The Walking Dead: Five Deaths That Changed From The Comics

The most recent episode of The Walking Dead brought some frames of the comic directly to life when Glenn was killed by Negan. Some other parts, like Abraham’s death or Rick’s journey through the fog, differed greatly from the source material.

Throughout the seven seasons of the hit AMC series, many things have changed from the comics, including the deaths of some popular characters.

Folks like Carol and Morgan have been dead in the comics for some time, while characters like Andrea are supposed to still be around. The show takes these liberties because everything plays different on television, and it’s a great way to keep even the biggest fans guessing.

In honor of Glenn and Abraham, we thought we’d take a look at a few of those deaths that may have gone through some changes on the way from page to screen.

Click through the slides below to check them out!

Dale and Bob

Many comic fans were surprised by Dale Horvath’s death in the second season of the show. He was given a beautiful send-off, but he lasted much longer in the comics.

Instead of dying at the farm, Dale was bitten just before getting taken by a group of cannibals. If this sounds familiar, it’s because that fate was given to the character of Bob on the show.

Rumor has it that the actor who portrayed Dale on the series had asked to be killed off in season two, after it was revealed that show-runner Frank Darabont was leaving the show. The two were good friends, and they joined The Walking Dead to work in tandem.

Since the death scene played out well in the comics, the producers didn’t want the moment to go to waste. 

Lori

Lori suffered a horrible fate in both the show, and the comic. While very different, both still delivered an extremely emotional reaction from audiences.

In the comic, Lori delivered the baby at the prison, and there weren’t any complications. Later on, when The Governor attacked the prison, Lori was shot while running away. This was definitely sad, but the worst part was that she was carrying the baby in her arms when it happened.

In one moment, Rick’s wife and baby daughter were both killed.

In the show, Judith survives the prison attack. Maggie tells Lori that she needs to cut the baby out or it will die. This operation, however, will cost Lori her life. Without hesitating, Lori agrees to do it. 

Before Maggie begins, Lori takes some time to tell Carl how to be a good man and take care of his father. After Maggie finishes, and Lori is dying, Carl insists that it is his job to kill his mother before she turns.

The onlly things these deaths had in common were the fact that they happened around the same time in the story, and that no fan want’s to experience them again.

Denise and Abraham

In the comic, Eugene takes Abraham out of Alexandria to show him the factory where he would try and manufacture ammuntion. Just as the two were getting close to their destination, and Abe was kind of pouring his heart out, an arrow came straight through his eye. 

Eugene is shocked, and Dwight and his men jump out to attack the remaining man.

Fans of the show will remember this scene, but it happens to a very different character. 

While Daryl, Rosita, and Denise are off looking for supplies, the young doctor decided to tell her two companions how badly they’re taking life for granted. The speech was meaningful and eloquent, but cut a little short by an arrow appearing in Denise’s skull.

The comic counterpart to Denise lastes a little bit longer, and was killed by a trick pulled on the group by Negan and the Saviors.

Shane

The version of Shane that we witnessed on the show was a major character for the first two seasons. Many would claim that he was actually the main antagonist, not the walkers. In the comic, Shane only stuck around for six issues.

Yes, you heard that right, Shane was only in the first six issues of the series.

The death of Shane began the same way in both mediums, with Rick being lured into the woods to be killed. This is where the show started to veer from the comics.

Originally, it was Carl who killed Shane. The boy knew his dad was in danger, and he put a bullett in Shane’s neck. On TV, Rick stabs Shane in the gut and Carl shoots him in the head once he comes back as a walker.

The show did a great job of nodding to Carl killing Shane in the books, and really used the episode to fuel Rick’s progression going into season three.

Tyreese and Hershel

Tyreese and Hershel were both fan-favorite characters, especially on the show. No one wanted to see either one of them go, but the two characters shared the same goodbye when you combine the two mediums.

In the comics, Hershel was gone much earlier. Since Dale stuck around for a large portion of the story, Hershel wasn’t quite as necessary. When it was time for the war with The Governor to go down, Hershel was long gone.

Instead, in an effort to break Rick, The Governor cuts off the head of Tyreese. Due to the man having so much muscle, it took much more than a couple of strokes of the sword.

Like in the show, Michonne’s sword was used to kill each of the characters. The comics drove this point further though, because Tyreese was also her lover.

There you have it, some deaths that changed from The Walking Dead comics to keep you on your toes. What other big changes did you like seeing from the books to the show? Let us know in the comments below!