The Walking Dead 1016: How THAT big death compares to the comics

Beta’s death in The Walking Dead season 10 finale differed from the comics

As one of the primary antagonists of seasons 9 and 10, Beta has been a menace for the survivors for a while now. In the season 10 finale, Beta suffers a brutal and surprisingly spiritual death at the hands of Daryl and Beta’s own Whisperer horde. This shocking moment caught viewers off guard, especially because it is quite different from how Beta perishes in The Walking Dead comics.

After seeing Lydia lead the Whisperer horde away while wearing Alpha’s mask, Beta goes berserk, running after her with only one thing on his mind. He’s interrupted by Negan, who Beta quickly throws to the ground and is about to kill “for Alpha” until Daryl shows up.

Daryl slices the hulking Whisperer leader before jamming his two knives into Beta’s eyes. At that moment, we see a montage of the rise of Beta as a Whisperer and his relationship with Alpha. Rather than scream in pain and terror as the horde begins to devour him, a now-eyeless Beta smiles as the walkers tear him apart.

Just before the walkers pull him down for good, Negan and Daryl get a good look at Beta’s face, with Negan realizing Beta’s identity from before the apocalypse. He expresses shock, but Daryl doesn’t spare a thought for it, simply saying “He’s nobody.”

While this huge moment in the season 10 finale was epic and satisfying, it greatly differed from how Beta met his demise in the comics.

In the comic books, Aaron and Jesus combine to take Beta down days after the Whisperer horde is successfully led off a cliff. Once Aaron finishes Beta off with a bullet to the brain, they peel off his mask to reveal his true identity. In this medium, Aaron and Jesus recognize Beta as a star basketball player who was famous before everything went down with the walkers.

With Jesus already gone from the show at the hands of the Whisperers in season 9 and Aaron busy saving the day with Maggie, this outcome just wasn’t possible in the show. It was interesting that Angela Kang decided to change Beta’s background from a basketball star to a country music singer and to have Daryl and Negan take him out rather than Aaron and Jesus – more examples of the show switching things up from the comics.

Beta’s death in the season 10 finale wasn’t necessarily better or worse than its comic counterpart, but it was equally as satisfying. Beta was a massive and intimidating presence throughout seasons 9 and 10, and his death was fitting given what we have seen from the character.

What did you think about Beta’s death? Let us know by leaving a comment!