In its day, AMC’s The Walking Dead was one of the most popular television series, yet some major departures from the source material left fans of Robert Kirkman’s comics disappointed. One of the most conspicuous differences between The Waking Dead TV show and comic books is the series’ handling of character deaths. The show’s huge cast evolved every season, with each installment introducing new faces to replace those who had succumbed to the zombie apocalypse. The Walking Dead’s significant number of character deaths reflects the harsh reality of the changed world in which the protagonists now find themselves.
The same can be said for Kirkman’s comic, which, like the television adaptation, doesn’t pull any punches. Some of The Walking Dead’s most brutal and tragic deaths were drawn directly from the comic books. Glenn had to die in The Walking Dead because of the monumental impact of this moment in the comic book, for example. Kirkman himself has stressed the idea that character growth, not zombies, is actually The Walking Dead's keystone, and both forms of the franchise use tragic deaths to this effect. Still, several significant show deaths play out very differently in the comics.
10 Otis
Otis Survived Much Longer In The Comic
Otis’ death was a significant moment in the second season of The Walking Dead. While only a minor character, Otis was key to the chain of events that saw the Atlanta group take up residence on Hershel’s farm. After accidentally shooting Carl, Otis felt the need to redeem himself, going with Shane to recover life-saving medical equipment from the local high school. Otis was shot by Shane in order to allow the latter to escape the overrun school. It was an instrumental turning point in Shane's character arc, signifying that Rick's former friend had reached the point of no return.
Comic-book Otis far outlived his television counterpart, however. The character survives up until the Prison, and is actually the person who introduces Michonne to the group. He eventually dies when the Prison is overrun. The difference between Otis' comic and show death can be partly attributed to the fact that Shane himself had a much smaller role in the comic, and was actually dead himself at this point. Sacrificing Otis' screen time in favor of an expanded Shane role was ultimately a good decision.
9 Sophia and Carol Peletier
Sophia Is Still Alive In The Walking Dead Comic, But Carol Isn’t
The revelation of Sophia’s death was one of the most impactful moments in the second season of The Walking Dead, if not the show as a whole. It will surprise show-only viewers to learn that this heartbreaking moment didn't occur at all in the comic. In fact, in The Walking Dead comic, Sophia is still alive. The same can't be said for her mother. Carol's comic book counterpart died by suicide while the group was staying at the prison. Effectively, their roles were reversed in the television series.
Sophia is the comic's longest surviving female character, a fierce and determined figure, rather like Carol in the AMC series. It's not hard to see why The Walking Dead killed Sophia in season 2, though. Showrunners correctly identified the particularly devastating impact the death of a young child would have on the group. Sophia's tragic death furthered Rick's personal crisis as he lost faith in his ability as a leader. The memory of her daughter motivated Carol to survive, turning her into one of The Walking Dead's most beloved characters.
8 Dale Horvath
Dale Is Killed By The Hunters In The Comic
As the voice of reason and the moral center of the Atlanta camp, Dale's death during season 2 was a hard blow. Over the years viewers had to say a difficult goodbye to many Walking Dead characters killed too soon, and Dale's brutal death was especially underserved. He was mercifully put down by Daryl after being ripped open by a Walker in the episode "Judge, Jury, and Executioner." Given that the larger theme of this episode was the desensitization and moral decline of the characters, Dale's death was thematically significant.
Like Sophia's death, though, this major season 2 moment doesn't come from the comics. Comic-book Dale actually survives until the group's conflict with the Hunters, who don't feature in the show until season 5. After being bitten and partially cannibalized, Dale is put down by Andrea. His death resembles Bob's in the show. The showrunners actually had little choice in making this significant departure from the source material. Dale actor Jeffrey DeMunn revealed that he actually asked to be killed off, after his longtime friend, showrunner Frank Darabont, was fired from the show.
7 Shane Walsh
Shane Had An Extended Role In The Television Series
Given Shane's centrality to Rick's arc in the first two seasons, it may surprise viewers who haven't read the Walking Dead comics to learn that the character wasn't supposed to survive past the attack on the Atlanta camp. Though it happened much sooner, the circumstances surrounding Shane's comic death were broadly similar. Comic Shane's attempt on Rick's life was not premeditated, but rather an impulsive decision made in the fraught aftermath of Amy and Jim's deaths.
Most strikingly, it is not Rick, but Carl, who kills Shane in the comics, shooting him in the neck. In both formats, the transformation of Rick's former best friend into a bitter and unstable antagonist was a great emotional turning point. But the show's decision to bring Shane to the Greene farm enabled the writers to draw out his decline, raising Shane and Rick's tensions to boiling point. Jon Bernthal's acting talent arguably made Shane the best villain in The Walking Dead's early seasons and gave his inevitable death a much better pay-off.
6 Lori Grimes
Lori’s Show And Comic Death Have Opposite Meanings
By the time she was killed in season 3, Lori had become one of the most hated supporting characters on The Walking Dead. This didn't make her demise any less tragic, though. The worst part about Lori's death is that she is killed by something she would have survived in the pre-Apocalypse world. Complications during Judith's birth see Lori make the heartbreaking decision to sacrifice herself by having Maggie perform an improvised Cesarean section. Interestingly, Lori actually survives Judith's birth in the original comic, only to be later shot by Lilly Caul on the orders of the Governor during his assault on the prison.
The most striking difference is that this also results in the death of Judith, who is crushed by her mother's fall. In both source and adaptation, Lori's death is a moment that had a devastating impact on Rick's psyche, as well as fracturing his relationship with his son. Choosing to have Lori die in childbirth and allowing Judith to survive completely changes the meaning of her death, however. Lori willingly risking her life to bring her daughter into the world is a symbol of prevailing hope, while Judith's death in the comic conversely symbolizes desolation.
5 Andrea Harrison
Andrea Is A Far More Prominent Character In The Comic
Andrea's season 3 death came as a massive shock for both comic readers and actor Laurie Holden, who all assumed the character would have a much more extended role in the show. This was a reasonable assumption to make: in the Walking Dead comic, Andrea is a much bigger character, serving as Rick's love interest and a key player in the Negan conflict, before she is eventually bitten and has to be put down by Rick. Andrea was such a beloved comic book character that Kirkman himself even struggled to come to terms with his decision to kill her.
Her death on the show, on the other hand, was a last-minute twist in the Governor plot line. While Andrea retains some dignity in her decision to commit suicide rather than succumb to her bite, some would argue that The Walking Dead did this important comic character a disservice in killing her so prematurely. More than anything, this moment firmly demonstrated to viewers that nobody was safe – the show established itself as a separate entity to the source material going forward.
4 Deanna Monroe
Deanna's Death Is Not As Heroic In The Comic
Deanna Monroe is first introduced in season 5 as the leader of the Alexandria Safe Zone. A shrewd and capable leader, Deanna is instrumental in integrating Rick's group into the Alexandria community. She is markedly distinct from her comic book counterpart, a bald man named Douglas. In both mediums, the character is killed during the chaos that ensues at Alexandria, but the series gives Deanna a far more heroic end. Like her counterpart, Deanna is bitten by a Walker, but makes a bold final stand against the encroaching herd.
In the comics, Douglas blames himself for the deaths of his wife and son and attempts to die by suicide after walking into a crowd of the undead. When he sees Carl and Rick in trouble, he tries to help them, but ends up blinding Carl by mistake before he is devoured. In contrast, Deanna's TV show death is a tragic moment that emphasizes the naivety of the Alexandria group, finally shattering the misguided belief that a lasting peace can be secured in the post-apocalypse world.
3 Abraham Ford
Abraham Wasn't Killed By Negan In The Comics
Abraham’s brutal season 7 death serves a dual purpose as a shocking departure of a beloved character and a memorable introduction to The Walking Dead’s most infamous villain. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan smashed his way into the series and took two core group members with him. While Glenn's horrific death followed the comics faithfully, Abraham's counterpart wasn't one of Lucille's victims.
He and Eugene are on a supply run when they encounter the Saviors, who take the latter hostage after Dwight shoots an arrow through Abraham's eye. The television series drew inspiration from this scene when Denise died in the same manner. Still, while it departs from the source material, Abraham's death on The Walking Dead retains the original shock factor. The series also allows the character one more iconic line as he goes out, defiantly telling Negan to "suck my nuts."
2 Carl Grimes
Carl Lives And Ends Up With Sophia In The Comics
While Carl wasn’t always the most likable character on The Walking Dead, his death proved one of the most contentious moments in the show. Bitten while escorting Siddiq to Alexandria, Carl makes a heartbreaking farewell to his loved ones before shooting himself. Carl's end was unexpected, not just because killing the main character's son seemed to be a step even The Walking Dead would never take, but because Carl doesn't die in the source material.
In the final issue of the comic, an aged Carl is seen living with Sophia and their daughter as they attempt to rebuild society, ending the series on a hopeful note. Knowing that another version of Carl got to live a full life against all odds makes this season 8 twist all the more devastating. The fact that viewers had seen Carl grow up over the course of the series gave his death an added sense of pathos. However, an insufficient exploration of Rick's catastrophic loss left many feeling that The Walking Dead handled Carl Grimes' death badly.
1 Rosita Espinosa
Rosita's Final End Was The Actor's Idea
The Walking Dead struggled to distinguish Rosita's character when she was first introduced. Critics particularly struggled with the fact that Sasha, at that point a more integral group member, was seemingly sacrificed in her favor. Following Abraham's death, her grief allowed the show to develop Rosita's personality and transform her into a more sympathetic figure. Audiences eventually warmed to Rosita thanks to Christian Serratos' portrayal of the character, allowing her to outlast her comic character.
Rosita makes it to The Walking Dead series finale, where she is bitten, and passes away peacefully in bed in Alexandria. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Serratos revealed that Rosita's television end was actually her idea, stating "We owed it to the fans to break their hearts one last time." This was a far more subdued end than that of her comic book counterpart, though. In the comics, Rosita is one of the pike victims beheaded by Alpha, and her death also results in that of her unborn child.
