25 Most Brutal Deaths on The Walking Dead

Merle

Merle Dixon was never a decent person. He was a racist and an antagonistic jerk, even to those people who tried to help him. He proved his malevolence when dealing with T-Dog and was left, his hand chained to a pipe on a roof, as a result of his self-destructive personality.

However, at the same time, Merle cared deeply for his younger brother Daryl and was looking out for his protection from the start. It was his mix of being a complete jerk to his being a strong and protective brother than made Merle a very nuanced character on The Walking Dead.

He was also very popular. The the first season, when Daryl, Rich, Glenn and T-Dog go back for Merle, he is gone and only his hand remains on the roof. Thanks to the popularity of his character, it was clear that he would return to the TV show at some point.

That return came when season three showed that he joined up with The Governor at some point after amputating his hand and escaping from Atlanta. Merle is one of The Governor’s right-hand men and is helping him kill anyone needed to keep his control.

However, when he sees that Daryl is still alive and the survivors have watched out for him, Merle starts to come around. The Governor orders Merle and Daryl to fight to the death in “The Suicide King,” but Merle finally betrays The Governor and joins Rick’s group.

However, betraying Merle may have redeemed Merle, but it also doomed him. Merle tries to kill The Governor rather than betray Rick’s group, and The Governor shoots him in the chest. The most heartbreaking part was when Daryl found his brother, who was now a walker, and had to put down the one man who always protected him.