If you’ve been a fan of The Walking Dead universe, some deaths have stuck with you for days, weeks, months, or even years now since the original show has been over for that long.
When you rewatch it or even take a look back at how the stories played out, there are some moments that just stay in the back of your mind because of what happened on your TV screen. Whether it was a complete shock or it was the way it happened that grossed us out, some deaths have become defining of the series as a whole.
To look back at those big deaths, I shared a list of the six deaths from The Walking Dead that we still talk about.
Beth Greene
In season 5 episode 8, “Coda,” Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) was killed by a gunshot to the head. It was a reflexive gunshot because she had reached forward and stabbed the officer, Dawn Learner, who had been keeping her hostage inside that fated hospital for weeks. Either way, it was over, just like that.
The biggest issue with Beth’s death in the show is how fast it was — and how it felt like it went against every hint of where the storyline was going. The Walking Dead featured plenty of harsh moments where our favorite characters bit the dust, but it was mainly through a walker bite or something even gnarlier. It was rare when it was so fast, like hers was, and so heartbreaking.
Beth’s story seemed to be aiming for a bigger role in the show, but when she was killed, fans were shocked, especially since she was slowly becoming a favorite with many people.
Glenn Rhee
When anyone thinks of any death in The Walking Dead, I’m sure we all think of Glenn (Steven Yeun). He was killed in the season 7 premiere episode, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” when Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) took a bat to his head after he had already killed Abraham (Michael Cudlitz).
Glenn’s death cemented itself in pop culture, mainly because so many people stopped watching the show afterward. Fans felt cheated by the fact that two people were killed instead of one, like how it was done in the comics, and that Glenn was still one of the people taken out. He was a favorite character for most. The show never really felt the same afterward, and even now, years later, the brutality of how he was taken out was horrendous and gruesome.
Carl Grimes
Carl (Chandler Riggs) really shouldn’t have died in the first place. His death was because of a walker bite, and he bit the bullet in season 8 episode 9, “Honor.” Fans were understandably upset because, well, everyone expected Carl to make it to the very end. The comics are more about his story and how his father changed his life in the apocalypse, one that he tells to his future children. And while the show was very different from the comics at times, fans always expected this.
When he was killed off, it felt like a whole possibility for where the show could have gone vanished almost instantly, and it forever changed Rick (Andrew Lincoln). Riggs himself has stayed active in the zombie world, even creating his own Resident Evil fan film, but it makes me wonder what could have been if he had stayed until the end.
Noah
I feel absolutely cheated by Noah’s (Tyler James Williams) death in this show because he was the person Beth died for. She could have escaped, but she let him get out first. And then you’re telling me that only a few episodes later, he’s killed?
Noah died after being torn apart by walkers in season 5 episode 14, while out on a supply run with Glenn, who watches as he’s killed. It is considered one of the most graphic and disturbing deaths of The Walking Dead because of the brutality with which it’s done. Even I, who have become desensitized to so many different ways to die because of this show, tend to skip that scene. It’s horrendous.
Shiva
The main reason people talk about Shiva’s death is how impossible it is. The fact that Ezekiel (Khary Payton) even raised a tiger in this world is wild, but Shiva surviving that long is even wilder. And then there’s the fact that Shiva died through sacrifice.
Shiva died in season 8 episode 4, “Some Guy,” fending off a group of walkers while saving Ezekiel and a group of people around him. It’s incredibly sad, and many fans wish it hadn’t happened because Shiva was a wild card in the show. It was so steady with war and pain and death for so long that Shiva’s addition felt like a breath of fresh air until it was stolen from her. That's how she died in the comics, but I wish she had lasted longer.
Hershel Greene
I think the biggest one I’d love to talk about is Hershel (Scott Wilson) because his death had people talking for weeks. He died in the midseason finale of season 4, “Too Far Gone,” when he was decapitated by the Governor (David Morrisey). The moment is brutal and terrifying, but it also signals a loss of innocence for the group.
Hershel was not only a father but also a guiding light for the group. He was that moral compass, always fighting to do what was right. But when he died, it was as if a part of them died with him. I still remember my dad yelling at the TV when it occurred. It was never the same without Hershel there.
You can watch all 11 seasons of The Walking Dead on Netflix.
Add us as a preferred source on Google