, gun by her side, she waits for him to come home and tells him about the cancer diagnosis.

Perhaps in a twist she never saw coming, she never uses the gun and Negan drops the affair becoming the most devoted husband to her once more. Of course, this all couldn’t come at a worse time as the apocalypse begins.

We watch as Negan takes care of his dying wife in their home with whatever supplies they have. But you would have never guessed they were once at odds with each other as they show nothing but utter love for one another.

Even Negan is absolutely confused how his wife would love him so deeply after everything he put her through. But that’s the beauty of it.

Lucille always saw the good side of him. A side that may slowly be coming into light after Negan loses his empire and finds freedom after many years locked away in a cell in Alexandria.

One episode was all it took for audiences to see Lucille. To see her effortless ability to kill a walker when Negan clearly couldn’t.

To see her strength to stay positive even as she withered away. To witness her mercy even as Negan struggled to provide her treatments.

By now, Negan had long since lost his barbed-wire bat. He caringly buried it as he said his final goodbye to his wife’s spirit.

Negan will never be the perfect man and perhaps he shouldn’t be easily forgiven for everything he had done. But clearly there was a part of him Lucille refused to give up on.

Maybe that Negan will shine now or perhaps in his shared spin-off with Maggie.

What are your thoughts on Lucille? Share them in the comments below, I’d love to read them!

The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 14 airs on March 28, 2022.