When Rick Grimes left The Walking Dead, the viewers who stopped watching the show missed some great scenes and details that happened afterward. The loss of its main protagonist was a turning point for the Walking Dead franchise, and Rick's departure set up a quest that still concerns major Walking Dead characters today. Several of the Walking Dead spin-offs are centered on characters searching for Rick, like Daryl and Morgan. That said, each of these spin-offs has become bigger than this initial quest, just as the original Walking Dead show became much more than a zombie survival series.
Rick Grimes redefined the title "The Walking Dead," which refers to the people who survived the apocalypse rather than the walkers themselves. Over time, the Walking Dead's focus on the walkers shifted to the human protagonists and their militaristic enemies, who are much more dangerous than any walker. The Walking Dead universe has expanded significantly since Rick left, even across continents, with Darl Dixon's spin-off being set in France. Viewers who stopped watching The Walking Dead when Rick left have missed out on new locations, more creative filming, and even the most unlikely alliance in the history of the show.
10 Gabriel Becomes One Of The Walking Dead's Best Characters
Father Gabriel Has One Of The Best Redemption Arcs On The Walking Dead
Father Gabriel was shown at his worst moment in The Walking Dead. He began as a hypocritical, cowardly man who hid in his church, leaving his congregation to die in a walker attack. Rick didn't trust him, and for good reason, as Gabriel betrayed Rick multiple times. However, while his redemption arc began while Rick was still on the show, viewers who quit The Walking Dead early never got to see Gabriel become one of the best characters in the franchise.
While Gabriel was still a religious man, he found a balance between pacifism and necessary violence.
In later Walking Dead seasons, Gabriel turned his back on parts of his old life that didn't apply to the world of the walkers and became a respected leader in Alexandria. While Gabriel was still a religious man, he found a balance between pacifism and necessary violence. The moment when he risked his life to save people who were locked out of the Commonwealth is a perfect reflection of his past life. While Father Gabriel had the most gruesome death in The Walking Dead comics, the show gave him true redemption and a happy ending.
9 The Walking Dead: World Beyond's Massive Post-Credits Scene
The Post-Credits Scene Answers Questions From The Walking Dead Season 1
Season 1 of The Walking Dead raised many questions about the virus and how it worked. While some of the answers were found as the series progressed, others remained a mystery. Viewers who quit before The Walking Dead: World Beyond's post-credits scene did not see the show finally answering questions about the virus's origin. The post-credits scene takes place in an abandoned laboratory in France and shows a disturbing interaction between a scientist and a survivor.
The virus is revealed to have started in France, though its exact origins and purpose are left deliberately vague. This sets up The Walking Dead's Daryl Dixon spin-off but also provides another terrifying detail about the walkers. The French scientist was watching a video sent by season 1's Dr. Jenner, who mentioned walker variants. After the survivor shoots her dead, she reanimates but behaves differently to other walkers, running toward the door.
8 Lance Hornsby As A Walking Dead Villain
Lance Is A Combination Of The Best Walking Dead Villains
The Walking Dead franchise has given viewers some of the best onscreen villains of all time, and Lance Hornsby is another in the spectacular line-up. While Lance Hornsby is different from other Walking Dead villains, he also combines their most successful parts to create a truly horrifying person. Lance can appear charming when he wants to, like the Governor, and he is charismatic, like Negan. However, unlike other Walking Dead villains, Lance appears to be pure evil.
By default, Lance looks for ways he can manipulate other characters, and he is very good at it. He is able to hide his sociopathic nature by appearing reassuring and kind, and this double nature is fascinating to watch. Viewers who wanted a more cunning and realistic villain after both Negan and Alpha would have missed out on seeing Lance (and his fitting ending) if they quit The Walking Dead early.
7 Finding Out What A And B Means
Jadis' Mysterious Transaction Was One Of The Walking Dead's Biggest Mysteries
Jadis always held her cards close to her chest, and when The Walking Dead's surprise helicopter arrived to take Rick away, Jadis screamed that he was a "B" instead of the "A" she had originally said. Viewers would not find out what she meant until The Ones Who Live when Okafor takes Rick and Thorne on a secret mission. The Walking Dead finally explained what As and Bs meant when Okafor said he wanted to recruit more As.
As are seen as leaders who are capable of motivating people.
This describes Rick Grimes, but Jadis lied to the CRM by telling them he was a B to save his life. The CRM kills As to eliminate people they see as a threat, but Bs are people just trying to survive, and allowed in the Commonwealth. The letters A and B have often been used as symbols in The Walking Dead, but this is their most sinister meaning yet.
6 New Walker Variations
The New Smart Walkers And Runners Change The Walking Dead World
One of the main criticisms of The Walking Dead is that the walkers became less interesting as time went on and the survivors learned how to deal with them. This may have been true for much of the franchise, with the human villains becoming more of a threat than the walkers, who are all alike. However, The Walking Dead suddenly evolved in season 11, when Aaron's group encountered a group of Walkers that were much harder to kill.
With newer and more exciting walkers arriving in the franchise, it is almost certain that Dead City will also see its share of evolved walkers.
The rise of new Walking Dead walker variants could give viewers who quit a reason to return to the show, with the first and most iconic threat returning in different forms. The climbing walker variants only appeared late in The Walking Dead, but acidic burner variants have already begun to appear in Daryl Dixon. With newer and more exciting walkers arriving in the franchise, it is almost certain that Dead City will also see its share of evolved walkers.
5 Rick Grimes's Return
Rick Gets A Well-Deserved Happy Ending With His Family
Michonne's decision to leave Judith and RJ to search for Rick was controversial among viewers, but it paid off when the two finally found each other again. As this was one of The Walking Dead's biggest loose ends, it had to be addressed and The Ones Who Live miniseries was dedicated to making this happen. Still, Rick and Michonne's reunion was nothing like many viewers may have expected.
Rick has had to learn to live without his family, so when Michonne arrives and tells him that he has another son, this brings up complicated memories of Carl. That said, the final scenes are some of the Walking Dead franchise's biggest moments. When Rick is finally reunited with his entire family, the scene perfectly ends his story for the time being. Watching this play out in The Ones Who Live may satisfy viewers who stopped watching The Walking Dead when Rick left.
4 Negan's Redemption Arc
Negan Is Just As Charismatic And Dangerous, But Has Switched Sides
While Negan is undoubtedly the most powerful villain in The Walking Dead, his charisma and ability to lead a group give him the potential to become a formidable protagonist too. Many viewers would never forgive Negan for the brutal murder of Glenn, which is accurate to the original comic but also saw viewers quit The Walking Dead. This will likely mean that Negan will never become a Walking Dead hero, but he is having a redemption arc.
The episode "Here's Negan" is unmissable, and answers the question of why he is so strangely attached to his barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat. In one of the best Walking Dead episodes of all time, "Here's Negan" shows the pain and guilt that Negan felt at his treatment of his dying wife, who is called Lucille. Negan has now risked his life to save many of the original characters, and even has reluctant acceptance from Maggie.
3 The Walking Dead's Terrifying Silent Episode
Connie Is The Star Of The Walking Dead's Most Creative Episode
Connie quickly became a Walking Dead fan-favorite character and a key member of the alliance between Alexandria and Hilltop. She has appeared in some of The Walking Dead's most nail-biting episodes, including the cave collapse, but one of her most terrifying episodes takes the horror to the next level. Connie is deaf, so she relies on her other senses even more, often noticing changes and patterns that other Walking Dead characters do not.
The Walking Dead's episode "On The Inside" focuses on Connie and Virgil's attempt to escape a creepy house that is straight out of a horror movie, with false walls, spy holes, and feral humans. Much of the episode takes place in silence, as the viewers are watching through Connie's eyes. "On The Inside" is one of The Walking Dead's scariest episodes, but also uses creative storytelling to show the way Connie experiences her surroundings.
2 Daryl Dixon's Season 1 France Story
Daryl Finds Himself In A New Location, Where The Walker Virus Started
As Daryl Dixon was never supposed to be a Walking Dead main character and had his role expanded due to his popularity, his storyline has been the most surprising in The Walking Dead franchise. Daryl, who had never left the state before The Walking Dead, is now in France, on a mission from Maggie. Viewers who stopped watching The Walking Dead earlier have missed both Daryl and Maggie's character development, but could catch up on events with Daryl Dixon.
Daryl Dixon season 1 introduces several new themes into The Walking Dead, with a potential cure and a "chosen one" child being thrown into the mix. While these tropes are common for the zombie apocalypse genre, they are rare for The Walking Dead. Seeing how a pragmatic character like Daryl handles the spirituality and superstition of the nuns who take him in is a new and exciting direction for The Walking Dead, and Daryl Dixon is a good re-entry point for people who want to rejoin the franchise.
1 Negan And Maggie's Shocking Partnership
Dead City's Uneasy Alliance Has Made The Show Unmissable
One of The Walking Dead team's best concepts has been the set-up for Dead City, which makes an alliance between the two least likely characters to appear in the same room together. Maggie, who has grieved Glenn's murder for years, still detests Negan, while Negan has understandably stayed out of her way. When Maggie asks for Negan's help after her son is kidnapped, he agrees, feeling he owes her. However, Maggie has an agenda that may come to satisfy viewers who also haven't forgiven Negan for killing Glenn.
At the end of Dead City season 1, Maggie tells Herschel "I'm gonna finish it." This line has drawn intense speculation over whether Maggie intends to kill Negan or help him, putting her grief to rest at last. Without seeing the great redemption arc that Negan has had, and Maggie's journey to becoming one of the most formidable characters in The Walking Dead, the eventual conclusion may not hit so hard. It may be time to pick up The Walking Dead again before it happens.
