Jon Bernthal wept when he saw The Walking Dead filming without him

The Walking Dead story has concluded after 12 years of airing on AMC. Throughout the series, many characters have come and gone, some viewers loved and some they hated. But there are several memorable characters, like Shane Walsh, portrayed by Jon Bernthal, who didn’t make it past season 2.

Shane was the best friend and co-worker of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in the series and the comic book stories. He was often hot-headed but fearless, making him a good man to have in your corner. A large group of fans preferred Shane’s leadership style to Rick’s, sighting that he had things in the apocalypse figured out before Rick and would have avoided many of the mistakes Rick made.

At the onset of the outbreak, Shane took the role of leader of Rick’s family since his partner was in a coma from being shot. He would guide Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) and go so far as to tell them that Rick had died. When Rick would finally make his return, things got ugly.

Lori was angry about Shane’s lies, and Shane became obsessed with making Lori and Carl his, which would result in his death.

The Walking Dead – Jon Bernthal

In the penultimate episode of season 2, “Better Angels,” things would take a terrible turn in Rick and Shane’s relationship as his obsession clouds his judgment. Shane would start making decisions that would jeopardize all he hoped for.

Shane’s death was pivotal for many reasons, mainly because it also revealed to Rick that what Dr. Jenner told him at the CDC, we are all infected, was true. Rick stabbed Shane; he died and reanimated. He didn’t get bit but turned anyway. This would alter everything Rick knew about the undead.

In a recent interview with Conan O’Brien, Bernthal shared that after his death scene, he returned to the set to retrieve his truck. He would then see a sight that made him weep. Filming for the season 2 finale was underway, and Bernthal sat away from it all, taking in the beauty before him, and would cry as he was full of sorrow because he was no longer a part of the story.

You can watch this segment of the interview below.

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