When the word "dead" is literally in the title of a TV series, it's safe to assume that there will be a lot of dying within the actual show. The Walking Dead takes that expectation and amps it up to the highest level that anyone could possibly imagine. So many characters have died for so many reasons and in so many ways, at this point it's almost impossible to keep track and remember them all. How can they possibly top what's come before?
Of course, there are some deaths that are just worse than others. Some are the saddest, some are the most unfair, and some are the most brutal that anyone could even conceive of. The Walking Dead has never shied away from copious amounts of blood and guts, but they have managed to kill off some characters in such gruesome and unusual ways that it's impossible to forget. Let's take a look at some of the grisliest deaths in the show's history. Needless to say, this article's full of spoilers if you aren't up to date with the series!
Spencer Monroe
Spencer Monroe clearly wasn't cut out for the new world that exists within The Walking Dead, and it's a shame that he didn't have someone like Rick to warn him how far in over his head he was right before Negan killed him.
We can't imagine why Spencer thought that Negan would ever respect someone like him as a leader, and clearly he would have been better off if he had just let sleeping dogs lie and stayed off of his radar completely. Of course, he didn't, and that's why Negan gutted him like a fish in front of his entire community.
Dr. Carson
Dr. Carson's death was a brutal one, even in TWD terms, but what really makes this one extra awful is that he wasn't even guilty of anything to warrant that kind of execution in the first place. Dwight framed Dr. Carson for Sherry's abrupt absence, and although Carson didn't actually do anything wrong, he admits his guilt when Negan threatens him with the iron.
The good doctor begs Negan to leave his face intact, and so Negan just throws the doctor face first into the flaming furnace. Most people would prefer being eaten by walkers or any other manner of typical TWD death over that.
Abraham Ford
Obviously, Negan kills his new subjects in such a horrendous way to make a very clear point, but with Abraham Ford it felt like an extra tragic death, simply because Abraham deserved to at least go out swinging.
Abraham would probably destroy Negan in any one-on-one fight, but he presumably decided to take those hits for the team because fighting back could have put everyone else in much more danger. Abraham still managed to give Negan some classic Abraham attitude before being beaten to death with a barbed wire-covered baseball bat, though.
The Scavengers
As far as human deaths go, being shot is actually probably one of the best ways to go in the world of The Walking Dead, but these people really didn't deserve to all be massacred because Simon was annoyed and wanted to be rid of them.
However, when Jadis is the only one left alive, she has to do something about her newly zombified comrades, and her way of taking care of them is gruesome to say the least. There is a metal grinder in the junkyard, which she activates before leading all of the walkers into it, turning them all into zombie paste.
Aiden Monroe
Plenty of characters on The Walking Dead meet their maker by being devoured by walkers, but Aiden Monroe's death was particularly gory and seemed unbearably painful. Aiden finds himself too close to the blast of a grenade when it goes off, the force of explosion knocks him back to the wall, and he's impaled on some metal bars... but miraculously still alive.
Nicholas tries to help him for a moment, but in typical Nicholas fashion, he panics and runs. Glenn and Noah are forced to leave him behind because of the incoming walkers, and Aiden is eaten alive.
Noah
Regardless of which deaths follow Noah's on this list, one thing is clear: the writers of The Walking Dead must have intentionally tried to make Noah's death into the most brutal and gory death in the history of the series.
For a moment it looks like the walkers are just going to drag him into the crowd, but at the last second he's pressed up against the glass as the walkers begin to eat him. Glenn's horrified face is enough to sell the moment, but the scene cuts back as the walkers literally begin ripping Noah's head apart. No TWD fan will ever forget that moment.
Hershel Greene
Realistically speaking, Hershel Greene was probably always living on borrowed time once he lost his leg, but he still didn't have to go out like that. Everyone knew the governor was dangerous, and when he rolled up on the prison with a tank and two hostages, it was clear that things were going to go badly.
For a brief moment, when Rick is trying to talk to everyone and resolve things amicably, it looks like everything might be okay. That is, until the governor starts hacking Hershel's head off with Michonne's sword in front of literally everyone who loves Hershel. He's an inexperienced swordsman, too, so it takes a few whacks.
Lori Grimes
Lori isn't the only character on The Walking Dead who died because she was basically cut in half, but it was a beyond gruesome and painful death that was tragic on a lot of levels. It's sweet that she got to say goodbye to Carl, and it's sweet that she was willing to die for her baby, but that experience obviously changed Carl and Maggie forever.
Plus, one thing that differentiates Lori's death from everyone else's is that she was a willing participant and knew exactly what was coming. Heck, she even had to stay still while Maggie cut her open, which must have been a torturous way to go.
Dale Horvath
For our next character who dies by being cut in half, we have Dale Horvath. While walking around one night at the Greene farm, Dale abruptly finds himself face to face with a walker when he's completely unarmed. He initially manages to stave off the walker without being bitten, but once the walker has him pinned on the ground it literally rips open Dale's stomach and basically disembowels him.
Rick tries his best to put Dale out of his misery, but even he can't manage it. After a moment, Daryl actually does put Dale out of his misery, and he truly was doing his friend a favor.
Glenn Rhee
When it comes to TWD deaths that are just brutal and absolute heartbreakers on every level, it's going to be hard to ever top Glenn Rhee's exit from the series. Obviously, his death at the hands of Negan and Lucille is as gory as everyone would expect, but there is the added element that he is surrounded by everyone he loves, including his wife Maggie, and they're all helpless to do anything to save him or even give him an easier death.
Plus, it was only Daryl's behavior that caused Negan to go back for round two, which only twists the brutality knife further.