Top 20 Most Shocking Walking Dead Deaths

Script written by Andrew Tejada

"The Walking Dead" has seen more shocking deaths than nearly any other TV show. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most surprising and unexpected character demises throughout the TV series. Since we’ll be looking at all 11 seasons, a spoiler alert is in effect. Our countdown includes Spencer Monroe, Dale Horvath, Hershel Greene, Denise Cloyd, and more! Which “Walking Dead” death left you the most stunned? Let us know in the comments below.

#20: Theodore ‘T-Dog’ Douglas

“Killer Within"

A relatively peaceful day at the group’s prison was ruined when a bunch of walkers appeared without warning. T-Dog didn’t hesitate to try to contain the outbreak by closing a fence to trap a group of them. Suddenly, one of the walkers T-Dog didn’t see snuck up on him and got his shoulder. Since there wasn’t a way for him to take care of the wound, we were already prepared to lose one of the group's moral centers. But the show shocked us again by having T-Dog sacrifice himself to save Carol’s life. No one could’ve foreseen that a key member of the group would fall on a day that began so beautifully.

#19: Morales

“Monsters”

In season 1, we knew Morales as a family man and trusted ally to our main heroes. That’s why our jaws dropped when we saw him pull a gun on Rick seven seasons later. During an extremely tense conversation, we learned that Morales went down a dark path after losing his family. However, it seemed like Rick was willing to try to save his old friend’s soul. His good intentions came to a crashing halt when Daryl arrived and took Morales down permanently. We definitely weren’t expecting to see this ally turned enemy return at all. So, seeing Morales die so quickly after his appearance was an unforeseen end to his story.

#18: All but One Member of the Scavenger Group

“The Lost and the Plunderers"

The Scavengers that lived in a junkyard had a nasty habit of betraying people they were supposed to be working with. This garbage based society got away with it until they crossed the Saviors a second time. Initially, Negan wanted his lieutenant Simon to eliminate just one Scavenger to send a message to the entire group. However, the mustachioed Savior ends up losing his temper during the mission. We gasped as Simon ordered his people to fire on the entire group. When the smoke cleared, only Scavenger leader Anne was left standing. It was beyond surprising to see this traitorous group get almost wiped out in the blink of an eye.

#17: Andrea

“Welcome to the Tombs”

After spending most of season 3 away from her friends, it looked like the tough and resourceful Andrea was finally going to rejoin Rick’s crew. But the Governor made her journey much harder by restraining her to a chair and leaving her in a room with a man about to turn. Once Andrea finally freed herself, it looked like she’d dispatch the new walker in her way and escape. We were stunned when her friends arrived and discovered she’d been bit. Since Andrea survived significantly longer in the comics, seeing her perish here was a huge twist. Her demise left us wondering how the story would move forward without such a major character.

#16: Spencer Monroe

"Hearts Still Beating"

Instead of trying to stop the vicious Negan with force, Spencer wanted to win over the villain with diplomacy. The two actually seemed to have a nice day together drinking and playing a game of pool. Once Spencer saw an opening, he tried to undermine Rick and request to be the new leader. Negan rejected this leadership offer by shockingly stabbing the wannabe politician on the spot. While we were still reeling from Spencer’s sudden end, Rosita tried to remove the bat-wielding villain from the earth. In the wake of her failed assassination attempt, Negan’s ordered his follower Arat to take the innocent Olivia’s life without warning. Seeing two named characters die in one afternoon showed how truly unpredictable the big bad could be.

#15: Siddiq

“Open Your Eyes”

Resident doctor Siddiq was never the same after he was captured by the heinous Whisperer group. The memories of the night continued to haunt him whether he was asleep or awake. Although it seemed like Siddiq was safe from the villainous group in Alexandria, our hearts dropped when he realized his ally Dante was actually a whisperer spy. While the doctor wasn’t the group’s most skilled fighter, we still thought he’d be able to beat this wolf in sheep’s clothing. But Siddiq couldn’t overcome Dante or his demons. The doctor’s incredibly depressing end really rocked us because it was hidden in an already unexpected spy reveal.

#14: Lori Grimes

“Killer Within”

If “The Walking Dead” has taught viewers anything, it’s that no character is safe. Lori Grimes brutally reminded us of this fact in one of the show’s most pivotal episodes. While trying to stay away from walkers within the prison, the pregnant protagonist went into labor. Unfortunately, it becomes clear that the baby will need to be delivered via c section that Lori can’t recover from. We sat there stunned as we realized we were watching this character’s final moments. The fact that Lori also dies in the source material should’ve prepared us for this demise. However, we and the cast still found ourselves caught off guard by the final decision she made for her daughter.

#13: Paul Rovia [aka Jesus]

“Evolution”

Although the cast of “Walking Dead” is huge, Jesus stood out because he was an athletic fighter who could get out of anything. And we knew he’d make it to the end of the series because he’s one of the few that survives the entire comic story. So, we weren’t even slightly worried when Jesus faced a bunch of walkers in a dark and smoky graveyard. After skillfully taking out multiple foes, we gasped when his last target dodged his blade and retaliated. We couldn’t believe this was the end for the fan-favorite character. While this scene served as a memorable intro for a new enemy group, we still have trouble accepting that he fell way before his time.

#12: Lizzie Samuels

“The Grove”

Once we learned of Sophia’s fate in Season 2, it was clear that even young “Walking Dead” characters weren’t safe. Yet, we still couldn’t have predicted how Lizzie would go. The disturbed survivor left our jaws on the floor when she ensured that her sister Mika would become a walker. In the wake of this incredibly disturbing scene, Carol and Tyreese realize that Lizzie crossed a line of no return. The adults decide that there’s only one way to move forward. Every fan remembers where they were when Carol told Lizzie to (insert look at the flowers broll). Thankfully, the show gave us plenty of time to sit and process this absurdly dark turn of events with the characters before moving on to more walker action.

#11: Tyreese Williams

"What Happened and What's Going On"

Just one episode after the series said goodbye to a major character we will talk about later, Tyreese visited Noah’s fallen community. The duo finds themselves looking around a seemingly lifeless home. So, neither we nor a very distracted Tyreese saw it coming when Noah’s reanimated brother surprised the formidable survivor with a bite. The wounded warrior still appeared to have a chance. Not only did Tyreese fight to stay alive, but we thought his friends acted quickly enough to stop the wound from being fatal. However, the cruel reality of the situation was that it was too late. Having Tyreese’s death come an episode after another significant character died made for an unpredictable and tragic twist.

#10: Jessie, Sam & Ron Anderson

“No Way Out”

When the Anderson family’s home was overrun with walkers, the trio found a way to successfully camouflage themselves in a horde with Rick, Carl and Michonne. But the young Sam Anderson gets too nervous and draws too much attention to himself. Moments after he’s attacked by walkers, his horrified mother Jessie also meets her end. A disturbed Ron attempts to shoot a member of the Grimes family as retaliation. Although Michonne takes the would-be assassin down, Carl gets a permanent facial injury due to a stray gunshot. What really made this deadly scene stand out is that multiple shocking twists happened over the span of around three minutes! Even if you knew their ends were coming, this sequence will still leave you breathless.

#9: Dale Horvath

“Judge, Jury, Executioner”

This turn hurt the viewers almost as much as it did Jeffrey DeMunn’s Dale. His demise was set in motion after Carl foolishly motivated a walker to head towards the group farm. Later on, Dale investigates the demise of a cow in his safe zone. Suddenly, the walker Carl goaded earlier executes a terrifying jump scare. Dale tragically receives fatal injuries from the undead foe in the ensuing struggle. While his end was unexpected on its own, the fact that actor Jeffrey DeMunn asked to die after behind-the-scenes production shake ups made this scene surprising in real life too. At the end of the day, fans were left disoriented while trying to process how Carl’s negligence and actual events led to Dale’s end.

#8: Denise Cloyd

“Twice as Far”

As soon as a secondary cast member gets too much screen time on this show, it often means their demise is imminent. However, we still had our guards down when Denise got a starring role in “Twice In Far”. We’d watch her grow from a doctor who doubted herself into a strong willed survivor who spoke up for what she wanted. So, we were ecstatic to see her give a fantastic speech to Daryl and Rosita while they were out on a run. But Denise’s speech was shockingly cut short when former Savior Dwight assassinated her with one crossbow bolt. Unless you were in the writer’s room or on set that day, it was impossible to see the sudden death of this developed character coming.

#7: Noah

“Spend”

We absolutely loved watching Tyler James Williams play Noah. Although he had been through severe trauma, he was always likable and cared deeply about his friends. Noah was even willing to risk his life to get him and his friends out of a revolving door surrounded by walkers on all sides. Unfortunately, he was stuck inside of this cramped location with the cowardly Nicholas. When the fearful survivor failed to follow the plan, he created an opening that spelled Noah’s doom. We could only scream at our tv’s as one of our favorite characters was suddenly removed from the story in one of the show’s most brutal deaths. Nicholas definitely deserved to be decked by Glenn for suddenly sealing Noah’s fate.

#6: Shane Walsh

“Better Angels”

Fans love to imagine an alternate reality where longtime friends Rick and Shane could’ve worked together like real partners through the series. Unfortunately, their vastly different views of what it took to survive made them an incompatible team. After almost two seasons of tension, their conflict came to a head when Shane decided to end Rick. We were preparing for the series to follow the source material and have a third party intervene. However, Rick actually managed to calm the situation down…before attacking Shane with a knife. We were hugely surprised that officer Friendly actually went through with this decisive act and took down one of his own. But we knew that Shane left Rick with no other choice but to take this extreme measure.

#5: Beth Greene

“Coda”

While we’ve long accepted that “The Walking Dead” isn’t concerned with whether or not it hurts our feelings, this twist felt unnecessarily cruel. We spent half a season following the group’s search for Beth. When she’s finally reunited with her friends, a sinister leader named Dawn Lerner announces that the loveable Noah can’t leave with the group. Although he agrees to this arrangement, Beth can’t let this slide. She moves in to attack the cruel leader. A moment later, a gunshot ends Beth’s life. Daryl immediately retaliates by eliminating Dawn before we’ve even gotten a chance to take a breath. We never thought the chances for a reunion we waited half a season for would disappear with the flash of a gun.

#4: Hershel Greene

“Too Far Gone”

No family on this show has had more tragic deaths than the Greenes. Before we lost Beth, we painfully parted with Hershel. This character was wise, a moral compass, and a constant source of hope for his friends. Hershel even managed to defy the odds and survive both a walker bite and leg amputation. After all he’d been through, we had faith he’d survive being kidnapped by the despicable Governor. When the villain threatened to end Hershel’s life with a sword, Rick gave an inspiring plea for unity and forgiveness. But the Governor swung the katana anyway. Watching the compassionate Hershel fall in this horrible twist made us feel like the Greene family was doomed to suffer.

#3: The Whisperer Ambush Victims

"The Calm Before"

Alpha thought the best way to prove the Whisperers were not to be messed with was with a horrifying show of force. During a joyful fair, she and her followers targeted a random selection of innocents and ripped them from their loved ones. After Alpha and her people took the lives of their captives, they publicly showed their gruesome work to the other survivors. Our hearts skipped a beat after each new deceased face was revealed. In one fell swoop, we lost Tara, Enid, Henry and several other great characters. Since the lineup differed from the ones who died in the comics, there was no way to prepare for what we’d see. The startling sight of these undeserving victims sent a powerful and unforgettable message.

#2: Abraham Ford & Glenn Rhee

“The Day Will Come When You Won't Be”

Anyone who was familiar with “The Walking Dead” comics knew Glenn was meant to perish at the end of Negan’s bat. So, when the imposing villain had multiple heroes at his mercy, we had a strong idea of where the weapon would fall. But the show threw a tragic curveball by revealing Abraham was Negan’s first direct victim. Although his sudden death rattled us, we thought we’d been through the worst of it. And then Daryl punched Negan. The angry villain decided to prove a point by picking Glenn as his second victim. This absolutely brutal turn of events managed to defy and confirm our expectations at once. Whether you were a hardcore fan or new viewer, this brutal bat sequence caught you by surprise.

#1: Carl Grimes

“Honor”

There is no “Walking Dead” death that was more controversial and unexpected than the demise of Carl Grimes. Not only does he far outlive his father in the comics, but his survival seemed to be Rick’s main motivation for all of his actions. But despite Carl’s importance in both mediums, the writers revealed that he had been bitten in an absurdly shocking twist. The fact that he received this wound while completing a relatively standard survivor task also turned heads. Although Carl’s decline was handled well, a number of viewers refused to watch any more
“Walking Dead” without him. While the show succeeded at creating the biggest shock of the series, this story turn came at a heavy cost in the real and fictional worlds.