After what seems like a lifetime on the small screen, The Walking Dead is finally coming to it's end after it's upcoming eleventh season. The show is pretty notorious for killing off characters so quickly that the audience hardly has time to learn their names, however there are a few mainstays that have managed to survive for a shockingly long time and have made a strong impression on the audience.
And just like any good TV characters, those that have survived have evolved and changed over the course of their tenure on the series. Here are their transformations, in pictures.
Carl Grimes
It was a huge shock to lose Carl Grimes in the middle of season 8, especially to something as relatively mundane as a walker bite (it really seems like everyone left alive should be pretty good at dodging them by now).
However, it's even more shocking to see how he grew up before the audience's eyes. Aside from Rick's classic hat, the Carl from the beginning of the series is barely recognizable in comparison to the Carl towards the end of the series.
Judith Grimes
Often times it seems like a time jump in any TV show is just a plot device used to skip over having to actually explain what's happening, but in the case of Judith Grimes, it certainly did the character a lot of favors. Judith was an adorable baby and toddler, but ultimately up until the jump that's all that she was.
But now that she's a fully fledged child, she's developed into a legitimate character, and one who is worthy of the last name Grimes.
Gabriel Stokes
Gabriel's introduction into The Walking Dead was downright bizarre, as finding a lone priest in the middle of the woods was extremely strange and seemingly dangerous at the time. But it turns out that Gabriel was just a cowardly man who left his congregation to die.
That starting point made it seem like his character wasn't long for this world, however over the course of a few years he has completely transformed into a heroic figure who truly leads his people now.
Rosita Espinosa
Although Rosita has really evolved over the course of her arc on the show, she is someone who's fundamental character traits haven't changed all that much, and that is definitely for the best. Unlike many other characters, Rosita seemed fit and capable of surviving in this world from the moment that she was introduced.
Now that she's a mom she has mellowed a bit, but she can still throw down with the best of them.
Eugene Porter
The fact that Eugene is even still alive is a borderline miracle, as not only was he initially terrified of his own shadow, but his lack of basic survival skills and his fundamentally awful survival instincts seemed to almost get him killed every time he stepped outside.
And while he'll never be the hero that he may wish he was, he has finally come into his own and forced himself to be courageous against all his essential instincts.
Maggie Greene
Maggie is one of the oldest characters still left on the show, and although she seemed like little more than a badass farmer's daughter at the start, it's not that surprising that she has survived this long.
But what's even more notable about Maggie is not only has she grown into the role of a true community leader, more importantly she hasn't let this world alter her fundamentally moral and righteous character.
Michonne
Right from the jump, Michonne was one of the most badass characters in Walking Dead history, and she has lived up to that stereotype every episode since.
She's one of the groups most fierce fighters, but she went from a lonely and seemingly borderline deranged woman to someone who is an essential part of the ever-extending Grimes family. Most importantly, she has made Judith and RJ into the burgeoning heroes they clearly are.
Rick Grimes
Sometimes The Walking Dead still doesn't quite feel like The Walking Dead now that Rick Grimes is gone, but the impact his character has had on the show can't be erased, even with his absence.
Rick began his journey as a very Dudley Do-Right type of guy, but as he sojourned further into this insane world he seemed to edge closer and closer towards insanity himself. He always managed to pull himself back from the brink and keep his loved ones alive, but his transformation was internal as well as external.
Carol Peletier
Out of every character in the series, no one underwent a more drastic transformation that Carol. She began as an abused housewife who was afraid of her own shadow (and even more afraid of her husband Ed's), and now she is a character who has more than earned her nickname of Scare-ol.
She once told her son Henry that she always kept her hair short because her husband would grab it when it was long, so the fact that she now has long hair clearly symbolizes her complete evolution.
Daryl Dixon
Carol may be the most transformed character in the entire series, but Daryl probably gives her a run for her money.
Starting off as a rude redneck who just does whatever his brother tells him to, the Daryl of today is one of the most caring and reliable people left in this world. He will fight for and defend his friends to the end, and he is a genuine leader who is beloved by all who know him.