‘Walking Dead’ Villain Teases ‘Duplicitous’ Outcomes of All Out War, Dwight’s Betrayal
Would Simon ever betray Negan? Actor Steven Ogg weighs in with TheWrap
Ashley Boucher | February 26, 2018 @ 10:42 AM
Last Updated: February 26, 2018 @ 10:52 AM
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(If you’re not caught up on “The Walking Dead,” you may encounter spoilers below.)
Now that “The Walking Dead” Season 8 is finally back from its winter hiatus, All Out War is back in full swing–and that means no one knows who to trust.
Fans have known for a while that Dwight (Austin Amelio) has been double-crossing the vicious Saviors. And now TheWrap has caught up with Steven Ogg, who plays Simon, to ask how his baddie right-hand-man to Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) would react to Dwight’s betrayal.
“He won’t be happy, right?” Ogg said of what appears to be an inevitable revelation on the show. “That’s the whole world: Everyone is rather duplicitous and working off each other, so honestly, how surprised would Simon be?”
“Can anyone be that surprised when anyone turns? Everyone’s surviving, right?” he added. “Everyone’s doing their best… I really don’t think resigned is the right word, but… he’d definitely be pissed off. Is it possible to be resigned and pissed off? I don’t know. We’ll see how good Simon is, if he can be pissed off and resigned.”
So, if pretty much anyone in the zombie apocalypse is capable of such betrayal, would Simon ever betray Negan? After all, Simon has exhibited some signs of wanting more power, like when Negan and Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) were trapped in the trailer and Simon tried to get the Saviors to listen to him.
“I don’t know if that is a betrayal so much as, you know, these guys have different philosophies,” Ogg said. “Everyone has different ideas, so I certainly can’t see it as being a betrayal, so much as: ‘OK, you’re doing it this way, and if this isn’t working, why don’t we try this way.'”
Further, Ogg said he thinks Simon enjoys the freedom that comes with being a number two. “I think Simon enjoys being in the position he’s in. He gets a lot more done. He has all the freedom. When you’re not number one and you’re not the leader, you don’t have to be as up front with everything,” he said.
“When everyone’s looking at you, the leader, as number one, you’re under a microscope, you know?” he continued. “There’s a lot more pressure. So that’s how I’m sort of seeing it. This allows Simon to have a little more freedom and leeway.”
Still, Ogg said an “ideal situation” for Simon might be having his own outpost. The Saviors work because they’re able to reap the benefits of all the surrounding, smaller communities.
“The irony of that would be: Would he potentially be a leader of another community? I don’t think you want that. So that would be the ideal — a different branch, use one of the outposts as another sort of smaller company, if you will.”
In the Season 8B trailer, we see Simon confronting Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh). Could that be a sign of him trying to take over a community of his own? At this point, he seems to be getting a feel for Jadis and her followers.
“Everyone has their outpost, right? So now it’s a matter of, with the s— going down… everyone’s going to confront these other communities now,” Ogg said. “There’s gotta be who’s playing who, who’s doing what, who do I have on my side, who can I trust, who can’t I trust? So, this is Simon going to the heapsters, the dumpsters, and he’s gonna figure out, OK, what exactly happened there before, what are we willing to forgive and forget, what are we willing to work with… It’s ‘let’s have a little talk. Let me give you an opportunity to chat.’ …To figure out where people are coming from and what the game plan is here.”
“The Walking Dead” airs Sundays on AMC.
'The Walking Dead': The Most Shocking and Disturbing Deaths So Far
SPOILERS AHEAD. "The Walking Dead" has never been shy about showing lots of gore and death, but some characters' demises hit harder than others. Look back on some of the most gut-wrenching kills from the hit AMC series.
When Andrea's sister Amy ( Emma Bell) died in season 1, it proved that no one was safe.
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The death of Jim (Andrew Rothenberg) in season 1 showed the characters how to treat a bitten person for the first time.
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Sophia (Madison Lintz) was beloved by all, but Rick did not hesitate when it came time to pull the trigger when she became a walker.
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Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) was the moral compass of the group, but died in the midst of the discussion around executing their prisoner, Randall.
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Shane (Jon Bernthal) was ready to kill Rick, but Rick acted first, proving himself to be a fearless leader.
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T-Dog (IronE Singleton) gave his life to save Carol from walkers when the group tried to take the prison.
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Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) died during childbirth, prompting Carl to shoot her in the head to prevent her reanimation.
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Merle (Michael Rooker) proved he was a good man by giving his life in an attempt to stop The Governor.
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Andrea (Laurie Holden) failed to see The Governor for what he was and paid the ultimate price.
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Hershel (Scott Wilson) wanted peace, but The Governor took his head to prove a point to Rick.
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Tyrese (Chad Coleman) let his guard down for a just a moment, but long enough to get bitten by a walker.
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Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) killed her sister Mika (Kyla Kenedy) before Carol shot Lizzie in the back of the head.
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Beth (Emily Kinney) died protecting Noah from Dawn (Christine Woods), forcing Daryl to shoot Dawn in the head.
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Noah (Tyler James Williams) endured one of the most gruesome deaths in "Walking Dead" history thanks to Nicholas.
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Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge), Ron (Austin Abrams) and Sam (Major Dodson) all died within seconds of each other. Sam got eaten when the horde invaded Alexandria. Jessie died as she tried to save him. Ron then attempted to kill Rick, but got stabbed by Michonne and was subsequently eaten.
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Abraham (Michael Cuditz) was the one we had to wait six months to see murdered by Negan. He, of course, got his head beaten in with Negan's barbwire-wrapped baseball bat, Lucille.
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But Abraham wasn't Negan's only victim that night. After Daryl punched Negan, Negan decided he had to make another example out of someone in the group -- and he chose Glenn.
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Spencer (Austin Nichols) thought he could use Negan to kill Rick in order to assume control of Alexandria. But Negan had other plans, gutting Spencer in full view of everyone in the community
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Olivia (Ann Mahoney) suffered plenty of indignities at Negan's hands, and he eventually repaid her by having her shot
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Ole Dr. Carson made a critical error by saying mean things about Sherry to Dwight over and over again. So Dwight framed the good doctor for helping Daryl escape from the Saviors -- and Negan threw him into the furnace for it.
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When King Ezekiel's crew was short one cantaloupe in its tribute for Negan's Saviors, Benjamin was shot in the leg as punishment. Unfortunately, the shot hit an artery, and young Ben bled out.
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It turned out that Richard had tossed one of the cantaloupes because he wanted to start a war between the Kingdom and Saviors -- and he thought they would kill him for being short. They shot Ben instead, but Morgan strangled Richard the next day after Richard confessed.
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Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) used Eugene's suicide pills to kill herself while she was theatrically locked in a casket because of some ridiculous thing Negan was doing. When Negan opened the casket she popped out as a walker and saved Rick and the residents of Alexandria in a clutch moment.
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Morales (Juan Gabriel Pareja) returned in season 8 after having been gone since season 1, but that return was short-lived. About ten minutes in show time after Morales, his family dead and now a member of the Saviors, showed up he got shot my Daryl.
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Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) got shot during the Alexandrians' battle against the Saviors, and then bled out and turned into a walker after a tearful goodbye scene with his boyfriend Aaron (Ross Marquand).
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Shiva the tiger bit the dust while saving Ezekiel, Carol and Jerry from a bunch of walkers in Season 8. There were just too many and they swarmed and ate her.
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Carl died in the season 8 mid-season premiere after suffering a zombie bite in the first half of the season.
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Gregory got his long overdue death when he was executed by hanging for trying to murder Maggie in the season 9 premiere.
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Jesus was killed when he tried to decapitate a zombie only to discover that zombie was actually a living man disguised as one -- this was Alexandria and Hilltop's first real contact with the Whisperers.
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1 of 30
TheWrap looks back at those who have fallen victim to the zombie scourge–and other humans–over nine seasons
SPOILERS AHEAD. "The Walking Dead" has never been shy about showing lots of gore and death, but some characters' demises hit harder than others. Look back on some of the most gut-wrenching kills from the hit AMC series.