Infamous The Walking Dead Character Death Looks Even Worse After Creator's Admission

The Walking Dead is full of controversial scenes that have divided viewers, but one infamous death looks even worse after the creator's admission. After writing the hit zombie comic, Robert Kirkman successfully transitioned The Walking Dead into one of the most recognizable TV shows of all time, but not all of his decisions proved to be popular. While the series was filled with excellent and tense scenes, The Walking Dead contained some moments that made viewers quit watching. This included gory kills, repetitive arcs, and controversial deaths that dominated internet discussions while dividing the fan base.

One of the show's most infamous deaths involved a fan favorite being killed off in brutal fashion, and this has officially been made even worse by Kirkman's latest admission. While Robert Kirkman has confessed to some Walking Dead regrets in the past, he was surprisingly open about pitching one divisive moment that still angers fans to this day. Not only did the creator reveal that this massive death was his idea, but his reasoning behind it may only cause more frustration as it seems a fan favorite's departure could have been avoided, making the whole ordeal much worse.

The Walking Dead Killed Off Abraham For A Cheap Fake-Out

Abraham's Death Was Used To Make Glenn's More Impactful

Abraham's Walking Dead death was one of the show's most polarizing moments, and it just got a lot worse after Kirkman admitted it was an intentional misdirection. During season 6's finale, the show finally revealed its main antagonist, Negan, who lined up the central survivors and promised to kill one. Controversially, the show waited until season 7's premiere to reveal that Abraham would be his unfortunate victim, meaning Glenn looked set to avoid his comic book death. However, moments after Abraham was killed, Glenn also fell victim to Negan's baseball bat, which left viewers stunned at two huge character deaths.

Although the decision to kill off two characters undoubtedly provided the shock factor that Kirkman was looking for, many viewers felt it was unnecessary to get rid of both survivors. A section of the fans loved the twist, but this is still undoubtedly The Walking Dead's most infamous scene. To make matters worse, Robert Kirkman admitted Abraham's death was a fake-out for Glenn fans. He wanted the audience to feel like Glenn was safe so his death would be even more shocking, but this was a huge injustice to Abraham who deserved a far better fate in the zombie franchise.

Abraham Deserved A Better Ending In The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Built Abraham Up To Be A Major Character

Michael Cudlitz did a fantastic job at portraying Abraham in The Walking Dead, and the character deserved a better ending. From the moment he was introduced, Abraham felt like a big deal and quickly became a major character in the show. Not only was he pivotal to some big storylines, but fans gravitated towards him, which is a testament to Cudlitz's performance. Although he did get a somewhat badass send-off thanks to Negan's "taking it like a champ line", Abraham ultimately deserved a better fate than being the warm-up to a more important character's death.

Glenn's Walking Dead TV death completely overshadowed Abraham's final moments, and while fans remember them both, Glenn's demise is always the more talked about incident. The fact that Kirkman admitted Abraham's death was a diversion to give fans a feeling of safety is hugely disappointing given the character's potential. Abraham showed some signs of vulnerability before his death and could have told an important story that would have made his death more emotional. Therefore, he deserved to have a more emotional departure that would have been memorable for the right reasons, but unfortunately, his final moments remain surrounded by controversy.

Abraham's Death Wasn't Much Better In The Walking Dead Comics

Abraham's Walking Dead Comic Death Was Also Disappointing

Despite the TV show doing a disservice to Abraham during his death, his comic book fate wasn't much better. Abraham's comic death comes out of nowhere and mimics Denise's from the show. During a conversation with Eugene outside Alexandria, Abraham is shot by Dwight's signature crossbow, with the antagonist sending an arrow straight through his eye. This led to a rather unexpected death, and the show probably made the right decision by giving Denise this moment in the show, since she was more of a minor character whose demise was still shocking and impactful.

While this comic death was disappointing, Abraham wasn't as fleshed-out in the source material, making it a little easier to swallow. If the character had the same level of importance in the comics as he did in the TV show, readers may have been angrier about this moment. However, the fact that Abraham was more popular on the show and had a mediocre comic death makes his televised departure all the more frustrating. Building a better connection with the audience should have given Abraham a better Walking Dead exit, and Kirkman's comment only makes his TV death hurt even more.