The grim circumstances of living in a zombie apocalypse undoubtedly contain many deaths. Adapted from Robert Kirkman's now concluded comic series, the television series The Walking Dead is also wrapping up after eleven seasons. The popular blood-soaked series has seen a great many characters come and go, like the moral backbones of Dale Horvath (Jeffrey DeMunn) and Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson), or others who faced their fates head-on like Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) or T-Dog (IronE Singleton), but others were taken too soon.
With the final season wrapping up in Season 11, there will undoubtedly be a handful of key characters to meet their demise, despite the few already announced spin-off series that may fuddle some mystery. However, the tension that any character may bite the dust at any minute made the series so thrilling. Looking back at the over decade-long series, there are still some characters fans wish they got more time with.
Noah
Noah (Tyler James Williams) quickly became a fan favorite before his untimely death. Audiences met Noah at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was more of a prisoner than a hospital ward. He was forced to pay back points towards his release, only seeing his debt exponentially increase. Noah finally became rid of that misguided sanctuary when the injured Beth (Emily Kinney) was delivered to the hospital, and they plotted an escape.
Later assimilated into Alexandria, Noah continued to win over fans with his loving moral code while always looking out for others. Noah even dreamed of becoming an architect to build sturdy walls to keep his community safe. However, Noah was caught in a revolving door brutally devoured by walkers. What makes his death even more bitter is that his fate was sealed by the cowardice of Nicholas (Michael Traynor), extinguishing Noah's productive future.
Paul "Jesus" Rovia
Jesus (Tom Payne) was able to maneuver through the zombie and human-infested lands to seek out worthy allies for his community, Hilltop. Highly anticipated by fans of the comic, Jesus was first distrusted by the main group but soon becomes a key ally. However, as the seasons progressed, Jesus was incomprehensibly given little to do. With a final stab in the back, Jesus finally flexed his martial arts prowess, only to be slain in the first encounter with the Whisperers.
While the foggy moonlit graveyard that saw Jesus' end was a fantastic setting to introduce the zombie mimicking villains, losing Jesus stung. Jesus quickly became a fan favorite in the comics with his charming persona and acrobatic skills at slaying walkers. While Payne certainly filled the shoes of his comic book counterpart, the writers didn't let him walk the walk.
Dwight
Dwight (Austin Amelio) played a significant role in the war against the Saviors, eventually sabotaging Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Dwight was motivated only by protecting his wife Sherry (Christine Evangelista), so when they're constantly disrespected by Negan, as the foul-mouthed villain enjoys doing, Dwight finally betrays him. In both the comics and the series, Dwight committed terrible offenses but was later able to find redemption.
However, fans of the comics never got to see the same type of redemption in the series, as Dwight was banished by Daryl (Norman Reedus) in the finale of Season 8. In the comics, Dwight becomes the leader of the saviors, where the once brutal goons worked alongside Rick. Comic-Dwight also plays a hand in the Whisperer war. However, Amelio's character relocated to Fear the Walking Dead, where he searches for Sherry.
Heath
Heath (Corey Hawkins) sparked fan speculation with his mysterious disappearance from the show. While career-driven decisions played into the character's sudden removal, current showrunner, Angela Kang, confirmed that The Scavengers captured Heath in similar helicopters that relocated Rick Grimes. So is there's still an opportunity to see Heath in the future?
Heath was a supply runner for Alexandria, a no-nonsense realist that could come off a bit cynical. Heath also reluctantly slayed multiple Saviors alongside Glenn in an action the pair shared regretting. Speculation over Heath's fate emerged in Hawkin's last episode, Season 7, Episode 6 "Swear," when Tara (Alanna Masterson) and Heath are overwhelmed by walkers on a barricaded bridge, and the two become separated. Heath has yet to be seen since.
Carl Grimes
Carl (Chandler Riggs), son of Rick Grimes, was a staple in TWD since its pilot episode in 2010 and second issue of the comic in 2003. The character served as a primary motivation for Rick to build a new life in the apocalypse. Carl himself has a tremendous arc as he grows up in zombie-ravaged America and witnesses too many horrors along the way. However, despite his strife, the young child grows into a formidable young man, only to unexpectedly see Riggs written out of the show.
While the series often maneuvered through the comics and audiences' expectations well, killing Carl proved to be a low blow. Fans were eager to see Carl continue his father's legacy, so in Season 8, fans were crushed to lose Carl, bitten by a walker while protecting Siddiq. This effectively discarded Carl's arc and, sadly, Riggs' career plans, who was preparing to live up to his comic book counterpart. This departure from the comics put a sour taste in fans' mouths, resulting in a colossal drop in viewership in the episodes following Carl's premature death.
Denise Cloyd
Denise (Merritt Wever) was a genuinely kind soul that was crippled by fear, and unfortunately, once she finally faced it, she met her abrupt end. Introduced in Alexandria, Denise was forced to step into the stressful role of the community doctor after Rick killed the original one. Denise later developed a relationship with Tara and finally decided to leave her safe walls to find her girlfriend some orange soda.
On the supply run, Denise musters up the courage for an impassioned speech towards Daryl and Rosita (Christian Serratos), and even herself, to stop running from their problems and wake up, only to be struck through the eye with a crossbow bolt by Dwight. With Denise given Abraham's sudden death in the comics, fans were left to mourn how much father she could have grown after finally pouring out her heart and soul.
Glenn Rhee
There's not much debate over Glenn (Steven Yeun) being one of the most significant losses TWD has ever seen. The beloved character was introduced in the second episode and played a vital role in every confrontation the survivors faced until his brutal death. Furthermore, Glenn was always the voice of reason and empathy, motivating others to take the moral path, not the easy one. With the notable comic book fate already sealed in the minds of many fans, the fate of the TV series character felt imminent.
With the frustrating cliffhanger of Negan's "eeny-meeny-miny-moe, fans speculated over who was the victim; however," in the pit of so many stomachs were the last dying words of Glenn to his wife Maggie (Lauren Cohan). While it pains many to admit that this adherence to the source material was the right decision, giving the remaining characters incredible motivation, that doesn't make his death any easier to accept. There's certainly so much more the character could have accomplished as he was recently a husband and soon to be a father. This low point of the series won't ever be easy to take.
Siddiq
Siddiq (Avi Nash) became a short-lived character on TWD, taken too soon after so many others died to protect him. While a few time jumps implied that Siddiq formed strong relationships with his counterparts, even bearing a child with Rosita, the time on screen with the audience wasn't enough before being snuffed out.
Siddiq was a guilt-ridden man over the death of Carl, who was bitten by a walker trying to save him. Siddiq is also seen later struggling from PTSD after the Whisperers kidnaped him and placed the heads of several of his friends on pikes. All that death to save Siddiq, only for him to die so soon after, is crushing to fans who hoped the loss of those beloved characters would mean something more.
Beth Greene
Beth (Emily Kinney) was a passive character fans met in Season 2, troubled with the world and ready to let go. She would breeze through the next few seasons, singing gentle songs and babysitting Judith, before finally coming out of her shell. In Season 5's mid-season finale, "CODA," Beth was killed by the loose trigger of skittish officer Dawn Lerner (Christine Woods).
In the previous episodes, Beth and Daryl escaped the prison's destruction at the Governor's hands (David Morrissey). Beth then forms a bond with Daryl and confronts herself before being kidnaped by Dawn's officers and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. There she would use her newfound confidence to help free Noah before her accidental death. Surely there was more from the shy girl finally coming into her own.
Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is the main protagonist of both the comic book and TV series, so fans were understandably disappointed to learn that his character was leaving in Season 9. You cannot blame Lincoln's personal decision to leave the show to be with his growing family, but the hole he would leave behind on TWD could never be filled. Faced with this predicament, the writers attempted to remove Rick from the group and leave his fate a mystery.
TWD still has hopes to finish Rick's story in a spin-off. Along with Michonne (Danai Gurira), whose absence has also been sorely missed, the zombie slaying couple is poised to wrap up their stories in 2023. Little information has been revealed after years of speculation, but diehard fans are ready to see more from Rick, whose incredible tenure on TWD came far too soon.