It was the swing heard 'round the world and one that completely shattered the hearts of viewers who, for six years, watched as Glenn Rhee truly came into his own as a beloved presence in The Walking Dead. The groundbreaking apocalyptic series famously followed a group of survivors who band together to fight flesh-eating zombies in a ravaged world, with former Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) emerging as their de facto leader.
Though Lincoln's Rick was technically the main character of the hit show and left audiences stunned when he too departed TWD in 2018, it was the devastating death of Glenn in the jaw-dropping Season 7 premiere that left fans emotionally destroyed. Steven Yeun did a phenomenal job as the pizza boy-turned-walker slayer in the horror series, and his departure left a gaping hole in the hearts of audiences and forever changed the trajectory of The Walking Dead.
Steven Yeun's Fan-Favorite Performance in 'The Walking Dead'
Much like his unforgettable introduction when he saved Rick Grimes' life after being trapped by walkers in a tank, Glenn Rhee bid adieu to The Walking Dead in a similar explosive fashion. Following the cliffhanger Season 6 finale in which Rick and the group finally come face-to-face with Negan and the Saviors, the Season 7 opener, "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be," wasted no time traumatizing viewers as the baseball-bat-wielding villain brutally beat both Glenn and Abraham to death to show the survivors who's in charge.
Despite fans of the comics knowing full well that Glenn's fate was always going to be a bloody one, the shocking episode nonetheless polarized not only viewers but also creator/producer Robert Kirkman and the showrunners. They had previously entertained ideas of sparing Glenn's life and wondered if his death was even necessary since Abraham had already been chosen as Negan's victim. However, Kirkman ultimately decided Glenn's murder was "essential to the episode." Kirkman told Entertainment Weekly after the shocking episode:
"It's just that there's a lot of material that comes from Glenn's death in the comics...We did discuss options. At the end of the day, we were like, pulling the thread on this sweater just pulls too many things apart and it's too difficult to get back on that trajectory without that death."
Glenn's Death Completely Rocks 'The Walking Dead'
Unsurprisingly, Abraham and Glenn's gruesome demise did not sit well with fans and sparked a heated debate about the direction The Walking Dead was going in, with many declaring that the deaths were far too violent and that the show had gone too far. Choosing to kill off a character as adored as Glenn was a tough pill for longtime viewers to swallow, even though others pushed back in the passionate conversation and said their deaths proved just how brutal Negan could be and that no one is ever truly safe.
Glenn Rhee was undeniably the heart and soul of The Walking Dead. His fate signaled the end of an era in the series, as both the survivors and fans realized that pushing forward and attempting to remain a decent person in the face of unfathomable odds wasn't enough to save a character, no matter how beloved. The ensuing episodes and seasons definitely experienced a major shift in tone. They were full of darkness and anguish as the group struggled to accept their new reality under Negan's oppressive thumb.
Not only was Glenn's pregnant wife Maggie (Lauren Cohan) left shattered and lost, but Daryl also wrestled with his feelings of guilt as Negan had killed Glenn in retaliation for Daryl's defiance, while Rick felt helpless in preventing the lethal beatdown. When Glenn devastatingly muttered, "Maggie, I'll find you," fans were never the same. It marked a decline in the series' quality and left viewers debating whether they wanted to continue investing their time into the horror show. Yeun was at peace with his character's fate, telling TVLine:
"For me, personally, I didn’t want anyone else to take that death, and I don’t think anyone intended to give it to anyone else, to be quite honest. It’s such an iconic moment, and I knew it was necessary to happen."
