The Walking Dead's New Villain Is the Negan Replacement Fans Have Been Begging For

In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3, Episode 5, "Limbo," Daryl goes on a solo mission to bring a captured Solaz del Mar citizen back from El Alcazar in Barcelona, stopping before he reaches his destination to help a struggling community in the desert. This installment has been widely praised by critics and viewers alike, with many fans suggesting it's the overall best episode of the spin-off. Between the zombie-pulled train and the creepy eyeless man wandering alone in the desert, this episode represented the weirdest, creepiest, and most exciting aspects of 

The Walking Dead franchise.

In addition to all the thrilling events in this episode of Daryl Dixon, the beginning of the narrative confirms a horrific decision made by Fede, the leader of the Solaz del Mar village. In typical 

Walking Dead fashion, the plot is slowly revealing details about this covert antagonist to keep viewers questioning his true motives and desires. The hints provided to viewers so far suggest this diabolical leader is not just deceptive and power-hungry, but has the potential to be one of the most distasteful and wicked villains in the post-apocalyptic universe.

Fede Made a Shocking Decision in Daryl Dixon

At the beginning of this season, Fede, the leader of Solaz del Mar, was reluctant to let strangers stay in the village, and he's quickly proving why he prefers not to have outsiders stay in his community. In the previous episode, Roberto left the village to go after the El Alcazar caravan carrying Justina, and the militarized people beat and tortured him before they dragged Justina back before she could escape their clutches. In the most recent installment of 

Daryl Dixon, Season 3, Episode 5, Antonio, Daryl, and Carol learn from Roberto that Justina did not willingly go with El Alcazar but was forced to by her uncle.

Previously, Justina learned that her uncle was hiding her ribbons for the el Ofrenda to prevent her from being sent to El Alcazar, which viewers suspected when they learned that she had not been chosen for several years and was nearing the point at which she would no longer be forced to participate. When Justina tried to use this knowledge to blackmail Fede and convince him to stop el Ofrenda for good, her uncle turned his back on her, forcing her to go with El Alcazar so she could not reveal to the people of Solaz del Mar that their leader had been forcing them to participate in this trading deal while he was actively protecting his niece from the same fate. Though he appeared to grieve the loss of Justina, he did so while knowing he was responsible for her departure.

Despite viewers already believing Fede could be a low-key villain, this decision was still a bit shocking, especially since he had tried for many years to keep his niece from being chosen at the el Ofrenda. Though this decision to cheat also made him an antagonist, one might believe he had a redeeming quality by at least valuing the life and happiness of Justina. Unfortunately, Fede is quickly proving that he doesn't care about anyone else as much as he cares about himself, making him one of the most despicable people in the spin-off. Offering Justina up as a sacrifice to protect his own position makes the undercover antagonist particularly horrid and irredeemable.

This Emphasizes His Role As A Villain

When the audience learned that Fede had convinced the people of Solaz del Mar that the el Ofrenda was the best option to keep them protected and safe, they began to suspect the leader wasn't actually putting his people's needs first but was manipulating them to achieve his own underlying desires. Further evidence of this was presented when the village was attacked by the Los Primitivos people, despite having the supposed protection of El Alcazar, Fede made a passionate speech to suggest they would be worse off if they didn't have El Alcazar's weapons, and that validates their need to continue trafficking their young women to the authoritarian organization. After this, 

Daryl Dixon fans theorized that Fede may be more villainous than initially assumed, potentially working with other villains like the Primitivos to keep his people fearful and therefore obedient.

In the most recent episode, Antonio and Carol returned with an injured Roberto, lying about their lack of knowledge about what happened to him and attempting to prevent Fede from realizing that Daryl has headed to Barcelona to save Justina. Despite their efforts, and Daryl's faith in Carol's ability to lie, it's obvious that Fede knows the pair are lying about what happened to Roberto and is likely aware that they know he sent Justina away against her will. Given Fede's previous contentious relationship with Antonio and his lack of connection with Carol, he could potentially try to silence them before they can tell people about his deception. This form of silencing will likely be more permanent than sending his niece to a faraway city.

In comparison to other villains in The Walking Dead universe, Fede is very quickly proving to have no redeeming qualities. While those such as the Governor were popular because of his sheer brutality as a villain, and Alpha was complex as a mother who struggles with her loyalty to her daughter versus that of her followers, Fede hasn't yet proven he cares about much else besides himself. So far, he has consistently defended El Alcazar, despite them being brutal, militarized dictators, and has given up one of his last living family members to protect his position at Solaz del Mar, highlighting his lack of complex, meaningful goals.

Fede's Only Goal Seems to Be Power

This addition to The Walking Dead villain roll call has introduced some fascinating antagonists in the post-apocalyptic world that emphasize the different ways people choose to survive in the dangerous world. El Alcazar is similar to other militarized apocalyptic organizations, such as the CRM and the Commonwealth, representing the problematic decision to cling to pre-apocalypse societal ideals and structures. Viewers expect these organizations to be villainous because they excuse their devious actions as being responsible for a large population of people and the future of the world. Antagonists like Fede, on the other hand, cannot so easily come up with excuses for their actions.

It could be speculated that Fede is afraid of what El Alcazar will do if he defies their authority, and he is therefore agreeing to their terms to protect his people. Unfortunately, the issue with this explanation is that resorting to human trafficking is hardly a way of protecting these people, but rather just prolonging their suffering and tearing apart families under the guise of maintaining a prosperous community. If he is committed to this group solely for the greater good of Solaz del Mar, viewers have to wonder why he would force Justina to go with El Alcazar to keep his secret rather than be honest with his people, admitting to his faults, and perhaps allowing another leader to step forward who can go through with el Ofrenda unbiased.

With this being considered, the most likely explanation is that Fede selfishly continues el Ofrenda to maintain power through his relationship with El Alcazar, and he was selfishly attempting to prevent Justina from leaving with the powerful organization because he secretly knows the women are being mistreated by being forced to marry strangers. So far, based on his actions, Fede is proving himself to be a power-hungry leader who simply wants to maintain his authority by any means necessary. In this way, he's worse than many other villains in the franchise, many of whom did vile things based on their belief that it was the best thing for their people.

The Walking Dead Needs More Diabolical Villains

For years, viewers have been eager for a Negan replacement that lives up to the grandeur of the former villain, but without the redemption arc he was given that repeatedly emphasized how good of a guy he was despite his countless atrocities. As the end of 

Daryl Dixon nears, fans are hoping for an epic conclusion to the spin-off and a diabolical villain that lives up to the hype of the prominent show. So far, Fede is quietly becoming a major antagonist in the universe that covertly utilizes his power and influence to keep his people believing he cares about them more than he does himself.

Currently, the main plot of Daryl Dixon Season 3 is looking less like Carol and Daryl finding a way home and more about these iconic heroes helping the people of Solaz del Mar break away from the oppressive power of El Alcazar. As the storyline grows more intense, there is a greater chance that this major organization isn't the only villain, and Solaz del Mar might need another leader to truly be liberated. Though viewers are hoping Fede is the epic 

Walking Dead villain they've been waiting for, hopefully, his downfall will be just as impressive.