Joe Kessler may be a newcomer to The Boys for season 4, but the character feels familiar to anyone who has seen Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s other television work.

Before The Boys, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was well-known for his roles as John Winchester in Supernatural, Negan in The Walking Dead, the Comedian in Watchmen, and Denny in Grey’s Anatomy. With Supernatural creator Eric Kripke working as showrunner for The Boys, it was only a matter of time until Morgan joined Jim Beaver and Jensen Ackles on Amazon’s shocking superhero series.

After being shrouded in mystery during Amazon’s pre-season 4 marketing push, Kessler made his entrance in the season premiere. Since then, Joe Kessler has played an important role in The Boys season 4 cast, swiftly revealing himself as a former associate of Billy Butcher’s and a fervent anti-supe veteran who is continuously pressuring Butcher to succumb to his most violent urges. Every time Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Kessler comes on screen, a sense of déjà vu strikes, reminding viewers of a completely different evil the actor also plays.

The Boys’ Joe Kessler is pretty like Negan from The Walking Dead.

Kessler Might Be Mistaken For Negan’s Variant In The Boys’ Universe

Of all Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s TV roles, Negan Smith is arguably his most iconic, and a large dose of The Walking Dead‘s bat-wielding villain has very obviously seeped into Joe Kessler. On a basic level, both characters revel in ruthlessness and violence. Negan and Kessler are both brutes who would beat someone around the head first, then possibly ask questions later if they can be bothered.

“AMC may not give Jeffrey Dean Morgan as much leeway in The Walking Dead as Kessler gets in The Boys , but Negan certainly pushes the zombie franchise’s censorship barriers.”

Digging further, Negan and Kessler both excuse their cruelty by stating it is for the greater good. Negan commanded The Walking Dead’s Saviors with an iron fist because he believed it was the most effective method to keep his people alive during a zombie apocalypse. In The Boys, Kessler defies the rules because he sees superpowers as an existential threat to humanity’s survival.

Beyond their techniques and goals, Negan and Kessler share distinct personality features, mannerisms, and linguistic quirks. Negan is notoriously the most potty-mouthed villain in The Walking Dead, whereas Kessler’s colorful language stands out even in the R-rated universe of The Boys, with lines like, “We could just send you back to them in a f**king bucket if you don’t do whatever the f**k we say.” AMC may not offer Jeffrey Dean Morgan as much leeway in The Walking Dead as Kessler does in The Boys, but Negan surely tests the zombie franchise’s censorship limitations.

The most notable similarity between Negan and Kessler is their shared enjoyment of explicitly detailed insults. Throughout his time on The Walking Dead, Negan has delivered several witheringly filthy insults, like as when he ridiculed Beta with, “How long have you and the boss lady been together?” Is this a ‘Beta with Benefits’ situation? You slip her a small Omega on the side?” Kessler imitates Negan’s immature and disgusting style of humor in The Boys season 4, saying things such, “I was thinking we could meet in the mom’s p*ssy, but I wanted someplace more private.”

Joe Kessler Borrows A Negan Quote In The Boys Season 4

The Boys Might Be Drawing Inspiration From Negan Deliberately

Hammering home the crossover between The Boys‘ Joe Kessler and The Walking Dead‘s Negan, one specific phrase is uttered by both Jeffrey Dean Morgan characters. In The Boys season 4, episode 6’s final moments, Kessler taunts Butcher with “Don’t you worry, Billy, my boy – Daddy’s home!” This jibe was originally used by Billy Butcher in a past episode, which was undoubtedly The Boys‘ intended parallel, but it’s also remarkably similar to a Negan scene from The Walking Dead season 8, episode 14, where the villain proclaimed upon returning to his group, “Daddy’s home!”

Both characters utilize the “Daddy’s home” remark as a taunt to exert their dominance, demonstrating how similar Negan and Joe Kessler truly are. With the profanity, coarse comedy, violence, and twisted moral compass, Kessler feels like a spiritual continuation of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s classic Negan performance.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan performance works well in The Boys Season 4.

The influence of Negan in The Boys Season 4 makes Joe Kessler better.

Joe Kessler’s Negan-isms aren’t subtle, but The Boys peeping at The Walking Dead’s homework works really well. Negan’s arrogant swagger and total disdain for the feelings of others is an ideal recipe for Joe Kessler to replicate. It conveniently portrays him as the devil on Butcher’s shoulder, while also providing The Boys with a rare example of a figure attempting to bring down Homelander while staying nasty in and of himself.

Kessler’s inventive use of the English language exudes Negan energy, but it also fits Billy Butcher’s personality. When The Boys season 4 exposes that Kessler is not real, the harsh language, aggressive threats, and jokes about crammed genitalia sound very much in line with Karl Urban’s darker side. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s previous role as a very similar figure in The Walking Dead provides him with the ideal basis for bringing Butcher’s inner demons to life in human form in The Boys.

Episode	Release Date
Episodes 1-3	June 13
Episode 4	June 20
Episode 5	June 27
Episode 6	July 4
Episode 7	July 11
Episode 8	July 18