The Walking Dead universe is about to expand in new and exciting directions with its upcoming spinoff, The Ones Who Live. The upcoming spinoff finally brings back Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, years after he mysteriously disappeared from the flagship series. Longtime fans of the franchise are ecstatic to see the hero return once more after years of following his post-apocalyptic adventures.
In its eleven seasons, The Walking Dead gained a reputation for pulling off shocking and often upsetting stunts that left its fanbase utterly shaken and, at times, even disturbed. Whether by killing off beloved characters or by dropping major bombshells about the apocalypse, The Walking Dead never failed to keep viewers on their toes.
11 Rick Wakes Up In An Abandoned Hospital
The Walking Dead got off to a terrific start with its pilot episode, which dropped viewers right into the middle of the apocalypse when Rick Grimes woke up from his months-long coma. A long and now iconic sequence follows the dazed Rick as he limps along through the abandoned hospital, slowly uncovering what little remains of the staff and patients inside.
This scene is a true masterclass in tension-building, as audiences are forced to follow Rick as he finds increasingly horrifying imagery, from bullet holes in the wall to a chained door keeping out legions of zombies, and even rows of bodies left behind by the government. This scene showed viewers that The Walking Dead wasn’t messing around, but was willing to go all the way in depicting the horrors of the apocalypse.
10 Dwight Kills Denise
The sixth season of The Walking Dead included a particularly shocking amount of deaths but perhaps none quite as jolting as that of Denise Cloyd, Alexandria’s resident doctor. While on a supply run with Daryl, Rosita, and Eugene, Denise gets fed up with her companions’ bickering and gives an impassioned speech about toughing things out. However, she is cut off halfway through her speech as an arrow lodges itself in her eye, killing her.
While Denise was not as major a character as some other shocking deaths in The Walking Dead, the unexpectedness of her death shook fans to their core. Never again would audiences trust a tight camera angle in a scene, as it is always possible for danger to be lurking around every corner.
9 The Governor Decapitates Hershel
In the midseason finale of The Walking Dead‘s fourth season, the villainous Governor captures Hershel and Michonne and holds them captive in front of the prison community’s walls. Rick begs his enemy to consider resolving things peacefully, only for the Governor to brutally behead Hershel with Michonne’s katana.
Hershel’s death is one of The Walking Dead‘s most shocking scenes, as audiences are forced to watch one of the kindest characters in the series meet one of the most brutal ends imaginable. Even worse, Hershel’s daughters and friends are forced to watch his excruciating demise, easily making his exit one of The Walking Dead‘s saddest deaths ever.
8 The Whisperers Reveal Themselves
In the midseason finale of The Walking Dead Season 9, a group of survivors is ambushed by a horde of walkers as they pass through a cemetery on their way back to the community. One of their members, Paul “Jesus” Rovia, takes the walkers head-on–until one member of their rank suddenly disarms and stabs him.
Paul’s death is utterly shocking on several levels. Not only were audiences not expecting such an important character to go so soon, but how he died also defied all laws of walkers that the series had set up in the past. It would later be revealed that the walker who killed Paul was not dead after all but was rather a member of the group known as the Whisperers, who wear the skin of the dead to hide themselves.
7Ron Shoots Carl In The Eye
“No Way Out” is one of the best episodes in the history of The Walking Dead for its many riveting twists and turns, many of which were deeply tragic. One of the episode’s most memorable moments comes as Rick, Carl, and the Anderson family attempt to sneak through a horde of walkers. When Jessie and Sam are consumed by the masses, Ron snaps and tries to kill Rick, only for Michonne to kill him first–but not before he fires off a shot that lodges a bullet in Carl Grimes’s eye.
This entire sequence is horrific from start to finish, as an entire family is wiped out in a matter of moments and Carl gruesomely loses his eye. This marks a turning point in the episode, as Rick reaches his limit and resolves to save Alexandria at any cost.
6 The CRM Kidnaps Rick
When AMC announced that Andrew Lincoln would leave The Walking Dead during Season 9, one question remained in audiences’ minds: how would Rick Grimes go? Rick’s final episode tricked audiences into thinking that the iconic character had died, heroically sacrificing himself to save the community. However, the episode’s final moments revealed that he had survived after all and, with some help from Jadis, Rick is kidnapped by the CRM, who takes him away in a helicopter.
Rick’s departure is a brilliant example of The Walking Dead‘s best writing, as audiences are taken on a rollercoaster of differing emotions. The episode surprises everyone with Rick’s fate, leaving behind far more questions than answers. Hopefully, viewers will finally get some clues when The Ones Who Live finally premieres on AMC.
5 Rick Reveals That Everyone Is Infected
In the first two seasons of The Walking Dead, the survivors assumed that only those who were bitten by walkers would come back as walkers themselves. However, in the finale of Season 2, Rick reveals the tragic truth that Dr. Jenning had whispered in his ear the season earlier: all humans are infected.
This major bombshell changed the game for The Walking Dead and how its survivors dealt with the apocalypse. Now, they had not only to fear the zombies all around them but also the virus in their genes. Anyone who died would come back as a walker, putting survivors at even greater risk than before.
4 Sophia Comes Out Of The Barn
Season 2 included one sequence that would change the trajectory of The Walking Dead forever. After weeks of searching for the missing Sophia Peletier, Rick, and the group finally located her–but not in the way they had hoped. When Shane clears the walkers out of Hershel’s barn, the last one to shamble out of its doors is none other than the long-lost twelve-year-old.
No one will ever forget the first time they saw Sophia’s walker stumble out of the barn and step into the light. The devastated reactions of her friends and family seal the scene as one of the most tragic in the entire series, communicating to viewers that no one is ever truly safe in the world of The Walking Dead.
3 The Pike Sequence
The penultimate episode of Season 9 includes one of the most iconic scenes from The Walking Dead comic. In the episode’s final moments, a group of survivors stumbles upon a boundary mark for the Whisperers’ territory, which has been lined with a series of pikes. Upon each pike is the head of one of their friends, still reanimated in its undead state.
This scene is one of the most memorable in the entire series, as the episode jumps back and forth to reveal each victim being discovered missing before cutting to their undead head. Each reveal builds in gravity, as long-lasting characters like Enid and Tara fall victim to the Whisperers’ callous act. Finally, the last victim is revealed as Carol’s adopted son Henry, leading her to break down at Daryl’s feet. Coupled with a haunting violin backdrop, the scene’s conclusion is enough to send chills down any viewer’s spine.
2 Negan Kills Glenn And Abraham
One scene that will live on in infamy is Negan’s horrific introduction. After audiences were left on a massive cliffhanger at the end of Season 6, Negan finally claims his victim in the first episode of Season 7. After playing a repugnant game of eeny-meenie-miney-moe, Negan brutally beats Abraham Ford to death with a baseball bat. Just when audiences think the carnage is over, Negan claims a second victim, killing the beloved Glenn Rhee in front of his pregnant wife.
Negan claiming the lives of two of The Walking Dead‘s greatest heroes is a terrific and tragic way to introduce the show’s best villain. No one will ever forget the gaping feeling in their stomach as they watched Abraham die–nor their utter horror as they watched Glenn meet the same fate. In a single episode, Negan made himself the most hated character in The Walking Dead, setting up the storyline for the next several seasons of the series.
