One of the defining features of The Walking Dead series is the fact that no character is safe, even if they are fan favorites or children. Throughout all seven Walking Dead shows, even the best and most interesting characters are at risk of death by a walker bite, fatal accident, or outright murder. The high kill count has become a trope of the franchise. While many of the saddest deaths in The Walking Dead shows have been when characters with plenty to offer were killed, many obscure characters were also killed too soon.
Obscure characters are not defined by the length of their time on the show but by their memorability. Some characters that appear in just one episode made their mark on the show, like the pacifistic staff fighter Eastman, while obscure characters are usually overlooked or forgotten. The longest-surviving characters in The Walking Dead are not always the best or most memorable. While The Walking Dead franchise has given audiences some iconic characters, it killed off many obscure characters that had the potential to become fan favorites or change the show.
10Jacqui – The Walking Dead, Season 1
The Architect Had The Potential To Be An Asset To Later Walking Dead Seasons
Jacqui is the exact kind of obscure character who could have improved The Walking Dead if she’d survived longer. The quiet, kind and introverted Jacqui established herself as an asset in the early days of the apocalypse. As an architect, Jacqui’s knowledge of the city buildings had the potential to help the group escape a department store. Though the plan didn’t work, Jacqui’s expertise could have been valuable in later seasons of The Walking Dead when the groups were creating new settlements. However, Jacqui was killed in season 1.
The post-apocalyptic genre often focuses on survivalists, but an architect like Jacqui could have become a vital character, especially during season 6 after Alexandria was overrun. Jacqui lost hope early, choosing to die when Jenner’s laboratory exploded. H er decision was a shocking and emotional moment in The Walking Dead. However, it was also a case of wasted potential, as Jacqui could perhaps have regained her hope by having a key role in rebuilding society.
✕Remove Ads9Axel – The Walking Dead Season 3
Axel’s Sinister Backstory Was Written Out Of The Walking Dead
When Rick and his group entered the prison in The Walking Dead season 3, the tension between his group and the inmates was a central plot for several episodes. This storyline revealed some of the inmates to be more dangerous than others. Axel originally appeared to be both wholesome and gentle, showing extra politeness to female characters like Carol, before The Governor killed him. However, Axel had a very disturbing backstory that The Walking Dead should have explored.
Axel was written as a serial killer, with a key role in the death of a fan-favorite Walking Dead character. Beth’s original Walking Dead death was going to be worse, with Axel gaining the group’s trust before leading her into the woodland and slaughtering her. Though this could have been a great reminder that The Walking Dead‘s living people were often as dangerous as the walkers, the storyline was cut to focus on The Governor.
8Milton Mamet – The Walking Dead Season 3
The Governor’s Right-Hand Man Could Have Become A Formidable Villain
Milton Mamet was first introduced as a mild-mannered and delusional scientist who believed that the walkers could be cured, even after Rick’s group had learned the truth long ago. However, he was also The Governor’s right-hand man before Andrea showed him the antagonist’s dark side. Characters often change dramatically throughout The Walking Dead, and if Milton gained The Governor’s power and force of personality, he could have become a very dangerous character.
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Milton has a typical “villain” backstory, having lost both parents at a young age before developing an an interest in science. He even had close proximity to a major antagonist. If he had survived, Milton’s scientific research could have escalated to testing on healthy people, with his laboratory becoming an early version of the CRM’s human testing project. However, Milton switched sides and died too soon, becoming one of the many characters killed by The Governor in The Walking Dead season 3.
7Morales – The Walking Dead Seasons 1 And 8
Morales Was Brought Back After Season 1 Only To Die
The Walking Dead season 1 introduced Morales as a brave and loving husband and father, who left Rick’s group on good terms to search for his family. However, season 8 reveals that things did not go well for Morales, and he lost his family to walkers. This Walking Dead twist could have been both fascinating and heartbreaking for viewers, as it is likely that Rick would have tried to appeal to the man he once knew.
Morales wasn’t evil when he first appeared in The Walking Dead but was a loyal member of Negan’s Saviors by season 8. Still, as Rick left Morales with supplies in season 1, it would have been fitting for Morales to help Rick escape with supplies. Alternatively, Morales could have been violently jealous of Rick’s success and mostly intact family. As Daryl killed him before he had a chance to make an impact, viewers will never know.
✕Remove Ads6Ozzy – The Walking Dead Season 9
Ozzy And The Highwaymen Could Have Been A Perfect Fit For Ezekiel’s Kingdom
The Walking Dead may have begun as a survival story, but its human aspect defined the show. The Highwaymen were first introduced as potentially clichéd bandits, but they were quickly revealed to be as human as the other characters when Carol tempts their leader, Ozzy, with the offer of a movie. The Highwaymen were theatrical, loyal, and occasionally funny, which would have made Ozzy and his group a perfect fit for life in The Kingdom.
The Walking Dead Shows
Year Of Release
The Walking Dead
2010-2022
Fear the Walking Dead
2015-2023
The Walking Dead: World Beyond
2020-2021
Tales of the Walking Dead
2022
The Walking Dead: Dead City
2023 – Current
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
2023 – Current
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
2024
Ozzy and Alek of The Highwaymen died during The Walking Dead‘s fair in the infamous episode, The Calm Before, but the little that was shown of Ozzy’s character made it clear that he was killed way too soon. Ozzy barely knew the Kingdom’s residents but rushed into the stable to help them, showing him to be brave. He and Jerry had begun as enemies, with The Highwaymen stealing Jerry’s sword. However, the two men were similar characters, and Ozzy and Jerry could have become an iconic Walking Dead friendship equal to Rick and Daryl.
✕Remove Ads5José – Fear The Walking Dead Season 3
José’s Mechanics Skills Were Underused In Fear The Walking Dead
Walker introduces José and his friend Marta as “two of the best mechanics out of the Iraq war.” Military characters are often the antagonists in the post-apocalyptic genre, but José’s story could have been developed in any direction and set up José to become formidable ally or enemy. As a veteran and mechanic, José could have been useful in the apocalypse and, while The Walking Dead already included military characters like Abraham, José could have had a different outlook.
José passes out from the lack of oxygen along with many other characters, and as he is a very minor character, his death is both overlooked and much too soon.
Despite that potential, José recieved almost no lines in the show. The episode “This Land Is Your Land” has one of Fear The Walking Dead‘s highest kill counts, as the characters who have evacuated to the cellar die from asphyxiation, turn, and start to kill the remaining characters. José passes out from the lack of oxygen along with many other characters, and as he is a very minor character, his death is both overlooked and much too soon.
4Athena Mukherjee – Fear The Walking Dead Season 6
Athena’s Death Was One Of The Walking Dead Universe’s Darkest Moments
Grace spent a large amount of the Fear The Walking Dead episode In Dreams, dreaming about her infant daughter, Athena, while struggling in childbirth. The episode shows Athena as a brave, kind character who saved Grace’s life and brought her to her community, introducing Grace to her adoptive father, Morgan. In this episode, Grace comes to terms with the fact that she is dying, but The Walking Dead series’ darkest ending has a twist: it is the baby Athena who dies, not Grace.
Most Impactful Death In Each Season Of Fear The Walking Dead
Over eight seasons, Fear The Walking Dead showed audiences numerous deaths, some with a larger impact on remaining characters and narrative arcs.
The Walking Dead series has never been afraid to kill its child characters, but Athena’s death felt like a missed opportunity for Fear The Walking Dead. The glimpse that viewers get of her character shows that Athena united her community and therefore must have had strong relationships with existing Fear The Walking Dead characters, including Morgan. As Morgan’s son was killed early in The Walking Dead, it would have been interesting to see him become the father to a daughter.
3Esther – Dead City Season 1
The Mysterious Woman’s Backstory Had Potential For A Dead City Storyline
The Walking Dead‘s Connie has already proven that characters can communicate through a language barrier. This is the kind of scenario that would happen in an apocalypse, so when the Hebrew-speaking Esther was introduced in Dead City, there were many ways to develop her character and mysterious backstory. However, while Esther was revealed to be quick-witted, kind, and fair, she lasts just two episodes before being killed by a Burazi member.
Esther appeared to have a plan for Negan and Maggie as she kept them alive. It is established that Esther often brings strangers back to her group, yet the reason for this is not explored. Esther seemed friendly, even after initially stealing Negan and Maggie’s supplies. However, though she likely intended to integrate Negan and Maggie into her group, Esther could have had more sinister motives and Dead City missed the opportunity to explore this by killing her too soon.
2Joel Armstrong – Dead City Season 1
Joel Could Have Linked Dead City With Fear The Walking Dead
Viewers see Joel through the memories of his brother, Perlie. While Joel survived the apocalypse, he was an addict and had stolen from his family, causing a rift between him and Perlie. Joel and Perlie’s story is one of the most tragic in Dead City, as Perlie missed the opportunity to reconnect with Joel, who relapsed and ended his life to avoid starving. Joel died before the events of Dead City but had he lived, he could have been a link to another Walking Dead series.
Although Dead City and Fear The Walking Dead are set on opposite sides of the US , Joel and Nick could have been connected…
Joel is not the only Walking Dead character to struggle with addiction. Fear The Walking Dead‘s Nick is a heroin addict who is killed just as he appears to embrace a more peaceful life. Although Dead City and Fear The Walking Dead are set on opposite sides of the US, Joel and Nick could have been connected through online drug support groups or even other characters’ chance encounters. If Joel had survived and reconciled with Perlie, this could have represented an alternative happy ending for a troubled character like Nick.
1Juno – Daryl Dixon Season 1
Juno’s Toughness Could Have Made Him An Unexpected Ally To Daryl Dixon
Juno is a crass and unpleasant character throughout most of his single f-bomb-filled episode in the Daryl Dixon Walking Dead spin-off series. However, he also reveals himself to be smart and resourceful when he needs to be, putting aside his differences with Daryl to trick the guards into opening up the prison where the two men are being held. Juno cooperated with Daryl’s plan despite being surprised that it worked. Had he survived, this could have been a turning point for the character.
