The Walking Dead may follow a group of (sometimes) good guys fighting to survive in the post-apocalyptic world, battling zombies known as walkers and trying to rebuild the world for the next generation. But most of the time, the show lives up to its name and is all about death.
While there have been plenty of gruesome, hard-to-watch deaths and ones that fans can't stop mourning, some deaths throughout the show's 11 seasons on AMC have been nothing but satisfying, from some villains who had it coming to one of the good guys who went out with a bang.
10 Nicholas
Nicholas (Michael Traynor) had a complicated storyline for the seven episodes he appeared on the show. He went from wanting Glenn (Steven Yeun) dead to working alongside him to help take down a herd of walkers. As much as viewers wanted Nicholas dead, his death wound up being more important than anyone knew.
Under duress, Nicholas was stuck on top of a dumpster surrounded by walkers with Glenn and realized his only way out was to end his life. After shooting himself, Nicholas' body collapsed into Glenn, sending them both down into the pit of walkers in a shocking moment that allowed Glenn to shimmy under the dumpster while the walkers devoured Nicholas' corpse.
9 Pete Anderson
Pete (Corey Brill) was anything but a major character during Seasons 5 and 6 when Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) group made their way to the safety of Alexandria, a group of survivors who kept themselves hidden behind walls, never having to face the tough realities of the new world and the evil people left in it.
Although he didn't play a big role, Pete held an important one when it was discovered that he was abusing his wife and children. After getting away with what he'd done for a few episodes with hopes of retaliating against Rick, Pete ultimately became unhinged, killing Alexandria's leader's husband just before Rick was given the okay to shoot Pete dead.
8 Gregory
Gregory (Xander Berkeley) isn't one to like from the moment Rick's group meets him, and he not-so-subtly hits on Maggie (Lauren Cohan). From there, he's sneaky and out for himself, betraying Rick's group and The Kingdom to make a deal with their shared enemy, The Saviors.
But the worst thing Gregory did was plot Maggie's assassination, who had taken over as the leader of the Hilltop. His plan resulted in Maggie having no choice but to execute him in one of the more brutal deaths, leaving him sitting on a horse with a noose around his neck before letting the horse run free.
7 Ed
Ed (Adam Minarovich) may not have been a major villain in the grand scheme, but he was one in Carol's (Melissa McBride) eyes, being an abusive husband and father to her and their young daughter. At the start of the show, Carol is still seen as weak and submissive to the aggressive Ed, but that all changes only a few episodes into Season 1.
It was quick and unexpected when Ed opened his tent to find a walker, who pushed itself in and bit him before attracting fellow walkers to come and devour him. But the satisfying moment comes later when the survivors clean up after the attack and Daryl (Norman Reedus) is just about to put down Ed's corpse when Carol decides to do it herself as payback for all he put her through.
6 Beta
Some might argue Alpha (Samantha Morton)was the worst of the two Season 10 villains, but Beta (Ryan Hurst) had his fair share of misdoings, including a long list of victims, being Alpha's right-hand man, and one of the leaders of the Whisperers.
Alpha's death, thanks to Negan (Jeffery Dean Morgan), was one to cheer for, but Beta's left viewers with some satisfaction due to the way it was orchestrated by Daryl and Negan. While Negan distracted Beta, Daryl took the opportunity to sneak up and stab Beta through the eyes with his own knives, forcing him to fall back into the herd of walkers surrounding him.
5 Simon
Simon (Steven Ogg) was a squirrely character from the moment everyone met him in Season 6. He was the the right-hand man of Negan with a creepy demeanor and desire to kill. As the show goes on, he becomes more hated than Negan, and his death was one to remember.
Negan made it clear from the start that he punishes those who betray him — from the gruesome deaths of Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Glenn to burning Dwight's (Michael Cudlitz) face with an iron — and when he finds out about Simon's betrayal, the two wind up in a fist fight that ends with Negan strangling him to death and leaving his zombified body outside to guard the gates.
4 Sasha
It was a sad day when Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) lost her life, and something that came as a shocker to those viewers who didn't see it coming, but Sasha's death was the ultimate sacrifice that almost took down Negan.
After being held hostage by the villain, Sasha is forced into a coffin and driven to her friends at Alexandria. But unbeknownst to Negan, Sasha took her own life inside the coffin, allowing herself to turn and come out of the coffin, ready to attack him. As unsatisfying as it was to see Negan get away, watching a zombified Sasha burst out of the coffin and onto Negan remains a memorable moment.
3 Shane
Shane (Jon Bernthal) started as a good guy, but it didn't take long for him to take a turn for the worst come Season 2, when he killed a man to save himself, became obsessed with Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), and plotted to kill his best friend.
It was only right Rick beat Shane at his own game and killed him before Shane had the chance, letting him die in the field. But it was extra satisfying to see a horrified Carl (Chandler Riggs) walk up and question what happened before ultimately killing a zombified Shane before he could bite his father.
2 The Governor
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The Governor (David Morrissey) had to be the baddest baddie in the TWD Universe, just next to Negan. Aside from keeping walker heads in fishtanks in his home, this man did everything from assaulting Maggie to pit brothers Daryl and Merle (Michael Rooker) against each other to behead the group's beloved patriarch Hershel (Scott Wilson).
The Governor's death was satisfying simply because it happened, but after the showdown between Rick's group and The Governor's people at the prison ended in several lost lives and a fistfight between the two leaders, seeing Michonne stab her katana through The Governor was the perfect ending to the brawl.
1 Joe
Although the villainous group known as Claimers wasn't on very long, they did play an integral part in the Season 4 storyline, and their leader Joe (Jeff Kober), played an even bigger part in Rick's story. Joe had a tendency of coming across as a nice guy until he was crossed, like when he forced Daryl into his group and sought out the person responsible for killing one of his own.
When the Claimers found the culprit and had Rick stopped in his tracks alongside Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Carl, it was Joe's people against Rick's people when Daryl fought for his group's lives. But the most shocking and satisfying moment came when Joe seemingly had Rick cornered until Rick decided the only way out was to bite a chunk out of Joe's neck the way walkers did best.