While Carol underwent inspiring character development in The Walking Dead TV series, she originally had one of the story’s darkest deaths.

Fans of the AMC television series The Walking Dead are more than familiar with Carol’s exceptional growth and character development throughout the show, but if they haven’t read the original comic book series, they may be shocked to learn that she did not go through such a transformation in the source material and, in fact, suffered one of The Walking Dead’s darkest deaths.

Carol Peletier made her first appearance in AMC’s The Walking Dead in season 1 episode 3. Upon her debut, Carol is portrayed as a friendly and timid woman who suffers near constant verbal and physical abuse from her husband. As the show progresses, Carol’s husband is killed and she is free to become her own person outside of his abusive control – and that person is a strong, independent woman who isn’t afraid to kick ass and defend herself and the ones she loves from the horrors the zombie apocalypse has brought upon the world. Sadly, in the original story, she doesn’t get that chance.

Carol is Willingly Killed by a Trapped Walker in The Comic

The Walking Dead #141 (2007), by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn

In the comics, Carol meets a comparatively early end. The chief theme of Carol’s character is her need to define herself through others, and it’s this that eats away at her as the world descends into chaos. After Carol’s abusive husband takes his own life, she struggles to be part of a group where most of the other survivors are couples, and asks if Rick and Lori would be willing to enter into a polyamorous relationship. When they turn her down, shocked at the suggestion, Carol feels distanced from the group and later tries to take her own life. While she survives, she feels that the others are now constantly judging her.

Tragically, in The Walking Dead #41 (by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn) Carol approaches a zombie the group has secured for study, allowing it to bite her while confiding in it about her struggle to find a place among the other survivors.

Carol’s Death Shows Exactly What The Walking Dead TV Show Did Best

While beautifully tragic in its own intensely dark way, Carol’s death in the comics is actually something one of the creators seemingly regrets following the character’s heroic and inspiring development in the live-action series. In The Walking Dead Deluxe #41, Robert Kirkman discusses the striking differences between the TV show Carol and the comic book Carol. Kirkman acknowledges that fans of the show may be outraged by Carol’s very different ending, stating that show deviated from the source material because, “in the comic, Carol wasn’t played by an actor like Melissa McBride. Actors can really drive story, especially on a TV show.”

Within The Walking Dead comic series, Carol’s fate was seemingly set in stone. Her tragic story had naturally run its course, and her journey hammered home that aside from zombies and humans, simply existing in a world turned upside down could be incredibly harmful and potentially even deadly. Carol faced a tragic and gruesome end in The Walking Dead comic, delivering a dark message on the series’ core theme of the value of community and cooperation.