The Walking Dead is a story all about survivors in the zombie apocalypse. Because of this, there are a lot of characters who meet their unfortunate demise throughout the series’ run. With the audience having such strong emotional ties to these characters, their endings stick with us. Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable deaths from The Walking Dead.
NOTE: This is for the TV series. Doing this for the original comic book series would fit better as its own article.
10) Hershel’s Nod of Approval
Hershel Green’s demise at the hand of the Governor was what kicked off the epic battle for the prison. It was tragic and during an extremely suspenseful moment. We all already hated the Governor, and this made us hate him even more. This death was even in front of Hershel’s daughters, making it that much more heartbreaking.
The main reason why this death is so memorable, though, is Hershel’s nod of approval for Rick’s speech. It shows that after everything, he believes in Rick’s philosophy and trusts him. He also finds comfort in knowing his daughters are in good hands with Rick being their leader. It’s a tiny nod before his murder, but it’s an impactful one.
9) The Governor Finally Defeated
Again, we love to hate the Governor. He served as the series’ big bad for a couple of seasons, and he performed some particularly evil actions. His demise was especially satisfying, and a handful of the main characters got to contribute something to his demise. It wasn’t just a single shot. Taking down the Governor felt like a video game boss fight.
8) Lori’s Death Brought Life
Lori died giving birth to her daughter, Judith. On top of that, it was Carl who had to shoot her so she didn’t become a walker, which is brutal. Lori was far from a lot of fans’ favorite, but her death was impactful to Rick and Carl, and was particularly shocking. One of the other reasons why this demise is so impactful is because of all the “Coral” memes that came from Rick’s reaction to it.
7) Bob: ‘Tainted Meat!”
Bob was a fun character but didn’t get as much screen time as he deserved. That being said, his death will live on in Walking Dead history. Gareth and the rest of the Terminus gang started carving Bob up, starting with his leg, and cooked pieces of him up. They snacked on Bob’s severed leg as he watched, which is extremely disturbing. Then the unthinkable happened: Bob shouted “Tainted Meat!” as he revealed he had already been bitten by a walker. He got the last laugh before eventually dying.
6) Henry, Tara, Enid: Heads on Pikes
Henry was essentially being used as a fill-in for Carl, and Tara and Enid had both been major characters for a few seasons when the Whisperers came in. To prove a point and to mark territory boundaries, the Whisperers snuck around capturing folks one-by-one. When we see them again, their zombified heads are all on pikes. It’s tragic, shocking, and honestly a pretty unique thing for a villain to do. It’s also worth noting that folks from various communities were taken out here, which ultimately unified them against the common threat.
5) Shane’s Comeuppance
Shane was basically the first main human villain of The Walking Dead. He was a sociopath and was sleeping with his best friend’s wife. He clearly wanted to replace Rick in every way. He needed to go, especially before he was able to take Rick out. What was glorious about his deserved death was that Rick and Carl got to do it together, and it was one of the first times we got to see a main named character turn. It’s simply iconic.
4) Sasha’s Sacrifice
During a pivotable point during the war with Negan, Sasha made the ultimate sacrifice. She consumed poison so she would die and become a walker so that her walker could attack Negan. While she didn’t successfully bite him, she did open a window for the rest of the heroes to move and survive. This is a suspenseful enough moment to live rent-free in the minds of many fans. A noble sacrifice was the perfect way to send her character off.
3) Dale Gets Ambushed
Dale was easily one of the best characters in the early seasons of the show. He was a voice of reason. The moment before his death was a huge debate about whether or not the core group should kill other humans. The show does a lot to get the audience on Dale’s side and angry for him. While he’s out getting some air, a walker sneaks up on him and disembowels him. It’s grotesque, and he’s even in so much pain that he begs for his life to end by putting his forehead to Daryl’s gun. It’s so hard to forget getting so riled up by the argument to then see the one character you side with die in such a brutal way.
2) Noah in the Revolving Door of Doom
Noah was only around for a small handful of episodes, but fans took to him quickly. He was a ray of hope in a bleak world as he helped Beth, Glen, and the Alexandria community. That’s what made his sudden and early demise so shocking. The poor guy gets stuck in a revolving door filled with walkers. They tear his flesh apart in what is easily the most violent and gory death in the entire series. It was sad, disturbing, and honestly incredibly well-done and kind of awesome. It would have been great to see Noah stick around for longer, but his death will always be one of the show’s most memorable.
1) Glenn and Abraham in the Lineup
The lineup is easily one of the most iconic scenes in the entirety of The Walking Dead. Just to prove a point and to make Rick’s group submit to him, Negan forces the heroes to kneel in a line as he plays a twisted game of “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe” in which he brutally murders the chosen with a barbed wire-covered baseball bat named Lucille. In this case, the unlucky winner was Abraham, followed by Glenn due to Daryl’s insubordination. Who was chosen was left on a cliffhanger on a season finale, and was one of the most violent and gory scenes in the entire series. This one is still talked about within The Walking Dead’s fan community, and is undoubtedly the most memorable.
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