Fans of The Walking Dead have a tough moment to face at the onset of the season 7 premiere, as one of their beloved (or not so beloved) members of Rick Grimes’ survivor squad will have his or her head bashed to bits by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the ruthless leader of The Saviors.
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Thanks to AMC and the Walking Dead cast and crew, fans have spent Summer ’16 with a growing knot in their stomachs, agonizing over each re-watch or new promo that teases the impending doom – potentially for one of the most important characters in the show. Of course, some potential leaks or hints have given fans glimmers of hope that certain people will make it – but this is The Walking Dead: anything is possible.
The question we’re interested in is: how would you, our readers, play showrunner in this situation? If it were up to you (instead of some twisted game of “eenie Meenie Miney Mo”) who would sacrifice, and why?
To help recap, we’ve put together a list of the potential victims with a poll at the bottom for you to vote on. Let’s get sadistic! (Note: There will be Walking Dead Comic Book SPOILERS Discussed!)
Rosita
Why Sacrifice Her: Rosita (Chrisitan Serratos) is probably the most expendable character on the list, with her arc as Abraham’s lover now seemingly done, and little else otherwise. If you want an easy way out of this Negan situation, with little overall damage to the show and cast, Rosita is your girl.
Why Keep Her: For the very same reasoning: Killing Rosita is a half-step away from being a total cop-out. Fans will have worried all summer long for something that, while having impact on the characters within the show, wouldn’t have all that much impact on the fans watching. Taking the “safe” option could actually backfire, in this case.
Eugene
Why Sacrifice Him: Coming in right behind Rosita on the “most expendable” list is good ol’ Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt). What Eugene has in brains, he lacks everywhere else. We could wait to see if he truly has the mettle to transform into the type of post-apocalyptic warrior he says he wants to be (instead of the coward he is…) – or, we could just accept that people don’t change and cut the dead weight. His story arc thus far is nothing we’d miss too bad.
Why Keep Him: We’re already down one awkward geek now that poor Denise caught an arrow through the eye; best not to let that well dry up completely. Plus, from a show perspective, The Saviors have an intricate society they are running – as do their rivals, The Kingdom (who we’ll meet in season 7). Eugene could end up being an interesting player in the storylines ahead – especially if his skill set makes him a more valuable player than he was in Rick’s crew.
Aaron
Why Sacrifice Him: Aaron (Ross Marquand) is not part of Rick’s crew. Not originally, not really. He’s a nice enough guy and an interesting enough character, but we’re making hard choices here, and really, he’s lucky to be ranked above anyone else on the list given the fact that he’s an Alexandrian.
Why Keep Him: A lot of work has been done developing Aaron, and that foundation suggests there’s more to build on. Aaron is a character we could stand to watch grow and develop – and while we usually don’t adhere to the idea of character quotas, Walking Dead killing off its leading gay male character seems like a bad move (unless… Daryl?).
Abraham
Why Sacrifice Him: Sergeant Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) is a fine character, but let’s be honest: he’s a bit too much like Rick to really consider him absolutely essential. He’s also a character of middling importance; his death would upset fans enough, but not too much. With Abraham’s new zen-like outlook on life, it’s a perfect time to die.
Why Keep Him: It’d be great to have Sgt. Ford stick around if someone close to him (like Rosita or Sasha) caught the bat. It would transform the character in ways that would be damn fun to watch, and would help hammer home a rare TV moment of male impotence, as “man’s man” Abraham watched his female companion beaten to death in front of him. With a spiked bat, no less (paging Dr. Freud…).
Sasha
Why Sacrifice Her: Sasha Williams (Sonequa Martin-Green) is another one of the strong female characters that The Walking Dead has come to develop over the last few seasons – but she’s not quite on the level of Michonne or Carol (yet). Her death would send the right kind of shockwave through the characters and viewership, making her a valuable sacrificial piece.
Why Keep Her: Sasha has grown well beyond the shadow of her late brother Tyreese to become a capable and formidable part of Rick’s survivor group. After teetering on a nihilistic edge and then coming back, having to live through the death of a close friend (or lover?) and being under Negan’s rule would make her into something would we would like to watch.
Carl
Why Sacrifice Him: Because so many people have wanted to, for so long, and having a child (Rick’s child) beaten to death with a barbed wire bat would f*ck the audience (and Rick) up.
Why Keep Him: If you don’t outright hate him, Carl (Chandler Riggs) has been one of the more interesting characters to watch develop on The Walking Dead. From whiny child, to mother-slayer, to the one-eyed killer now with his first crush, Carl would be someone that Negan and Co. would have to watch out for.
Maggie
Why to Sacrifice Her: A pregnant lady being violently beaten to death on TV would have all the “shock and awe” value you could want. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) is also not the most exciting female character on the show, as the season 6 episode with her and Carol vs. The Saviors showed just how outclassed she really is. If her last word was “Martha,” that would be icing on the cake.
Why to Keep Her: Glenn and Maggie are the cute romance that is all too scarce on The Walking Dead, so we have to root for them making it and their little baby arriving as a sign of hope, or something. And since the show killed off Laurie while in childbirth, we kind of feel like Walking Dead has already played this card.
Glenn
Why Sacrifice Him: This is the one that fans of The Walking Dead comic book have scarred on their minds already, with good reason. In the comics it’s Glenn that Negan beats to death, and he dies badly. Recreating that same turn of events on the TV show may seem like it would be underwhelming for the comic readers – but even they probably wouldn’t be prepared to see actor Steven Yeun’s lovely head turned to a gory, pulpy mess in live-action.
Why Keep Him: Besides the fact that Glenn is one of the most core characters of the show, The Walking Dead already pulled a fast one on fans in season 6, making us think that Glenn had perished. Actually killing him this soon after that would likely solicit a muted response from fans who already mourned Glenn the first time, as well as comic book fans who expect it.
Michonne
Why Sacrifice Her: Michonne is a high-value piece on the board, and her death would have a traumatic effect on viewers; the type where they send threatening letters to the showrunners or make weeping soap box rants on YouTube. You know: great free promotion! But seriously: if the showrunners want to deliver a serious gut-punch, Michonne would be the way to do it. Plus, actress Danai Gurira is now getting that Marvel movie money as a member of the Black Panther cast. She’d do just fine exiting the show at this point.
Why Keep Her: Because she’s Michonne! She’s freaking awesome, and the show would hardly be as awesome without her!
Rick
Why Sacrifice Him: This would be the sort of game-changer that few fans would be prepared for. The Walking Dead is a saga that is bigger than one man, and killing protagonist Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) would blow viewers’ minds, while also creating a leadership vacuum for Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan to step right into. Even for a boundary-pushing show like Walking Dead, this would be a respectably bold move.
Why Keep Him: It’s Rick. Fans began this journey with him, and losing him like this may be too much for them to handle.
Daryl
Why Sacrifice Him: If you want to end the show on the season 7 premiere, you kill Daryl (Norman Reedus). Any other reason, you do not kill that man.
Why Keep Him: He’s Daryl; he IS this show. You want people to watch another single second of Walking Dead? Then don’t do anything stupid…
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