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Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who Is The Croat From ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City'? Everything We Know About His Past With Negan
The Walking Dead: Dead City not only marked the return of Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan), but it also gave way to a chilling new villain with a key connection to Negan's past. In Touch rounded up everything fans need to know about The Croat (Željko Ivanek) ahead of season 2, which is set to premiere on AMC on May 4, 2025. The Croat is the primary antagonist of TWD: Dead City season 1 and the terrifying leader of a group of survivors known as the Burazi in Manhattan, New York. He is known for his sadistic leadership style and his proclivity for torturing his victims. Prior to the beginning of season 1, he kidnaps Maggie's teenage son, Hershel (Logan Kim), in an attempt to obtain information about Negan and potentially reunite with him. Željko is a Slovenian-American actor who has been working professionally in television and film since the early 1980s. Over the years, he's collected a wide array of guest roles in hit shows, such as The X-Files, Murder, She Wrote, Frasier, LOST, ER, 24, The West Wing, True Blood and more. He's had major roles in Heroes, Madam Secretary, Oz and The Walking Dead: Dead City. Fans may also remember him from his work in film, including Argo, Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Last Duel. Very little is known about The Croat's history prior to the outbreak. His nickname – as his real name has not been given in the show – and his use of Croatian implies he is from Croatia. He also shares that he once had a family, a wife named Mia and three children – Nika, Hana and Filip. After the outbreak, he left them hiding in an abandoned post office while he went out to search for food, but when he returned, he discovered his family had all been killed and eaten by another group of survivors. It's revealed in the first episode of season 1 that The Croat is a former member of Negan's disbanded group of survivors known as the Saviors. In a behind-the-scenes look into TWD: Dead City that aired on AMC+, Željko explained that it wasn't until The Croat met Negan that he began 'rebuilding' himself following the loss of his family. He said it was also when his character gained the 'determination to never be vulnerable in that way' again. While with the Saviors, The Croat utterly idolized Negan. He served as an interrogator for the group, but he fell out of Negan's good graces when he directly disobeyed his order and tortured and murdered a young girl he believed to be a scout from another community. 'Let's just say there were a lot of psychos in my crew back then, but he always stood out as being an exceptionally insane son of a bitch,' Negan recalls to Maggie in the episode 'Old Acquaintances.' Disgusted and realizing that he could never be trusted, Negan tried to shoot The Croat back then, but he missed and ended up shooting off his ear as he ran away. Despite their complicated past, The Croat appeared truly excited to see Negan again years later and even seems to look at him as a father figure, despite being older than him. 'The Croat's a complicated character, because, on one hand, he's looking for safe harbor,' Željko shared in AMC+'s behind-the-scenes interview, noting that The Croat wants to 'find a way to no longer be vulnerable in the world.' The change he undergoes after meeting Negan 'becomes a strength,' Željko added. 'But it also becomes what makes him scary.' Warning: Spoilers ahead for season 2! Trailers and sneak peeks reveal The Croat seemingly setting up Negan as a big bad leadership figure again – this time with the Burazi. In one clip, he tells Negan that he brought him a gift and gives him a new version of Lucille, a barbed-wire covered bat and Negan's famed weapon of choice in the flagship series. Longtime viewers recall the original Lucille was cracked and then burned in season 10 of TWD, making her return an especially exciting development for fans.
The Review Geek
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Walking Dead: Dead City – Season 2 Episode 1 'Power Equals Power' Recap & Review
Episode 1 Episode 1 of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 begins with the Burazi collecting walkers for the methane power supply. Back in the Bricks, Maggie is teaching Hershel and Ginny how to hunt. Both kids are still distant from Maggie. But Hershel has a sweet moment with Maggie when they reminisce about the time he caught a lightning bug and made it their signal. As for Negan, he is in prison after rejecting the Dama's offer. The Croat begs him to listen but Negan knows they cannot threaten Hershel anymore as he is out of reach. Meanwhile, Governor Byrd of New Babylon has a new mission – to make Manhattan her new base. All those under her territory face conscription as she is gathering soldiers for an exploratory mission of the island. She uses Perlie to promote Manhattan's allure while Lucia, her subordinate, is the muscle. When a man tries to flee, Lucia hangs him. Turns out, the Burazi know of this and the Croat and Dama have been working on uniting all the communities in Manhattan. Their in is the weekly night market hosted by Bruegel, a charming snake. And Negan needs to do whatever he needs to get them all into an alliance. To convince Negan, Dama even gets him gin but he refuses. Having had enough, Dama reveals her new leverage – she has kidnapped Negan's wife, Annie and their kid, Joshua. The people of Brick want to be left alone and don't buy into New Babylon's mission. We see a faction of this argument between Hershel and Benjamin Pierce, a New Babylonian historian who is obsessed with NYC. Similarly, Maggie confronts Perlie as she knows why they are after the island – the ethanol is over and they want Manhattan's methane supply. They resort to threats to try and make the other back off. Seeing that Perlie cannot cancel the mission, Maggie makes a deal – if she joins the mission, no one else from the Bricks will be forced. Meanwhile, the Croat apologises to Negan for threatening his family. As a peace offering, he has made Lucille 2.0. Negan gives him the silent treatment as they head to the market which is wild with pit fighting and gambling. Christos, one of the gang leaders, seems to follow Bruegel's lead. For dinner, it cuts back to the Bricks where the New Babylon officers are hanging out. We learn that Lucia is pragmatic as she suggests a test to see whether Maggie is worth the deal. As expected, Hershel is upset that she is leaving again and it doesn't help that the test is to take out a horde alone. It escalates with Ginny jumping into the fray while Perlie tries to stop her. Fortunately, Maggie and Ginny take down the horde, although it is a close call. Lucia steps in and kills the final one. Next up is Negan who watches as the gangs get bored by the Burazi's hosting skills. Croat and Dama are nervous but Negan shows up, switching on his twisted charm. Christos mocks his idea of an alliance and Negan electrocutes him with Lucille 2.0. This catches Bruegel's attention as the gangs finally learn that the Burazi have enough methane for electricity, bombs, explosions and all that jazz. Meanwhile, Maggie argues with Ginny and Hershel. Ginny refuses to listen to reason and joins the mission. Next, Hershel lashes out at Maggie for being obsessed with Negan and the island. He is passionate and Maggie is scared, pulling out his drawings of Dama. Hershel has been off ever since his kidnapping and seems to be drawn to the Dama. He suddenly looks shifty and claims he is worried for Maggie. She is convinced and promises to return once their home is safe. At the end of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 1, we see that Negan doesn't like that he was forced to perform. Perlie doesn't like that he is being used by Byrd as well. As the soldiers leave, Hershel waves goodbye to Maggie. He finally throws a knife successfully and then smiles at his drawing of Manhattan. The Episode Review The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 1 finally brings back the latest TWD spin-off and with much pomp. Ace Frehley's 'New York Groove' is the perfect way to start the season as the rock track follows the Burazi collecting walkers for fuel. The production seems to have gone all out for this season with Radio City's neon lights creating a stark contrast compared to the dusty Bricks. It is as if Manhattan has gotten grander, more dramatic and more wild, the perfect stage for the Dama's war. The same goes for the characters as we finally see more of Hershel who just may be a little dark and twisted following his kidnapping. This was evident in the season 1 finale and now, when Maggie explicitly points out his obsession with the Dama. We cannot wait to see whatever it is that has been going on with Hershel. Speaking of obsessions, looks like Maggie has not gotten over Negan either, given that she accidentally but accurately projects onto her son. Sure, we can cut her some slack as she did betray Negan after he bared his soul to her. Maggie and Negan are TV's one complicated duo and we know it won't be easy for the writers to give them the closure that they both (and Glenn) deserve. But for now, we are excited over Negan's next move, given that he is a puppet for the sake of his family. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
