Summary
- Glenn and Abraham's death scene from The Walking Dead TV series offers a blueprint for how to retain the integrity of a scene's impact when adapting it into a new medium, while also changing it to suit the demands of the new version of the story.
- Glenn's death is one of the most shocking in The Walking Dead ; by also killing Abraham off first in the scene, the show added a new brutal surprise to the iconic moment, while also managing to preserve the brutal feeling of losing Glenn from the source material.
- Abraham's death was a momentary fake-out – offering Glenn fans a brief hope that he would survive in the TV show's continuity, before proceeding with his gory, but important, demise.
Spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead comic book & TV seriesWhen one of the most devastating scenes from The Walking Dead comic was adapted for television, AMC's series delivered a double gutpunch to fans – an idea that originated with franchise creator Robert Kirkman. The brutal death of Glenn at the hands of Negan was also the exit for the TV version of Abraham, in one of the show's most dramatic divergences from the comic book source material.
The Walking Dead Deluxe #91 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – contains a new letters page to go along with the full-color reprint of the issue. Among the stand-out bits of information from his responses is confirmation that he suggested killing of Abraham at the same time as Glenn in Walking Dead's TV adaptation. With this change, Abraham served his greatest purpose as a character – across both mediums – while the show was able to momentarily misdirect Glenn fans into thinking he could survive, before following through on his fate.
Abraham's TV Death Was Meant To Make Glenn Seem Safe –For A Moment
The Walking Dead Deluxe #91 – Written By Robert Kirkman; Art By Charlie Adlard: Color By Dave McCaig; Lettering By Rus Wooten
Abraham's death on The Walking Dead – while unquestionably horrific – offered a dark glimmer of hope for fans who wanted Glenn to have a different arc on the show.
Robert Kirkman has described the Invincible animated series as being a form of second draft, a chance at revising his original story in a new medium. In a way, the pivotal introduction of Negan to The Walking Dead on the TV incarnation of the story offered the same opportunity, which Kirkman recognized at the time. Having Negan dispatch Abraham, along with Glenn, was a decision that amplified the emotional impact of the scene – while also serving as a brief sleight of hand, in order to make Glenn fans think he could make it out alive, before the inevitable happened.
This was a rare moment in which an adaptation proved able to preserve a key moment from its source material, while also elaborating on it in a substantial way. This is a more impressive creative feat than it might appear at first. Glenn's comic book death in The Walking Dead #100 was a major shock, and a significant turning point for the series. In the lead up to Negan's introduction on the AMC TV series, there was a great deal of anticipation in regard to how the show would handle the scene.
To what could have been a potential problem, Robert Kirkman offered an elegant – if gruesome – solution. As he wrote in the letters section of The Walking Dead Deluxe #91:
Is it okay to say that was my pitch? I wanted to give the audience a sense of safety. I wanted Glenn fans to have a moment of, "Oh, whew! They're not killing Glenn!" Only to be shocked very soon after. The goal was to make a death you should be expecting if you're a comic book fan, still surprising. For better or for worse...it succeeded in that!
In this sense, Abraham's death on The Walking Dead – while unquestionably horrific – offered a dark glimmer of hope for fans who wanted Glenn to have a different arc on the show. Then, mere moments later, the tragedy of his death essentially felt like the first time all over again.
The TV version of Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, first appeared in "Last Day on Earth," the Season Six finale of The Walking Dead . The episode ended with the " eeny, meeny, miny, moe " scene and Negan swinging his bat, but left the identity of his victim as a cliffhanger. The Season Seven premiere, chillingly entitled "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be," included the deaths of both Abraham and Glenn.
Abraham's Fate On The Walking Dead TV Show Was A Stronger Exit For The Character
It Served A Greater Narrative Purpose
When Negan "randomly" selected Abraham to die, it was a shock, but it also represented a logical revised endpoint for the character.
Though it is overshadowed by Glenn's death in The Walking Dead #100, Abraham's comic book demise was shocking in its own right. Occurring just a few issues before Glenn's own violent end, Abraham exited the series after the character was shot through the eye with an arrow by the Savior Dwight, bringing an abrupt end to the Abraham-Rosita-Eugene love triangle. As a result, when the AMC's TV adaptation of the series began to introduce the Saviors as an escalating threat, comic readers were on edge waiting for Abraham's death nearly as much as Glenn's.
That is to say, this was just another level of anticipation that the series expertly played into with its adaptation of Glenn's death. When Abraham made it as far as Negan's introductory scene, fans might have believed his character trajectory had been altered enough to ensure his survival – while, accordingly, he also made the most natural, most fitting choice for a substitute if the series was going to keep Glenn alive. When Negan "randomly" selected Abraham to die, it was a shock, but it also represented a logical revised endpoint for the character.
Abraham & Glenn's Deaths Were A High-Level Change For The Walking Dead Adaptation
A Powerful Revision
While the series could have opted to spare Glenn at this moment, an exceptional adaptation choice such as this one is a rare achievement, and was with little doubt the right decision for The Walking Dead .
Abraham's death was violent enough, and would have been a suitable substitute for Glenn's death in the comic. The true brutality of the TV version of the scene – and that is, the brutality of the series' creator, including Robert Kirkman, who helped craft the adaptation of the pivotal moment – came when the show extended it. In another shrewd creative choice, TV-only character Daryl attacked Negan, and in turn the villain's retaliation was the comic-accurate murder of Glenn. For Glenn fans, this represented an immeasurable compounding of their grief at the loss of the character.
While the series could have opted to spare Glenn at this moment, an exceptional adaptation choice such as this one is a rare achievement, and was with little doubt the right decision for The Walking Dead. It elevated Abraham's death to a level of greater prominence, while managing to preserve the shock of the moment, and in fact extending it on multiple levels. Robert Kirkman should certainly not be shy about taking credit for the idea for the scene, as it is one of his most astute creative choices.
AMC's The Walking Dead Preserved The Shock & Impact Of Glenn's Death
At The Cost Of Abraham's Life
Glenn and Abraham's death scene from The Walking Dead offers a blueprint for how to retain the integrity of the original's purpose, intent, and effect, while still making changes that are relevant to the story in its new medium.
American popular culture in general – and in particular, the film, television, and comic book industries – are built on a foundation of iterative, adaptive work. That is, Adaptations, remakes, and sequels are essential to the perpetuation of pop culture. The success of The Walking Dead on the page, and then its massive appeal on television, are culturally relevant for a number of reasons, but on a creative level, the exchange between mediums is the franchise's most fascinating aspect, one that continues to be scrutinized by legions of fans.
The death of Glenn is one of the most important moments in the comic, and it was transposed to the TV screen in one of the most dynamic, exciting ways that a comic book adaptation has produced. The final result was the result of something like a creative high-wire act, as Robert Kirkman, Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple, and their creative collaborators sought to preserve more than just the plot details of the original story, but also its feeling and the emotional impact.
As Robert Kirkman wrote in The Walking Dead Deluxe #93, "it succeeded in that." Just as it was in its original comic book form, the TV version of the scene remains among the most emotionally charged, narratively rewarding moments in The Walking Dead. For anyone seeking to adapt a piece of fiction across mediums, Glenn and Abraham's death scene from The Walking Dead offers a blueprint for how to retain the integrity of the original's purpose, intent, and effect, while still making changes that are relevant to the story in its new medium.
