We usually do a poll like this before a finale, but as we approach the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead, we’ve been told that there will be a major purge of characters. Series creator Robert Kirkman said “So many people die.” It’s true that the cast has grown so large that we can go several weeks without seeing some of the major characters. There’s just not enough screen time. And more new characters will be introduced soon.
The last time we ran a poll, before the mid-season finale, readers correctly predicted who would bite the big one. Then it occurred to me that votes came in after the fact! This time, I will try to make a note of the results just before the show airs on Sunday night. Who do you think will die this Sunday night? You can select more than one character in the poll.
Continue reading for reasons why some of the major characters may be looking at their last episode. Contains spoilers and comic book details.
IF YOU ARE AVOIDING SPOILERS, STOP READING HERE.
Daryl Dixon may very well be a goner. His character was the major badass fighter and survivalist in the early seasons, but now all the longtime survivors are skilled warriors. Besides that, actor Norman Reedus has another series starting soon, and a few movie deals. Yeah, he could juggle them. There’s also been some talk about how the character, who doesn’t appear in the comics, has taken screen time and plot lines from other characters.
Maggie revealed that she is pregnant. Our survivors have proven that you can keep a baby alive in the zombie apocalypse, but it didn’t turn out well for Judith’s mother. Having Maggie killed off would help the show acknowledge that pregnancies happen, but they could avoid a replay of an earlier plot line. Besides, actress Lauren Cohan got a really short, stylish haircut, which could tell us something. Or not.
Glenn already survived a death scare. Killing him off again so shortly afterward would be redundant, but then again, The Walking Dead is working hard to keep one step ahead of fan predictions by going against conventional wisdom. You probably know his comic book fate, but the TV series often uses the same plot as the comics with different characters. Whatever happens, they probably will not kill off Glenn and Maggie in the same episode, as that would wipe out an entire family and there goes the opportunity for some serious grief.
Michonne has suffered from a lack of screen time, and there is much more to explore in her character. She’s probably safe, but knock wood.
Morgan’s refusal to kill has caused too many deaths already. Both Carol and the Wolf want to kill him. Who needs walkers? Then again, Kirkman says that Morgan’s story will figure prominently in the second half of the season, so even if he doesn’t survive the year, he’ll survive this week’s show.
Carol died long ago in the comics, but Kirkman himself said the TV character is safe. The only one less likely to die is Rick. And Carl is safe from death for the time being, although bad things will happen to him.
Abraham, Sasha, Rosita, and Tara are all characters who should have more to do in the series, but it would be easier if there were fewer of them. Any of them could go, to make room for the rest. Eugene needs to survive, because he’s the only comic relief on the show.
Jessie may die, because that happened in the comics, not that the comics predict the TV series. On the one hand, it’s nice that Rick has a love interest, but on the other hand, their long-term prospects aren’t good since he killed the father of her children and that’s way too complicated to deal with when you’re trying to raise kids in a zombie apocalypse.
Jessie's son Sam doesn’t exist in the comic series, but he was ominously making noise as the last episode ended, which will draw walkers. Ron, Jessie’s other son, may survive long enough to put Carl’s eye out, but that was done by different character in the comics, so who knows what will happen in the TV show.
Fairly new characters Erin, Aaron, Denise, and Heath could be more interesting down the line if they had more to do. Corey Hawkins, who plays Heath, has a new job that is liable to take all his time. That doesn't mean he can't live out season six at least. Denise seems the most likely to die soon, maybe at the hands of the Wolf.
Gabriel could easily die, mainly because the audience hates him and would love to see him be eaten by a walker. Besides, there doesn’t seem to be much left to explore about his character.
While the producers have promised a massive character cull in the mid-season premiere, they’ve exaggerated before. The odds are that if they want to get rid of a lot of characters, they’ll spread those deaths over the next eight episodes.