The Walking Dead season 3 could have been a lot darker had the series kept its originally planned serial killer storyline surrounding prison inmate Axel. The character, played by Lew Temple, only appeared in eight episodes, but his time on the series was memorable. Here’s what the AMC show had in mind for Temple’s arc and why the plot was later abandoned.

At the start of The Walking Dead season 3, Rick Grimes and his group took refuge in a fortified prison. Upon clearing out the areas that were overrun by walkers, they encountered a few inmates who had resided in the building since the outbreak began. Among the group was Axel, a character who originated in Robert Kirkman’s comic book series upon which the show is based. Axel was one of the few inmates that Rick and the survivors deemed as a threat. Instead, they gave him mercy after proving his loyalty. The group may not have totally trusted Axel but he was perceived as harmless, especially by Carol, who started to learn about his life just before the Governor shot him dead.

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Temple recently served as a guest on a Walking Dead-themed podcast, “Talk Dead To Me,” to share insight into his time on the hit series. During the episode, he dropped a shocker by revealing that Axel was intended to be a serial killer targeting Rick’s group. The day of shooting, Temple was told that the plot was changed and he would be presented with a lighter tone with a sense of charm. The actor then indicated that the serial killer idea wasn’t totally dropped right away and explained why the series went in a different direction.

Axel’s Serial Killer Storyline Was Deemed “Too Dark”

According to Temple, The Walking Dead still laid some foundation into his serial killer transformation. In one episode, the character was seen flirting with Beth before Carol intervened, and interestingly enough, Temple stated that there were plans for Axel to “take Beth out into the woods and slaughter her.” Axel’s story about being a drug addict and robbing a gas station at gunpoint was also meant to be “a big facade.” After gaining Carol’s trust,  there were discussions that Axel would attack her.

In the end, The Walking Dead crew decided that Axel’s serial killer storyline was too grim for the season. The series was already going down a different dark path with the introduction of the Governor, who was the show’s next big villain, and the writers didn’t want to complicate the plot with another sadistic figure. Rick’s group had enough issues at the time and adding the threat of a serial killer in their midst would have been over the top. Instead, the series tried to give Axel a redemptive arc before he surprisingly served as the Governor’s first victim during the initial ambush at the prison. The killing only amplified the conflict between the Governor and Rick, which continued throughout the season and into season 4.