Does Daryl Dixon die in The Walking Dead?

Daryl Dixon is one of the many characters in The Walking Dead series who isn’t included in the comic story. Portrayed by Norman Reedus, Daryl is a fan favorite with many viewers, and you can see many fans use the phrase, “If Daryl dies, we riot.” Reedus himself has even said if Daryl dies, he will light the first match. So, does Daryl die in the series?

The first introduction viewers had of Daryl Dixon was in the third episode of season one, “Tell It to the Frogs.” His name had been mentioned many times up to that point as his brother Merle (Michael Rooker), who was left handcuffed on the roof, and the group wasn’t sure how Daryl would take this news.

He responded exactly how you would expect. He was overly emotional and angry at the thought of his brother being left to die on that rooftop. Merle was no saint, but what a horrible way to die. A rescue team was sent back to Atlanta for Merle, and the bags of guns newcomer to the group, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), left in the city. It was discovered that Merle didn’t die, but he used a hacksaw to cut off his hand and escape.

Wouldn’t that make a fantastic Tales of the Walking Dead story? An episode following Merle from when the group left him on the roof until he joined the Governor’s group at Woodbury?

The Walking Dead – Daryl Dixon

In season 11, part 1, Daryl was alive and well amid a battle with a new menace, the Reapers. The group was led by a religious zealot, Pope (Ritchie Coster), until Daryl’s ex, Leah, killed Pope and blamed Daryl. She then took over the leadership of the vigilante group and ordered an attack on Daryl, Maggie, Negan, Elijah, and Gabriel.

Season 11, part 2, continued with this battle, and the Reapers were defeated, save for Leah, who Daryl allowed to escape.

Part 2 also saw several of our survivors, including Daryl, relocate to the Commonwealth while Alexandria was being repaired. He started as a soldier in the Commonwealth army but soon learned this community wasn’t all it was present to be.

The third and final part of the series was released on Oct. 2, 2022, and Daryl was in the thick of things. It is easy to get worried about Daryl’s fate as he is always in the middle of the fighting. But, good news for Daryl fans, he survived and will go on to a new adventure after the final episode of The Walking Dead, which aired on November 20, 2022.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff will be filmed and set in France, and he will encounter the variant walkers seen in the post-credits scene of The Walking Dead: World Beyond’s series finale. Filming for season 1 of this series concluded in March 2023, and filming for a second season has already begun. AMC announced the second season at SDCC 2023. 

Clémence Poésy will portray Isabelle, a nun Daryl encounters at an Abby. She and Sylvie (Laïka Blanc-Francard) are part of The Union of Hope, a group who are well armed for the resistance. The nuns believe that God has sent Daryl to accompany a young boy Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), who is believed to be the one who will lead humanity’s revival. They have an ally in Fallou (Eric Ebouaney), an artist, warrior, and community leader.

The political movement, The Cause, is led by Genet  (Anne Charrier) and her number two, Cordon (Romain Levi). They want the American (Daryl) dead, and Cordon leads a group to hunt him down.

Another character Quinn (Adam Nagaitis), is a black marketeer and underground nightclub owner; nothing else has been revealed about this character.

Other casting announcements for this series include Faustine Surmont, Avant Stangel, Paul Deby, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Scott Higgins, O’Brien Alex, and Tristan Zanchi.

Reedus has also stated that Daryl could see some familiar faces teasing that other TWD characters could show up in the series. One familiar face that follows Reedus to France is TWD director and SPX master Greg Nicotero who shared a photo of a grotesque corpse that will be featured in the series and discussed variant walkers.

Melissa McBride has been confirmed for the second season of Daryl Dixon. Fans are excited to see Daryl and Carol together again.

Reedus has shared that this series will be a reset for Daryl. 

"Everything kind of breathes in a romantic way. We have the backdrop of France, we have the Catacombs, the Eiffel Tower. … The whole vibe is different."

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will premiere on AMC on September 10, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET. AMC+ will premiere the episode three days early.

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