Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman drafted different fate for Glenn Rhee

Glenn Rhee’s death will always be remembered as one of the most gruesome in The Walking Dead comics, which was then played out in the series. Many fans of the character in the series never watched another episode after his death in season 7, episode 1, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be.” But comic creator Robert Kirkman had a different idea for Glenn’s death in the comics.

Comicbook.com reports that while Kirkman created his notes for The Walking Dead #71, he wrote, “GLENN DIES NEXT.” This would have taken place much earlier than his meeting with Negan in The Walking Dead #100 when he was bludgeoned with Negan’s weapon of choice, the barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat, Lucille.

Issue #71 saw the Atlanta group struggling to acclimate to life within the walls of Alexandria. Glenn and Maggie’s story greatly varies in the comic as, at this time, they were adoptive parents to Sophia, who died in season 2 of the series.

Later, when Kirkman prepared for The Walking Dead #74, he put Glenn on a supply run with Heath after Scott, originally set to accompany him, was stricken with a life-threatening illness. In Issue #75, Heath would kill a walker before it can bite Glenn, saving him, at least for the time being.

The Walking Dead: The fate of Glenn Rhee

Kirkman has stated that by allowing Glenn to die at the hands of Negan in such a brutal and random event that saw Rick powerless makes “Glenn one of the more important characters of the story.”

In the Cutting Room Floor of The Walking Dead #71 colorized reprint, Kirkman said this regarding his mindset on Glenn’s death.

"“He just seemed like the character most ripe, whose death would lead to the most story… but Glenn would most certainly NOT die next as I would continue to change my mind… again… and again.”"

Glenn’s (Steven Yeun) death would certainly not carry the weight it did if he had just been bit by a walker. Giving this character, who is loyal, resourceful, often uncomfortable killing people, and somewhat wholesome, a horrific death, which affected so many other characters, was the right choice. And as sad as it is to view on screen, this scene, which also saw the brutal death of Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), impacted the fandom perhaps more than Kirkman ever thought it would.

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