Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, episode 3, “Why Did the Mainlanders Cross the River?“The Croat is one of the most unhinged villainsThe Walking Deadhas ever introduced, but despite once being a close ally of Negan, the former Saviors member left the group, andDead Cityhas explained why. After having a big presence in season 1, the Croat is once again a key part ofNegan’s story inThe Walking Deadspinoff, as he has kept a close eye on his former leader while working for the Dama. The duo has had an interesting dynamic throughoutDead City, anddespite their turbulent past, the Croat remains one of Negan’s biggest admirers.
He still views Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character as a ruthless leader who takes no prisoners, even encouragingNegan to embrace his evil side inThe Walking Dead. While this makes their interactions fascinating to watch, it also raises questions about why the Croat left the Saviors if he is still such a huge fan of Negan even after all this time. Fortunately,Dead Cityhas not only revealed why things fell apart for the villain at Sanctuary, but the show also explained where his journey went next, offering much more insight into one of the spinoff’s stand-out characters.
Negan Tried To Kill The Croat After Deeming Him Too Dangerous
The Croat’s Extreme Behavior Made Him Too Unhinged For Negan, Even During His Savior Days
During his time in the Saviors, the Croat served as the group’s torture and interrogation expert, but his antics eventually became too extreme, even for Negan. Despite having the reputation of a sadistic villain, Negan did still have limitations and a small sense of humanity while leading the Saviors, hence why he’d eventually find redemption several years later. However, some of his followers were even more twisted and thoroughly enjoyed inflicting pain onto others, with the Croat seemingly being towards the top of that list, despite us never quite seeing what he was capable of.
Dead Citydid explain the history between the duo though, as it was revealed thatNegan actually tried to kill the Croat after his methods got out of hand. The former Saviors leader shot at his right-hand man, resulting in the Croat losing his ear. While this didn’t seem to impact his feelings towards Negan, at least not in the long term, nearly being assassinated was enough of a wake-up call for the Croat to flee Sanctuary.
The villain clearly doesn’t hold much of a grudge, considering he giftedNegan an electrified Lucille replacement inThe Walking Deadspinoff and lobbied for him to be part of his plans with the Dama, but even someone as crazy as the Croat recognized when his life was in danger. As a result, he left the Saviors behind knowing that Negan wanted him dead, eventually ending up in Manhattan, despite it not being his intended destination.
The Croat Attempted To Return To His Home In Croatia But A Storm Brought Him To Manhattan
After leaving Negan and the Saviors, the Croat grabbed himself a boat and headed for Hrvatska, Croatia, but he didn’t quite make it there. While it’s unclear how long he was in America, the Croat opting to head back to his home country seemed like a bold move given how difficult international travel is inThe Walking Dead, and it nearly proved to be a fatal mistake. At some point during his journey, a fierce storm derailed his voyage, resulting in him crashing into Manhattan’s shoreline. This led to him navigating the island himself before collapsing inside a theater.
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Despite being vulnerable, the Croat claims he awoke on a sofa with a blanket over him and candy on the nearby table, where he implied that the Dama was the one who looked out for him. That seems to be the reason he is so loyal to her, and the Croat’s willingness to dismiss the Dama’s cruelty and see her good side makes him one ofDead Cityseason 2’s most interesting characters. Ever since, the Croat has been the Dama’s unwavering partner, hence why he has so much power inDead Cityeven after leaving the Saviors behind.
