7 Walking Dead Characters The Franchise Forgot About

Throughout eleven seasons of The Walking Dead and numerous spin-offs, several characters seem to have been forgotten about by the franchise. Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead premiered in 2010 and soon developed a massive fan following. The show began as the story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the group of survivors he eventually came to lead. However, throughout The Walking Dead's eleven seasons, more and more characters joined the show, making it difficult for the story to keep up with everyone.

The Walking Dead inspired two direct spin-offs while the original show was still airing – Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Both of these shows introduced their own sets of characters, and not all of them received proper endings. While the series finale of The Walking Dead wrapped up many of the characters' stories, some faces have been noticeably absent from the subsequent spin-offs, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and The Ones Who Live. Whether these characters pop up in one of these spin-offs or not, we would love to see more of their stories.

7Connie (Lauren Ridloff)

Last Appeared In The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 24, "Rest in Peace"

Connie's final appearance was in the finale of The Walking Dead, where she was working as a journalist in the Commonwealth. While this leaves Connie in a relatively good place, it's odd that she has barely even been mentioned on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Throughout her time on The Walking Dead, Connie grew close to Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), and the show seemed to be building to a romance between the two.

Daryl learned sign language for Connie, and The Walking Dead made clear the feelings between them were mutual. Despite this, they never actually discussed their feelings with one another or embarked on a romance. While Daryl later ended up in France, his spin-off show seems to have mostly forgotten about Connie's existence. Connie and Daryl would have made an adorable couple, and I hope they reunite in Daryl Dixon or another future spin-off.

6The Teens From The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Last Appeared In The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season 2, Episode 10, "The Last Light"

The Walking Dead: World Beyond centers on four teens who grew up in the relative safety of a colony on the Nebraska State University campus. When the teens venture out into the world, they find themselves unprepared for the zombie apocalypse, but they adapt quickly. Sisters Iris (Aliyah Royale) and Hope (Alexa Mansour) Bennet, Elton Ortiz (Nicolas Cantu), and Silas Plaskett (Hal Cumpston) fight to survive as they uncover secrets about the remaining colonies in the US.

All four teens are still alive at the end of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, with Iris and Elton traveling to Portland, Silas infiltrating the Civic Republic Military (CRM), and Hope working with scientists studying the zombie virus. Despite this, the franchise has yet to check in with the characters from World Beyond, but the door remains open for them to appear in future seasons of The Ones Who Live or another spin-off.

5Cyndie, Rachel, & Other Survivors At Oceanside

Last Appeared In The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 8, "The World Before" & Episode 16, "Acts Of God"

The community of Oceanside was introduced in the Walking Dead season 7 episode, "Swear," which follows Tara (Alanna Masterson) as she stumbles upon a group of all-female survivors. Perhaps because "Swear" was met with mostly negative reviews, the community of Oceanside never became as prominent as it could have. The Oceanside survivors eventually joined Rick and his group in the battles against the Saviors and the Whisperers.

The last time the Oceanside survivors were seen on screen was in season 11's "Acts of God," when they were captured by the Commonwealth. Dialogue later reveals that Rachel led a successful uprising against the Commonwealth, and the community remains allied with Alexandria at the end of The Walking Dead. None of the subsequent spin-off series have checked back in with Oceanside, making it seem as though the franchise wants viewers to forget they ever existed.

4The New Characters From Tales Of The Walking Dead

Last Appeared In Tales Of The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead anthology series, Tales Of The Walking Dead, aired only six episodes in 2022 and introduced some interesting new characters to the franchise. Despite this, none of the new characters who were introduced on the show have appeared in any other onscreen Walking Dead stories. Characters like Joe (Terry Crews) and Evie (Olivia Munn), Dr. Chauncey Everett (Anthony Edwards), and Davon (Jessie T. Usher) all survived their respective episodes.

These characters' stories left room for them to appear at some point in the future, whether in one of the current spin-offs, another Walking Dead anthology series, or another new series entirely. Unfortunately, the franchise seems to have mostly forgotten about Tales of the Walking Dead and the characters it introduced. It would be nice to see what happened to these characters and potentially see them interact with other survivors from the main series.

3Althea (Maggie Grace)

Last Appeared In Fear The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 6, "Reclamation"

Introduced at the start of Fear the Walking Dead season 4, Althea was a journalist who made it her mission to document the stories of the people she encountered. In her first appearance, Al shows up in a SWAT van and rescues John Dorie (Garret Dillahunt) and Morgan Jones (Lennie James) from a group of bandits. Al, John, and Morgan eventually join Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and her group of survivors, and Al's SWAT van comes in handy on multiple occasions.

In the season 5 episode, "The End of Everything," Al forms a connection with a soldier from the Civic Republic Military named Isabelle (Sydney Lemmon). Isabelle later abandons the CRM to rescue Al and her friends, and then Al and Isabelle run away together, hiding from the CRM. Although Rick and Michonne dealt the CRM a devastating blow in The Ones Who Live, a future spin-off could reveal more about its remaining members and whether they ever caught up to Al and Isabelle.

2Virgil

Last Appeared In The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 8, "For Blood"

Virgil first appeared in The Walking Dead season 10, episode 8, "The World Before," in which Michonne agrees to help him get back to his family in return for weapons. However, it's later revealed that Virgil's family has been dead for a while, and he has grown increasingly unstable since their deaths. As Michonne searches the island where Virgil once lived, she finds signs that Rick Grimes had been there.

After Michonne sets off in search of Rick, Virgil eventually runs into Connie and helps her survive a house of horrors in the season 11 episode, "On the Inside." A couple of episodes later, in "For Blood," an injured Virgil has been brought to Alexandria, where he meets Judith (Cailey Fleming) and the other survivors. This marks Virgil's last onscreen appearance, and his ultimate fate has never been revealed.

1Heath (Corey Hawkins)

Last Appeared In The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 6, "Swear"

Heath made his Walking Dead debut at the beginning of season 6, as a member of the Alexandrian community who had been out on a supply run when Rick and his group first arrived. Heath does not agree with Rick's style of leadership, but he does his best to help the other survivors. After popping up in several episodes throughout season 6, Heath's last appearance comes in season 7's "Swear," which finds him on a supply run with Tara.

The two get separated when they are overrun by walkers, and although Tara searches for Heath, he has not been seen since. According to Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang, Heath was taken by the Scavengers and traded to the CRM for supplies, but this has never been confirmed onscreen. Since then, however, The Walking Dead appears to have completely forgotten about Heath, and it remains to be seen if viewers will ever get to see the rest of his story.