The Walking Dead Star Says Goodbye to Daryl Dixon After 15 Years, but Fans Need 1 Thing Before He’s Done

The Walking Dead community has reached another bittersweet milestone: Daryl Dixon actor Norman Reedus is officially finished with the character (for now). Reedus shared a post commemorating the end of his run as Daryl Dixon, during the final day of filming The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 4. “Last filming day today for daryl dixon,” Reedus wrote. “It’s been such a joy for me to play this guy with all of u for this long. I feel really blessed. Truly. Thank you all really from my heart”.

The post came with an ominous teaser photo of Daryl’s face in profile, looking very weathered, gritty, and pensive. It was a nice arthouse-style teaser image for the final part of Daryl Dixon’s story, and perfectly captured the spirit of Norman Reedus in a single image.

The Daryl Dixon series has seen the titular character on a European tour, where he eventually linked up with his bestie Carol (Melissa McBride). SPOILERS: Season 3 saw Daryl and Carol take down an authoritative regime in Spain, run by the surviving remnants of the monarchy. However, when the group tried to set sail back home, the local “mayor,” Fede, ambushed them, and the boat was destroyed, leaving Daryl and Carol stranded.

Season 4 of Daryl Dixon will likely be about the hard journey home, and no one is guaranteed to actually make it, including Daryl himself. Reedus has been playing this character (invented for the show) since The Walking Dead started in 2010, so getting off the train now would be acceptable. That doesn’t mean that fans are ready to accept it, though.

Walking Dead Fans Don’t Believe It’s The End For Daryl Dixon

Fan reactions to Norman Reedus’ retirement post for Daryl Dixon clearly prove that they are not buying it as the definitive end for the character.

“Am i the only one that read this as its the last day for the SERIES and not character?” writes @onterrorstreet. “Hes thanking everyone for playing the character this long and thats it haha… Rick and Daryl reunion next lets hope!”

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@Clarebear230490 wasn’t even pretending to be objective, posting, “Nah I’m in denial. We HAVE to have a Rick and Daryl hug one last time!” @Vinod_r108, on the other hand, is choosing to keep a positive POV, posting “I hope it’s just a “see you soon.” And we can still see the reunion that the actors, characters, and fans deserve.” And @wrestleroller has very measured hopes: “Hoping we see you and Andrew 1 more time as your characters”.

There’s always the possibility of the original (and surviving) Walking Dead characters all being reunited for some kind of event film or series. The main stars (Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, etc.) have branched out into spinoffs like Fear the Walking Dead, Dead City, and The Ones Who Live – separate paths through the Walking Dead universe that can still converge again. All the cast members, showrunners, and franchise producers have mastered the art of keeping possibilities alive in interviews, without ever committing to anything real. So… maybe it won’t be the end of Daryl Dixon, after all.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon airs on AMC.