The Walking Dead: 30 most heroic moments of all-time

3. Lori Makes The Ultimate Sacrifice For Judith

Season 3, “Killer Within”

Lori is often listed as one of the most hated characters on The Walking Dead. She was not a beloved character by any means. But like Merle she was able to redeem herself with a truly heroic ending. Lori went into labor in the prison while she, Carl, and Maggie were running from walkers. Even with Maggie’s help, the birth wasn’t going smoothly. Judith wasn’t in the right position. It had happened with Carl too, which is why Lori had a C-section when she gave birth to Carl.

Lori told Maggie to go by her C-section scar and do another C-section. Without anesthetic. On the cold floor of the prison, while walkers were everywhere. Lori knew that she would probably not survive a surgery under those circumstances and would probably bleed to death. But she told Maggie to do it anyway. Frantically she said a tearful goodbye to Carl and told Maggie to do the C-section.

Without getting to say goodbye to Rick and without getting to see her baby daughter, Lori died on the prison floor willingly so that her daughter could live. It really doesn’t get more heroic than that. A mother made the ultimate sacrifice for her child, and that should be enough to make up for her previous failings.

Now that Judith is the only Grimes left standing Lori’s sacrifice becomes even more poignant because it allows the legacy of the Grimes family to live on. Hopefully Lori is proud of her daughter and is glad that Michonne loves Judith as if Judith was her own daughter.