The Walking Dead has a long list of tragic demises, from Hershel Greene and Glenn Rhee in the flagship series to Isabelle Carriere in Daryl Dixon. Though these deaths are often hard for viewers to witness and occasionally so disappointing it turns people away from the franchise, they're often necessary for the continuation. On the other hand, there are many characters, such as Rick Grimes, that have immense plot armor.
Though plot armor is an unpopular trope in this long-running horror franchise, it also serves a purpose. Considering the many years these characters survive in extreme and unlikely situations, their ability to survive becomes more plausible than them being killed off. Certain characters in The Walking Dead are key to the show's perception, proving to not only be lovable but necessary to the continuation, realism, and intrigue of the post-apocalyptic story. After 14 years, the show would take a major risk of killing off certain prominent characters.
Gabriel Has an Exceptional Redemption Arc
When Gabriel was first introduced in The Walking Dead, viewers did not trust him. This was a valid perception, especially after it was discovered that he locked out his congregation at the beginning of the apocalypse, resulting in dozens of deaths. In Alexandria, he worked to get Rick's group exiled, continuing his villainous arc.
At the end of The Walking Dead , Gabriel was heading a church in the Commonwealth and raising Rosita's daughter, Coco.
However, he eventually realizes that Rick and other group members are determined to keep their loved ones alive, resulting in a major change in his perception of the world. Despite grappling with his faith and the violent world they live in, he eventually becomes an admirable leader with one of the best arcs in The Walking Dead. His evolution is a representation of how well people can adapt to the tumultuous world, but killing him off would only serve as shock value and a suggestion that someone's best efforts aren't enough to survive.
Carol Is the Most Surprising Original Survivor
In comparison to other survivors at the start of The Walking Dead, including T-Dog and Merle Dixon, Carol was not a character viewers thought would go on to develop impenetrable plot armor. The series was originally going to kill her off in Season 3. However, her efforts to survive and thrive made her a popular character, resulting in the proud, strong, and skilled survivor she is in the current plot of the franchise.
Carol's daughter, Sophia, was found as a walker in Season 2, Episode 7, "Pretty Much Dead Already."
Carol is one of the most beloved characters in the overall series, defying the odds to become someone who doesn't let loss and the constant fight to survive to push her down. Though some fans believe she should have been killed off far earlier, her current storyline in the apocalypse would have to include an extraordinary circumstance to convince the audience her death is worthy of her exceptional arc.
Jerry Is a Bright Light
Jerry is one of the subtle side characters who manages to be lovable despite not having a major arc. He remained loyal to Ezekiel, honoring his leadership despite the standing of the Kingdom and even following the fall of their community. In addition, Jerry has a wholesome personality that embraces every happiness he can find in this dark world.
Jerry's first appearance was in The Walking Dead, Season 7, Episode 2, "The Well."
By the end of The Walking Dead, Jerry is happily living with his wife and children in the Commonwealth. His unfaltering belief in Ezekiel is justified by the leader once again gaining a powerful role as Governor. Jerry is an admirable character and, despite his lack of exceptional involvement in the overall plot, would only serve as a shock-value death that would clarify that there is no hope in this world for people who simply want to live peacefully.
Hershel Is an Important Representation
Hershel Rhee did not have a significant role in the flagship series. As a baby, he served as a symbol of hope for their promising future but also as a painful reminder of his deceased father. As he got older, however, he had more agency, memorably threatening Negan in Season 11 when he learns the former villain was responsible for his father's death.
After the time jump between The Walking Dead finale and Dead City, the young man is now a teenager. At this point in the franchise, many believe Hershel will continue Carl's storyline, outlining how a child growing up in the apocalypse will react to the dangers of their world. Though Hershel's personality in Dead City was controversial for viewers, he is a painful representation of the trauma children suffer growing up in such tumultuous times. His death would only serve to clarify that continuing one's lineage is fruitless in this deadly post-apocalyptic world.
Daryl Has Immense Plot Armor
Daryl Dixon has had an immense change throughout the franchise, beginning as a hostile and disagreeable person and evolving into a caring and underappreciated leader. However, even at the beginning of the series, when he was not part of the inner circle of the original Atlanta group, he quickly became so popular that viewers demanded he not be killed off the show.
Even though Daryl has become more controversial as his plot armor has gotten more intense, he's still one of the most beloved characters, evident in one of the few recent spin-offs centering around him and his travels through Europe. Considering he's one of the only original characters who proved to be a natural survivor even before the apocalypse, it would almost be unrealistic to kill him off after so many years of surviving while other capable people died.
Michonne Has Always Been an Exceptional Force
Michonne's timeline in The Walking Dead is rife with trauma, loss, and endurance, and that's a key reason her character grew in popularity throughout the years. Unlike characters who go through an evolution of growth and skill training, Michonne is always able to survive in the apocalypse. After becoming a part of Rick's group, she has a true family to live for, but she was always capable of defying the odds.
Michonne's first official appearance (without her identity hidden) was in the Season 3 premiere, "Seed."
Her extraordinary skills and heart were emphasized in The Ones Who Live when she was highlighted as an endearing, fierce lover who would stop at nothing to keep her family alive and well. Though her love interest, Rick Grimes, has obvious plot armor, being kept alive despite his canon storyline, giving her a starring role in such a pointedly titled spin-off just to kill Michonne off would be an injustice to the current conclusion of her storyline.
Sherry had a tragic beginning, suffering under the Savior's regime and being forced to be a wife to Negan Smith for her own survival. After the downfall of the Saviors, she disappeared along with her husband, Dwight, and resurfaced in the spin-off, Fear The Walking Dead. Her role in the series featured more trauma, highlighting how difficult it was for her to rekindle with Dwight after Negan's intrusion into their formerly happy marriage. Her storyline did not relent, featuring her having a child in PADRE and then losing him to a walker bite.
Sherry first appeared in the series in Season 6, Episode 6, "Always Accountable."
Despite this, her story ended on a positive note, with her and Dwight headed to the Savior's abandoned Sanctuary to start a new community. TWD franchise often does injustice to side characters with an enticing arc, and her death would simply reiterate that those without immense plot armor are doomed to die in this post-apocalypse series.
Morgan's Arc Demands a Satisfactory Conclusion
Most The Walking Dead characters have suffered throughout these long years of struggle, but Morgan Jones's storyline is exceptionally heartbreaking. After helping Rick in the first episode, the audience learns he lost his son and spiraled into a tragically violent and delusional state of being. Once he was saved by a kind stranger, he reunited with Rick, only to run away due to the violence of the Saviors War.
Morgan Jones is one of the four characters still alive from the pilot episode of The Walking Dead .
His storyline in Fear The Walking Dead didn't end his suffering, featuring him not only struggling with his mental health again but also losing his love interest and fighting to reunite with his adopted daughter, Mo, after years apart. Fans loved his finale in Season 8, showing him heading back to Alexandria with Mo. If Lennie James reprised his role as Morgan, it would be a disservice to not give him a satisfactory and immensely earned conclusion.
Laurent Is a Special Post-Apocalypse Child
Laurent Carriere had a shocking beginning to his life, being cut from his mother after she succumbed to a walker bite. Due to his unlikely birth, Laurent was believed to be a special child, considered Messiah-like by the priest and nuns he was raised by and protected fiercely. On the other hand, this exceptionalism also resulted in others wanting to utilize him to control faithful people.
After Losang attempts to have a walker bite Laurent, trying to prove the boy is immune to the deadly virus, Daryl and Carol ensure he leaves France with Ash, heading for the Commonwealth in the United States. Though it seems he's being written off Daryl Dixon, at least for the time being, establishing Laurent as such a powerful character means the franchise cannot get rid of him without leaving many questions unanswered.
Judith Is a Beacon of Hope
In the canon comic book series, Judith dies as an infant in the prison with her mother, Lori. However, the show completely altered her storyline, keeping her alive throughout her family's struggles, eventually giving her a safe place in Alexandria and then later in the Commonwealth after she was left by her adopted mother, Michonne, and cared for by Daryl.
Judith Grimes was born via cesarean in Season 3, Episode 4, "Killer Within."
Judith has outlasted many other long-running survivors, including her brother Carl, who survived in the canon plot. Her last appearance was a cameo in The Ones Who Live when she reunited with Michonne and Rick. Her journey from a protected infant to a strong, resilient young woman is a representation of the hope of civilization, solidifying her as an important aspect of the longevity of the post-apocalyptic world.
