AMC's The Walking Dead produced many memorable characters over the years. Heck, thanks to its spinoffs, the franchise still is. But, among the most memorable of them all, is undoubtedly Shane Walsh - who was a force to be reckoned in the show's early seasons.
Portrayed by Jon Bernthal, Shane was Rick Grimes' best friend and trusted ally before the world went to hell. But after it did, Shane's dark side came out. Although he protected Rick's wife Lori and son Carl, Rick's return sent him off the deep end. In the second season, he tried to kill him - which eventually resulted in his own death. Given how much of a loose canon he had become, Rick simply couldn't let him live.
The moment has gone down in history as one of the most shocking the small screen has ever seen. Rick stabbed his former friend through the heart after he successfully talked him out of killing him. His son Carl then had to put down the reanimated version of Shane, who very nearly killed Rick as he rose.
Shane died in The Walking Dead season 2, episode 12, titled "Better Angels". Considering that the show ran for 11 seasons, that's pretty early on in its run. So, just why did that happen so soon?
Shane was always meant to die early (but it happened even earlier in the comics)
It's true that Shane's death took place pretty early on in The Walking Dead's run. Like we said, making it two out of 11 seasons is only a fraction of the show's legacy - and yet Shane himself has stood the test of time, with many regarding his character arc as one of the most compelling of the TWD Universe. That's why so many of the show's fans still consider the character's demise too premature. But, surprisingly enough, the show actually managed to stretch his arc out a bit longer than comic purists expected.
See, as fans know, The Walking Dead is based on Robert Kirkman's legendary comic book series, and in its early seasons, the show stuck relatively close to the comics - a heck of a lot closer than it ultimately would in subsequent seasons. However, it took some liberties with Shane, managing to delay his death just a little bit longer - long enough to showcase the absolute powerhouse of an actor that Jon Bernthal is.
In the comics, Shane's arc plays out relatively similar to how it does in the source material: Rick's former best friend and partner, looks after his wife and son, falls in love with Lori, and doesn't take too well to finding out that his former partner was still alive. In Issue No. 6, he attempts to kill Rick and dies after Carl shoots him in the neck. This is an understandably traumatic moment for the young Grimes but it was a pivotal moment as it meant he chose his father's life over Shane - who had been convinced he could replace Rick in Carl and Lori's lives.
In terms of the TWD timeline in the comics, Shane's death took place much earlier - going down long before they ever reached Hershel's farm (which is where he died on the show). In the source material, it happened while the group was still at the initial camp outside Atlanta - which means that it would have happened in the first season of the show if it had remained in-line with the comics. It also proved pivotal to the storyline as Rick ended up digging up Shane's grave to find that he had turned into a walker, proving the theory that anyone could evolve into the undead regardless of how they died - and, therefore, proving that everyone was infected.
While the show's iteration of Shane's death was different, it featured a number of elements that paid tribute to the source material - such as the battle between him and Rick, and Carl shooting the reanimated Shane (instead of the alive Shane). It simply altered what it needed to in order to make it work within the context of the show's adaptation.
Robert Kirkman revealed that there was a very specific reason as to why Shane died so early in the comics and it all had to do with telling a complete arc at a crossroads for the series. Kirkman wasn't sure if the comics would continue on past six issues, so they wanted a pivotal moment to close out this particular chapter - one that could serve as an ending if it didn't get picked up for more.
The Walking Dead comics would ultimately run for 193 issues as it proved to be a massive success, so in theory Shane could have lasted longer there too. But it appears that the early death of the character was simply a fixed point in both versions of the TWD Universe.
The show couldn't position Rick as the leader while Shane was still threatening his leadership
While Shane was always meant to die in The Walking Dead, the creative team did consider going an alternate route - likely due to the character's richness and Jon Bernthal's gripping performance as him. However, they ultimately reached the conclusion that Rick Grimes couldn't become the leader he was destined to be while Shane was still around. Showrunner Glenn Mazzara told MTV News in 2012 that Rick had to "assume leadership" and the only way that was going to happen was by putting an end to Shane's unpredictable nature.
"At one point, we considered not killing Shane. But what's important about this season is, Rick has to step forward. He has to assume leadership of the group and he has to confront Shane. Rick has to be the one to kill Shane. He needs to take control of the group."
If you have watched the show, you might see this as a fair point. Shane's unhinged behaviour resulted in him repeatedly questioning Rick's role in the group, suggesting that he was too soft to hold the survival of so many people in his hands and that he couldn't make the difficult choices. This was, in a way, Shane's attempt to justify some of the awful decisions he had made throughout the second season and, as we all know, Rick ultimately found himself having to make some difficult decisions throughout the rest of the show's run anyway.
One of the first ones, of course, was killing Shane. He didn't want to do it, but he felt that he had to. Not only was Shane's meltdown beginning to affect Lori and Carl, it was putting the whole group at risk. And, as Rick knew that he was in a kill or be killed situation, he made the difficult decision to do the former, putting an end to Shane's downward spiral once and for all.
Shane's death was a turning point for the series as it slowly evolved out of the western-esque small-scale horror drama that it started as, transitioning into a larger-than-life TV show with a huge ensemble cast. At its heart was Rick, who attempted to lead his family, friends, and fellow survivors to a new tomorrow through the harsh realities of the zombie apocalypse. He became a bit more Shane-like in the beginning with his infamous "Ricktatorship" speech, but he eventually found his way back to himself and built an incredible legacy as a true leader.
Speaking of incredible legacies, Jon Bernthal's career went from strength-to-strength after his role as Shane on The Walking Dead. He has since starred in major films such as The Wolf of Wall Street, The Accountant, Baby Driver, and Ford v Ferrari as well as TV shows Mob City, We Own This City, The Bear, American Gigolo, and His & Hers. His biggest role, however, has undoubtedly been that of The Punisher, which he originated in Marvel Netflix shows Daredevil and The Punisher before officially reprising them years later in Marvel Studios properties Daredevil: Born Again, The Punisher: One Last Kill, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Needless to say, while we're sad that Shane didn't get a longer run in The Walking Dead, we're thrilled to see Jon Bernthal continuing to thrive with his deep, compelling performances all these years later.