In the gripping season finale of The Walking Dead: Dead City, fans witnessed the dramatic demise of the character Bruegel, played by actor Kim Coates. The last episode featured the cunning nature of Bruegel and his shady dealings with methane gas. In a stunning twist, he eventually lost his life brutally at the hands of the villainous Negan. Coates shared a behind-the-scenes look at Bruegel’s complexities, as well as the character’s journey over the course of the season.
Bruegel quickly became a colorful, multi-faceted figure through the course of the series. In every other scene, he was presented as a devious, cynical genius, the cowardly lion whose self-serving fears camouflaged an evil intellect. In digging deeper into Bruegel’s backstory, I quickly learned that Bruegel was not just a bad guy. And yet he was the hedge fund billionaire that prospered before the apocalypse. His genius is most clearly seen in the breathtaking visuals that enriched each and every installment. Fans were shocked to find out that Bruegel wasn’t going to survive the upcoming season finale. It was evident from the first few days.
Coates has written about the difficulty of actually embodying such a character. “I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all,” he said, reflecting on the intense pressure Bruegel faced in the finale. “I think, boy, when you get a guy like Bruegel, and Armstrong for that matter, being surrounded by henchmen with guns and tasers and baseball bats and maces and things like that, he still thinks he’s going to talk himself out of it.” This assertion highlights Bruegel’s bold character, which as we shall see, often landed him in dangerous predicaments.
In episode four, Bruegel turned their attention to securing methane gas. This seemingly inauspicious plot point would be key in the season’s big cliffhanger finale. For all his idealism, Bruegel still ended up getting the gas in a way that was very much divorced from that dream of his. This unexpected turn was a great example of the serendipitous nature of the always-unpredictable series, and it showed the fragility of the character’s spirit.
According to the production team, they all had a vested interest in making Bruegel as realistic as possible. Coates had to go through several hours of make-up, even getting a burnt face that smoked due to the effects of the methane. His originally submitted application took him six hours to fill completely, and it featured pumps specifically meant to vibrate his facial structure. This level of detail is what made the character’s palpable intensity leap off the screen.
Bruegel’s relationships with other characters were just as critical to his character arc. His complicated bond with Negan—who’s given formidable life to the character by Jeffrey Dean Morgan—led to a brutal, gut-punching encounter. In a moment that defined their dynamic, Negan made it clear he had no intention of letting Bruegel escape alive: “You know what? F
