Carol Peletier began her journey on The Walking Dead looking like the kind of person who couldn't survive in the apocalypse on her own for more than a day. But over time, she grew into one of the toughest, bravest, and best characters in the entire series.
Every character on the show has experienced an unimaginable amount of suffering and loss, but it seems like Carol's journey has been exceptionally brutal from start to finish. What are the saddest things about Carol Peletier as a character?
She Never Feels Good Enough For Anyone
It's undeniable that all of the people in the group of survivors both respect and deeply love Carol. But, after everything that she's done and she's been through, she oftentimes doesn't feel like she's good enough to be loved by any of them.
Even when people like Daryl or Ezekiel make it clear just how much they adore her, it can take Carol quite a while to open up to their love and admiration, and when she makes mistakes she expects them to hate her for it.
She And Daryl Were Separated For Years
The group that formed around Rick's leadership became more than friends, they were truly a family. But one pair that became best friends and family were Daryl and Carol.
They understood each other in a way that no one else could, and although they both had rough lives before the apocalypse hit, in many ways they healed each other from their old wounds. So, the fact that they were separated from each other for a long period of time was exceptionally heartbreaking.
She Was Abused By Her Husband
In a somewhat grim sense, the end of the world is actually what saved Carol's life in the long run. Or rather, the death of her husband Ed is what stopped Carol from ultimately being killed by him in the future.
Carol is a completely different person at the start of The Walking Dead, and that is due entirely to the fact that Ed Peletier abused her horribly throughout their marriage and broke her down mentally and physically.
She Has To Make Hard Choices
Carol isn't just one of the strongest survivors in the history of The Walking Dead, she is also one of the most pragmatic as well, sometimes to the point of brutality.
Carol will do anything for the people that she loves, and she has done some truly abhorrent things in the name of keeping other people alive. She puts the burden on herself to do what needs to be done, which sometimes has disastrous results for her.
She Was Banished From The Group
Ironically, Rick banishing Carol from the prison ultimately wound up saving everyone's lives, but it must have been a crushing blow to Carol as a person.
When it looks like a serious illness is about to break out in the prison, Carol kills Karen and David and burns their bodies in the hopes that it will stop the spread. Unfortunately, her hopes are dashed and the illness burns through the prison like wildfire, and her actions against Karen and David lead to her being left to fend for herself.
She Left The Group Because She Couldn't Keep Being Who She Was
Carol is one of the strongest and most dangerous survivors on The Walking Dead, and she was willing to do whatever it took to keep the people she loved safe. However, being the person who always does the dirty work takes its toll on anyone mentally.
So, it was heartbreaking but not surprising when Carol ultimately decided that she needed to leave Alexandria because she simply couldn't be who she had to be in order to keep going, and she couldn't bear to lose anyone else.
She Had To Kill Lizzie
Carol is one of the few people in the apocalyptic world who seems to understand what it takes to survive and protect the people around you, but fans of the series were shocked when it went as far as Carol killing Lizzie because she was too dangerous to be left alive.
Carol became a surrogate parent to Lizzie and Mika, so the fact that she could even go as far as killing Lizzie was a heartbreaking moment for Carol.
Her Daughter Died
At this point, characters dying on The Walking Dead is something to be expected, and children dying is even a bit old hat.
But when Sophia was first lost in the early years of the series, it still felt like there was some hope that she'd be found. So then, the fact that Carol kept hope alive for so long, only for she and the rest of the group to realize that she'd been dead for ages, was a crushing moment.
Her Son Died
After what happened with Sophia and then what happened with Lizzie and Mika, no one would have blamed Carol for never opening up her heart and loving a child again.
But when Henry lost his family, Carol and Ezekiel took over and became true parents to him. That's why seeing Henry's brutal death was a devastating blow for Carol, and that's also why Carol couldn't let go of her revenge against Alpha, no matter the cost.
So Many Of Her Loved Ones Died
Obviously Carol isn't the only person that this applies to, as every single character in The Walking Dead has lost an unimaginable amount of loved ones.
But the fact that Carol had to lose so many children, so many friends, and so many loved ones when she has done so much to keep them alive makes it especially sad. Carol will cross any line for the people that she cares about, which makes their deaths all the more brutal for her.