The Complete Walking Dead Timeline Explained
2010: A Busy Beginning
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On August 25, 2010, the “Wildfire Virus” became a global issue in the Walking Dead Universe. While Rick Grimes was still recovering from a gunshot wound in a Georgia hospital, people around the world fought to survive. “Tales of the Walking Dead” saw characters try and fail to get to safety the day the outbreak went public. “The World Beyond” also showed us how quickly society collapsed. “Fear the Walking Dead” gave us the most extensive look at the outbreak's beginning by devoting its first season to characters who must escape the city of Los Angeles. While not everyone makes it out alive, the survivors reach a boat. Over the next two seasons, the Clark Family attempt to find refuge while avoiding maniacal villains. Around the same time the heroes confront the third season’s big bad, Rick Grimes wakes up. While his momentous awakening sounds like the kind of event that caps off a busy year, 2010 wasn’t even close to over. Most of the events of seasons 1-3 of the “Walking Dead” take place within a few months. In 2010, Rick discovers walkers exist, slays his best friend, and loses a promising home on a farm. As he and his group struggled to find a safe place, the heroes of “Fear the Walking Dead” tried to find each other after a dam explosion. The protagonists of both shows were ultimately left trying to rebuild their lives in a zombified world as the year ended.
2011: Survivors Rise & Fall
After a hard winter, Rick Grimes and his group find a mostly abandoned prison. Shortly after they move in, his wife tragically dies to ensure that her daughter Judith will live. Rick is forced to grapple with his grief while contending with the threat of the gruesome Governor. But the officer wasn’t the only one struggling with loss. Morgan Jones worked through his issues by learning a new fighting technique. Elsewhere, Negan Smith mourned the loss of his wife Lucille. Since a group of bandits was indirectly responsible for her death, he decided to take his negative emotions out on them. His quest for revenge led to the birth of a truly twisted big bad.
2012: War & Peace
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The second busiest year in the Walking Dead Universe to date featured a number of pivotal events. After an intense battle leaves the prison destroyed and the vicious Governor dead, Rick and company found a new home in Alexandria. Morgan arrived just in time to see Officer Friendly shoot his way to the top of the city’s hierarchy. Rick Grimes went on to lead his people into an epic victory against a horde of walkers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Negan. Rick played by the big bad’s rules for a while before sparking a revolution that leads into an all out war. In the midst of the conflict, his son Carl is bitten and dies. The war ends with Rick victorious and more determined than ever to break the cycle of bloodshed. All in all, 2012 covers an astonishing 4 ½ seasons’ worth of Walking Dead content. However, that’s not where the year ends. Shortly after the war against Negan wrapped up, Morgan decided that he needed to get away from Alexandria. He eventually ran into the main group of survivors from “Fear the Walking Dead”. In the wake of losing their leader Madison, her remaining family and allies become consumed by revenge. Morgan is able to help the ones who survived work through their immense grief and embrace a more peaceful way of life. The new group then decided to make it their mission to help those in need.
2013: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
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Morgan’s group spent the entirety of season 5 trying to help others. While they had a few big successes, they hit a major roadblock when they met the villainous Virginia and her armed crew. After Morgan made a deal with her to spare his people, she shot him and left him for dead. He was left clinging to life while another villain started embracing a new way of living. After barely escaping an attack, a woman named Dee and her daughter Lydia retreated into nature. It wasn’t long before they’re found by a sinister group known as the Whisperers. Her induction into the group ended a relatively quiet year.
2014: All Falls Down
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Although Rick Grimes wanted to build literal and metaphorical bridges between communities, he encountered resistance at every turn. Things went from bad to worse when a herd of walkers threatened the lives of everyone he loved. After getting severely injured, he triggered an explosion to protect his family from the undead. Although he survives the explosion, he’s powerless to prevent his capture by Civil Republic Military soldiers. Rick’s taken away the same year Morgan returned to lead his friends to victory over Virginia. Unfortunately, this major victory was overshadowed by a huge setback. A fanatical survivor named Teddy made it his mission to launch nuclear warheads. Despite Morgan’s best efforts, he’s unable to stop the plan before nukes fall in Texas.
2020: Brave New World
Six years after Rick was lost and nukes fell, the survivors struggle to deal with even bigger threats. All the heroes on the main show are forced to give into big bad Alpha’s demands after she threatens them with an army of walkers. Over on “World Beyond”, a small group of kids learns how twisted the Civil Republic Military can be. The organization tried to eliminate an entire community in Portland. Although the kids and their allies are able to prevent a massacre, the Civil Republic Military still stands as a looming threat.
2021: Silencing the Whisperers
Everything in the “Walking Dead” universe seemed to stop to make room for one major conflict. When the heroes decided they could no longer live with Alpha, they did everything in their power to silence her for good. As part of a secret plan, Negan went undercover as a Whisperer to get close to the leader. Michonne was also ready to step up and do whatever was necessary until she found evidence that Rick Grimes was still alive. Without hesitation, she stepped away from the battlefield and began her journey to find him. Back on the homefront, Negan finished his mission and eliminated Alpha. The survivors barely had any time to rest before they met representatives of the formidable Commonwealth society. Although this new group appeared to be polite, it soon became clear that higher ups wanted the heroes to become pawns in a growing empire.
2022: Land of the Free
“Fear’s” story picks up after a massive seven year time skip to show us that Morgan has agreed to work for bad people to keep his daughter safe. After the duo reunites, they get out of the organization and journey back to Alexandria. While Morgan’s gone, his new ally Madison starts a new crew with her daughter Alicia and an orphan named Tracy. The trio agrees to go back to Los Angeles where everything began. Over on “The Walking Dead”, the heroes are able to convince people within and outside of the Commonwealth to resist the society’s oppressive rule. It all builds up to a final battle that permanently upsets the balance of power and gives a few familiar faces the chance to take charge.
2023: Departures & Arrivals
A year after the commonwealth conflict, the heroic Ezekiel is installed as the society’s new leader. With the fate of his home secure, Daryl set out on a journey to find Rick Grimes. His mission got majorly sidetracked when a powerful group imprisoned him on a ship. By the time Daryl was able to escape, he discovered that he’s been taken to France. Although the gruff survivor tried to stay focused on getting back home, he forged strong bonds with locals. Daryl’s ultimately left torn between reuniting with his old family or embracing a new one. At the same time, Michonne grew closer to finding the long lost Rick Grimes.
Between 2027-29: “Dead City”
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There’s admittedly been some debate as to when the events of the Maggie and Negan spinoff take place. The one thing we know for certain is that their story takes place after every other “Walking Dead” series. Throughout the show, enemies Maggie and Negan must work together to rescue the young Herschel Rhee from a post-apocalyptic New York City. Along the way, the former bat-wielding villain must go head-to-head with an antagonist who used to work for him. Negan ultimately surrenders to his old subordinate in exchange for Hershel’s life. Although Maggie goes along with the deal, she realizes that a bigger threat to her son still exists. The season ends with both her and Negan separately recognizing that their troubles aren’t over yet. As of February 2024, the timeline ends with the events of “Dead City”. While the journey here wasn’t exactly straightforward, it’s fascinating to see how big the “Walking Dead’s” story is.
