Death has always been a big part of AMC’s The Walking Dead, and throughout its six-season run, we’ve seen several beloved characters meet their untimely demise, whether it be from a walker’s bite or other means. When the Season 6 finale aired last month, we finally met the infamous Negan, who introduced himself to Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) group by killing one of its members, although we don’t know for sure who has died quite yet. As we wait for Season 7 to debut this fall, the identity of Negan’s victim is certainly a hot topic among fans. Over the weekend, comic book creator Robert Kirkman teased that many iconic characters will die on the show, and in the comics… eventually.
A YouTube member recently posted a Q&A session with Robert Kirkman from the Hawaii Comic Con, where he was asked an interesting question by a young fan. The unidentified youngster asked if Robert Kirkman could “list all of the people who will die in The Walking Dead,” and, surprisingly, Robert Kirkman gave a rapid response, firing off names of beloved characters. Here’s what he had to say below.
“Rick, Carl, Michonne. In the show, Daryl Dixon, eventually Abraham, Rosita. Rosita’s already dead in the comics. Jesus.”
Robert Kirkman didn’t exactly say when these characters will die, but it’s also worth noting that there are several major characters he didn’t mention, such as Carol (Melissa McBride), Morgan (Lennie James), Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) and Glenn (Steven Yeun). In the comics, it’s Glenn who is killed by Negan, and Glenn even went through his own death scare earlier in Season 6, when the show played coy about his fate for a number of episodes, before revealing that he is in fact alive. It’s possible that Robert Kirkman didn’t mention Glenn because his fate has already been sealed for Season 7, but we don’t know for sure. Carol’s exclusion from this death list isn’t particularly surprising, since Robert Kirkman revealed at last year’s New York Comic Con that they simply can’t kill Carol, after all she’s been through. Carol was the first character Robert Kirkman openly admitted would never be killed on the show.
In the comics, Rick, Carl, Michonne and Jesus are still alive, but Abraham and Rosita have already perished. In fact, Abraham was killed in the comics practically the same way that Dr. Denise Cloyd (Meritt Wever) was killed towards the end of last season. We don’t know for sure how long Abraham and Rosita have on the show, but in the comics, Abraham was killed in the 98th issue, while Rosita was killed in the 145th issue, where she was decapitated by a character who hasn’t been introduced on the show yet, Alpha, the leader of a group known as The Whisperers.
If you watch the video below, we’re assuming that Robert Kirkman may be joking about killing off all these characters, but then again, their deaths could happen several years down the line. It’s also worth noting that, earlier this year, AMC executives said that they aren’t actively discussing any sort of endgame for the show, hinting that the show could run indefinitely on the network. While we wait for more details on Season 7 of The Walking Dead, take a look at the video of Robert Kirkman’s Hawaii Comic Con panel, with his remarks about the characters who will die coming at the 3:56 mark.