We've said goodbye to a lot of characters on "The Walking Dead" since 2010. INSIDER ranks the deaths that fans didn't see coming and that hit the hardest.
"The Walking Dead" has said goodbye to most of its original cast, as well as dozens of new favorites since its start in 2010.
While the actors behind many of these roles may have moved on, the fandom still feels the effects of some of their brutal and shocking departures. INSIDER has gone through every big death on "The Walking Dead" and has ranked the series' most shocking deaths.
Our list starts with some of the more insignificant characters whose deaths may have been unexpected but who you had little attachment to, before building all the way up to the ones that really made you jump back in your seat and clasp your mouth.
Keep reading to see the worst deaths on "The Walking Dead" so far, ranked by shock value.
Amy Daire contributed to a previous version of this story.
45. Ed Peletier, Carol's abusive husband, was eaten by walkers.
When a group of the undead unexpectedly wandered into camp, Ed was the first to go. After viewers witnessed his abusive tendencies to Carol firsthand, most would probably agree he had to go.
44. Dr. Edwin Jenner took his own life when he stayed inside the CDC as it exploded.
With his pessimistic outlook on life, there wasn't a chance Jenner would be around for long. Since Jenner said there was no hope to create a cure for the virus, viewers probably weren't surprised to see he stayed back for the blast after letting everyone else go.
43. The Governor's researcher, Milton Mamet, was stabbed by his ally after trying to save Andrea and her friends.
Milton spent his time on the show teetering between good and evil. When he decided to turn on his leader and warn Andrea his group was planning to wage war on Rick, Milton paid dearly for his betrayal.
While we may have known Milton's time was coming, we didn't expect him to go down attempting to kill the Governor only to be brutally stabbed in return.
42. Andrea's sister, Amy, died after a walker surprised her as she was coming out of Dale's RV.
Watching Andrea not know how to handle the sudden loss of the sister she wanted to protect was one of the first season's most tender moments. It carried over into the next episode when Andrea stayed by her side until she turned into one of the undead.
Amy's death played out almost exactly the same way as it did in the comic, so it wasn't too much of a surprise for fans.
41. Carol's former mini-flame Tobin died after he was stabbed by a weapon soaked in walker guts.
Ever since Carol up and left Tobin on season six, we weren't sure if we'd see the two reconnect. It took a knife to the gut for Carol to come to his side. When Tobin was getting some extra screen time with Carol, we had a feeling things were going to go south for him and they quickly did.
If Tobin was more than a recurring background character, we would have been a bit more shocked by his death. But since he popped up with a few lines of dialogue only to be killed off later in the same episode, it seems like the show was finding a way to tie off another loose end.
40. Sam Anderson had a panic attack and was eaten alive by walkers.
Sam had to have been one of the most disliked characters in the show's history. His phobia of reality made him a nuisance to the group and a pain to watch on TV. It's no wonder the show axed him by having him take Ron's fate from the comic series.
After all of his issues, people were begging for him to go, but he wasn't the only character fans were excited to see die.
39. Ron Anderson, who had just gotten over his issues with Carl, was also eaten and killed by walkers.
Ron was a bit of a loose cannon and, like his brother, was not exactly well-liked among fans. It made sense for the show to kill him off in the same episode.
38. Gareth led the cannibals of Terminus before getting bludgeoned and hacked to bits by Rick.
There wasn't a chance in the world Rick would have let anyone from Terminus live if he got his hands on them. Gareth's death might have been gruesome, but many people would probably agree it was well-deserved after he ate Bob's leg.
37. Spencer Monroe's death was pulled straight from the comic series when he was gutted by Negan.
Spencer had it coming and everyone watching knew it. The show spent nearly an entire episode setting him up to die, which is why most people weren't too taken aback. His character also died the same way in the comic series, so there wasn't a big surprise there for the most devoted of fans.
36. Dr. Carson was abruptly shot and killed by the Saviors after he tried to play hero.
We figured the doctor may not make it back to the Hilltop in one piece, but we didn't expect his death to come at the hands of the Saviors after he survived getting his foot stuck in a bear trap.
Carson got a little too confident after he and Gabriel had several strokes of luck. Unfortunately for the doctor, his luck ran out.
35. Deanna Monroe led Alexandria, but her demise came after facing tons of walkers head on.
Despite being a great leader, Deanna didn't exactly have what it took to keep her community alive outside of their comfortable walls. Some viewers might have expected her to last a bit longer, but a power struggle between Rick and anyone else probably wouldn't have worked. At least she got to go down fighting.
34. Simon was choked to death by Negan after he backstabbed him.
We knew Simon's days were numbered after he went behind Negan's back and had everyone at the junkyard killed. But it wasn't certain how Negan would take him out.
We thought Simon would have received a more violent death instead of one of honor where the two fought to the death. Now, he's living out the rest of his days as a walker chained to the Sanctuary.
33. The Governor was stabbed in the chest by Michonne while fighting with Rick.
The Governor had to go after ruthlessly killing Maggie's father Hershel in front of everyone. While you may have jumped when Michonne drove her katana through the Governor, his death was more satisfying than surprising, especially when his girlfriend Lily sealed his fate by shooting him in the head.
32. T-Dog was devoured by two walkers at the prison while saving Carol.
Despite being an original cast member, T-Dog wasn't exactly a major character in the series. While many expected him to part ways with the show eventually, it was slightly surprising to see him sacrifice his life after getting bit to save Carol from walkers.
31. Lizzie Samuels was shot by Carol after killing her own sister.
People didn't expect Lizzie to last long at all after she stabbed her sister and almost killed Judith. Fans still weren't expecting the heavy scene that came when Carol took the girl out to a field Old Yeller style and told her to look at the flowers while shooting her dead.
30. Negan stabbed David in the neck for attempting to rape Sasha.
While David's death was adapted straight from the comic, it wasn't one we were expecting to see play out nearly frame by frame.
For those who aren't fans of Negan, it may have been a surprise to see him kill one of his own men for attempting to rape Sasha. Despite having several wives, most of whom don't even want to be married to him, Negan is adamant on his stance about his men committing rape.
29. Just as sparks were starting to fly between Jessie and Rick, she was devoured by walkers.
The only member of the Anderson family that had the slightest chance of surviving outside of Alexandria was Jessie. Unfortunately, she refused to let go of her dying son's hand and was dragged down into a throng of hungry zombies as well.
This might have come as a shock to some since her relationship with Rick was just starting to kindle. In the end, she met the same death as her character in the comic series.
28. The not-so courageous Nicholas took his life while surrounded by walkers.
Nicholas indirectly killed a couple of people because of his own overwhelming fear, so it wasn't a surprise that he took his own life after getting trapped by a hoards of walkers. It was a surprise he decided to actually go and do it after Glenn stuck his neck out for him so many times.
The real shock was that he took Glenn down with him. The bigger shock? That the showrunners tortured fans with a "did they? didn't they?" death scene cliffhanger for Glenn which frustratingly lasted several episodes.
27. Benjamin died from blood loss after getting shot by a Savior.
Benjamin was just starting to get interesting when he was shot by the Saviors. He had his whole life ahead of him and was working with Morgan as a mentee much like how Morgan worked with his friend Eastman. When Ben was shot instead of Richard it wasn't only shocking, it was sad.
26. Otis was flat out shot and left for dead by Shane.
It's not just the undead you have to watch out for in the zombie apocalypse. Shane shot Otis in the leg and left him for a group of walkers so he could make an escape.
Otis' death was so shocking because many thought Shane wouldn't be capable of something so brutal. Otis didn't go down without a fight — he tore out a chunk of Shane's hair — which made watching him get torn apart that much more upsetting.
25. Mika Samuels was killed by her sister offscreen.
Lizzie was clearly a tortured young girl, but nobody expected to see her standing over her dead sister and Judith with a knife in her hand. Luckily, Judith left the scene unharmed. Mika got the short end of the stick and was gruesomely murdered by her older sister, proving that the showrunners have very few boundaries.
24. Bob Stookey had his leg chopped off and eaten by Terminus residents, but it was a walker bite that eventually killed him.
Bob certainly didn't play a pivotal role in the group, but his relationship with Sasha and overall kick-butt mentality was gold. After making it out of Terminus alive and reuniting with the group, it was pretty upsetting that he had to go so soon.
At least he got his revenge by letting the cannibals eat tainted meat before he went — a story line taken from Dale's character in the comic series.
23. Maggie chose to hang Gregory in front of the entire Hilltop after he threatened her life.
Maggie has a zero-tolerance policy with anyone threatening the life of her or her son, Hershel. After giving Gregory numerous chances, he went too far when he tried to have Maggie murdered and subsequently pulled a knife on her himself.
While we were surprised to see Gregory go on the premiere episode, we can't put him higher on this list because we weren't surprised by the decision to kill him off. Gregory's hanging went down almost exactly as it does in the comics.
22. Gavin got stabbed in the neck by Henry.
Just when you thought Morgan was about to take another life — wham! Henry snuck up from behind and drove a spike right through the back of Gavin's neck.
This death was a bit of a bummer more than an outright shock. Out of all the Saviors, Gavin seemed like one of the few characters who would have been able to turn over a new leaf and work toward a united front between Negan and Rick's men that Carl envisioned.
Unlike some of Negan's other top men, Gavin seemed like the Savior you could reason with the most. Right before his death, he told his men to get Ezekiel a pillow to make him comfortable. Does that sound like an awful guy?
21. Bad cop Shane Walsh was stabbed in the chest by Rick and then shot in the head by Carl.
Shane needed to go. His jealously over his best friend's relationship with Rick was sending his character down a grim path and started to take away from the main point of the show. After the stunt he pulled with Otis, it was only a matter of time.
On the other hand, Shane was a huge character in the series, so seeing him finally go was a bit of a shock. Having his former BFF and partner stab him and then watching Carl shoot him in the head at the ripe age of 12 didn't make it any easier to digest.
20. Merle Dixon was shot in the heart by The Governor before being killed for good by his brother Daryl.
Who thought Merle would return to the show to be such a wickedly good character in the end?
The self-serving brute turned over a new leaf. In his final act, he took out a bunch of the Governor's men to protect his brother and Rick's group before getting mercilessly beaten and shot by the Governor himself. If that didn't get you, Daryl's reaction to seeing his zombified brother hit fans hard and gave the world the famous Daryl crying meme.
19. Joe, who led the sadistic antagonists of season four, had his neck savagely torn by Rick.
It wasn't surprising that Rick was able to take Joe and his merry band of misfits out. It was more than shocking to see Rick bite Joe's neck and rip out his jugular to do it. Sure, it was straight out of the comics, but it was still just plain savage.
18. Walkers tore Shiva apart as she gave her life for Ezekiel, Carol, and Jerry.
Yes, Shiva's death was sad and a nod to her last moments in the comic; however, it was easy to see this death coming.
It's been hinted at since San Diego Comic-Con's season eight trailer for the show. The night of her big farewell, you could feel the show prepping for her death by having Ezekiel give one last big monologue about how much the tiger meant to him. By the time she showed up to save Ezekiel at the episode's end you already felt like you knew what was coming. Plus, it didn't seem like the show could keep up with the CG of keeping the character around forever.
17. Negan bashed Glenn's head in with a baseball bat in the brutal season seven premiere.
This was probably the worst kept secret in the show's history. After Glenn's dumpster debacle earlier in season six, it felt like the show continuously teased his potential death. Yet, his life never really felt in jeopardy because big fans of the comic series were expecting Glenn's iconic comic death to come to fruition when Negan entered the show.
By the time the season seven premiere rolled around many fans weren't too shocked that Glenn was among the characters to get a bat to the head. Glenn's fate may have matched the comic series, but after the showrunners tricked viewers into thinking he was spared at the cost of Abraham, many fans boycotted the show.
If the series killed off Abraham at the end of season six and then mercilessly killed Glenn right after instead of making fans wait months for the reveal, the effect probably would have been greater and the death may have been higher up on this list.
16. Sasha committed suicide by taking a cyanide pill given to her by Eugene.
We can't say we were really surprised to see Sasha go.
Ever since she was captured by Negan's men it looked like she was going to take the fate of another character from the comics. Most figured her time on the show was also up since she was cast on CBS' new "Star Trek: Discovery" web series. When flashes of her and her old lover Abraham started playing on screen throughout the season seven finale, we knew Sasha's time wasn't long.
The biggest surprise was how the show changed Sasha's death. Instead of Negan's men killing her and throwing a sack over her head to return her to Rick — which happens with another character — Sasha died on her own terms, sacrificing herself in the hopes that she would be able to bite Negan or kill another Savior. Still, it wasn't that big of a surprise since Sasha was given the pill by Eugene the episode prior.
15. Olivia was suddenly shot dead at Negan's behest.
Olivia's death was not only shocking because it was so sudden and quick, but also because it strayed far from the comic series where she lasted longer. As well, Olivia (Ann Mahoney) was one of the few characters who wasn't afraid to stand up to Negan and refuse him. It was something that resonated with fans, making her death more bittersweet.
"There's a part of me that worried that people would not care that I was gone so I'm really pleasantly surprised that everyone was so upset," said Mahoney in an interview with Comicbook.com.
14. Tyreese died after getting bitten by one of Noah's zombified brothers.
After taking care of Judith and becoming one of Carol's closest friends in the group, it was pretty shocking to see Tyreese get the boot. At the time, Sasha had just recovered from her boyfriend Bob dying only to deal with her brother's death shortly afterward.
Tyreese's death was more shocking because of how lame it turned out. One of the big players in the comics and TV show, Tyreese ended up dying from not one, but two walker bites to the arm. This is a character who was decapitated in the comics and his TV death fell a bit flat for a character that was so important in the series. Instead, fans watched an entire episode dedicated to Tyreese hallucinating until he succumbed.
13. The Scavengers were ruthlessly taken out in a spray of bullets at Simon's command.
After he learned one of his Savior outposts was kidnapped by the Hilltop, Simon was ready to march straight to Maggie for revenge.
Negan stopped him and sent him off to see Jadis and the Scavengers instead. Though he was given orders to kill only one of Jadis' people, Simon's rage got the better of him and he shockingly ordered everyone but Jadis to be killed on sight.
Fans haven't been happy with the junkyard gang for some time, but no one expected them to be killed off so cleanly in one clip.
12. Sophia was found zombified in a barn after going missing at the start of season two.
Rick and his crew searched for Carol's daughter all season. It was a kick to the stomach when she was finally found in the show's mid-season finale zombified in the barn at the farm where they were staying all along.
11. Lori Grimes died during a hasty C-section birth to Judith.
Her fate was grim, but not nearly as grim as it could've been if the show writers had decided to follow through with the death she had in the comic series. Instead of getting blown to bits with a shotgun like in the comics, Lori passed away after giving birth to Judith.
Fans can be thankful that her comic series fate didn't follow through, but it was still a surprise to see her die before saying goodbye to Rick and spending any real time with her baby.
Another big shock in this scene was that Carl was the one to shoot her in the head before she could reanimate. If you weren't floored yet, it probably hit you moments later when Rick and the group broke down at the realization of Lori's death once they saw the baby.
10. Carl wound up bit by a walker after he tripped and fell in the woods. He then took his own life offscreen in a church.
After surviving cannibals at Terminus, the wrath of the Governor, and making pals with Negan, Carl wound up at the mercy of a zombie bite to the side. What a way to go out.
Fans were shocked at the initial reveal in December's mid-season finale. Carl's still alive in the comic series of the same name and has become one of the main protagonists as his father is getting older.
The reason Carl isn't higher on our list is because instead of just killing him off in the winter mid-season finale, the show decided to make fans wait several months before the big reveal of whether or not Carl would survive. By then, it was no secret if you were following the show.
Actor Chandler Riggs himself did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter after it was revealed he was bit and he confirmed his character was getting killed off the show. Riggs shared he had one more episode on the show.
9. Dale Horvath was disemboweled by a walker after Carl refused to kill it in the woods.
His gory demise was a fairly big shock to many viewers who were growing to love Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn). If you follow the comic, his death wasn't set to come until they were settled into the prison, but the actor opted out early.
According to Jeffery DeMunn he didn't want to stick around after the show fired the series' first showrunner, Frank Darabont.
"Yeah when they did that to Frank I told them I wanted out," DeMunn said at a Walker Stalker Con event. "Frank is a good friend and I wasn’t going to stand there while they screwed him over like that. He worked for five years to get that show on the air."
8. Morales was taken out ruthlessly one episode after being reintroduced on the series for the first time since season one.
It was a complete shock to see Morales taken out ruthlessly by Daryl an episode after his huge return to the series. In fact, we were thrown off guard so much so that we were convinced Morales may not actually be dead.
7. Noah was eaten by walkers while trapped in a revolving door.
Noah's demise wasn't even his own fault and that's what makes his death all the more tragic. One of the more unexpected deaths came when Nicholas trapped Noah in a revolving door with walkers to save his own skin.
The only thing that made it worse was watching Glenn's face as his friend was eaten alive while he couldn't do anything to stop it or ease his pain.
6. Jesus gets stabbed by a Whisperer who catches him off guard.
Jesus thought he had survived a massive group of walkers. As he went to kill the last one, the walker sidestepped and stabbed Jesus through the middle from behind with a giant sword before telling him he didn't belong there.
It may have come as a massive shock to some fans since Jesus is still alive in the comics and has a pretty prominent role. This death isn't ranked higher on our list since it was rumored for months that Payne's character was getting killed off the show. There was a segment of die-hard fans who saw it coming.
Tom Payne told INSIDER his death on the show was a mutual decision between both him and the show.
"I was kind of frustrated with what I had gotten to do on the show and I was kind of a bit bored with it," said Payne. "If I wasn't being given anything, I was kind of ready to go." "And then when Angela called me, I was quite chill about it."
"I was pretty happy with the whole thing," he said of how his death scene turned out. "I just want to tell a good story and be part of a shocking moment on the show. I much rather be that than hang around at the Hilltop for another few years."
5. Denise was shot through the eye with an arrow in the middle of giving a profound speech.
"The Walking Dead" is famous for hitting you where it hurts. After Denise snagged an orange soda for her girlfriend Tara (a clear sign of true love), the showrunners put an arrow straight through her head. The death came as a surprise because its similar to how another character, Abraham, was killed off in the comics. No one expected Denise to meet his fate.
4. Hershel Greene was brutally decapitated by The Governor.
Hershel wasn't gruesomely decapitated in the comics. Instead, he asked for his life to be taken by the Governor after one of his son Billy was killed.
Hershel received more of a heroes' death on the show. Making his family and friends watch it all go down was awful and jaw-dropping.
3. Abraham Ford was the first character to die at the hands of Negan and his beloved baseball bat Lucille.
After one of the biggest cliffhangers in television history, fans were placing bets on which character would take the hit. It was Glenn who died in the comics, which is why so many people were horrified Negan's first choice to bludgeon to death ended up being Abraham. (Glenn was just a bonus death on the show.)
Abraham was a well-liked character, but he did long overstay his welcome. In the comics, Abraham never lived to meet Negan. Even though he was killed off the show, actor Michael Cudlitz kept the red hair and beard to keep up appearances ahead of the episode premiere.
2. Viewers were shocked to see Andrea die from a walker bite.
Fans thought Andrea would get away from the Governor's compound unscathed after miraculously fending off a zombified Milton. However, she ended up bitten in the process and shot herself to avoid becoming a walker.
No one thought it was Andrea's time to go. She lives on in the comics for a long time, so seeing her meet her end came as a huge shock to many.
Laurie Holden, who played Andrea, said she was originally supposed to stick around for her comic character's story, including falling in love with Rick. Holden said she felt like she had been shot when written out. Now, she's grateful for how things ended.
"I’m very grateful, how it was written that I went out with grace and with a stellar cast. It wasn't the way that I wanted, but I loved the way I went out," she said at Walker Stalker Con in New Jersey in 2016.
1. Beth Greene was suddenly shot just as she was being saved from her kidnappers.
After Beth was held hostage for several episodes at Grady Memorial Hospital, it looked like she was finally back with the group. It was too good to be true.
Beth's decision to kill the ruthless head of the hospital went from a triumphant moment to one filled with utter, instantaneous shock. No sooner than Beth stabbed Dawn was she accidentally shot in the head as her friends watched in horror. The next scene of Daryl carrying Beth's limp body out of the hospital to her distraught sister was even more gut-wrenching.
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