Glenn (Steven Yeun) is batting a thousand when it comes to surviving the Walking Dead but his streak may be running out. He joins the dangerous hunt for the Saviors’ leader Negan in “Not Tomorrow Yet.” Glenn reveals he’s been “lucky” enough to not have killed the living. His virgin-like status may have afforded him some protection according to horror movie rules. However, his innocence is lost when he has to kill a man sleep not once but twice after Heath (Corey Hawkins) gets cold feet. Co-executive producer Greg Nicotero says he wanted to take Glenn to a dark place.
“Emotionally, I wanted Steven to feel every fiber of that moment and that anguish,” Nicotero told The Wrap. “So we created a prosthetic head that was flawless. And we attached it to a dummy body and our props guy, Adam, I laid his arm across the torso so when Steven entered he saw a real hand with a [wedding] ring on it. It took him to this other place. It was as real to him as it could possibly be.”
The murders are justified when Glenn notices a trophy wall of photos showing heads bashed in presumably by a bat. Comic book Glenn met his demise at the hands of Negan and his barbwire covered bat dubbed Lucille in Walking Dead #100. Negan initially discounted killing Glenn because he was the only Asian in Rick’s group and it would be construed as racist but changed his mind coming up with similar politically correct reasons for not killing his companions. This M.O. is consistent in the show. The Saviors typically kill one person off the bat explains Negan’s Scout (Christopher Berry) in “No Way Out.”
Glenn’s death was first foreshadowed way back in the fifth season premiere “No Sanctuary.” He narrowly avoided becoming the next meal of the cannibals at Terminus, who knock out their victims with a baseball bat before slitting their throats. The series has been dangling his death ever since. Glenn appeared die after falling into a horde of zombies in “Start to Finish.” Yeun even went into hiding to maintain the deception. Glenn was prepared to sacrifice himself to save Maggie in “No Way Out.” He recklessly drew the zombies toward him despite having little ammo and having to resorting to fisticuffs. It’s like he has a death wish or at least the writer’s do.