The Walking Dead follows the main character Rick Grimes as he tries to protect his son and found family in the post-apocalyptic world of the show. The series is full of interesting characters trying to survive the zombie apocalypse with a wide range of different reactions to the situation.
The series has become known for killing off characters in shocking ways, that some fans love and some hate, and it has introduced characters from its popular comic book source material and created characters and storylines for the show. The Walking Dead has been on the air for a long time and has had its fair share of fantastic moments that fans cheered for and moments that had fans rage quitting.
Nope: Glenn's Fake Death
The Walking Dead has opted to try to constantly shock its audience in later seasons instead of building its characters and storylines like in earlier seasons and one of the worst offenses is Glenn's (Steven Yeun) cliffhanger fate during Season 6. Glenn is presumed dead as he falls into a horde of walkers, but it is later revealed that he hid under a dumpster and escaped. It's a divisive scene that some fans loved and others hated and quit watching because of it.
Ratings Spike: Michonne's Introduction
Michonne (Danai Gurira) is a fan favorite in the comics and every fan was awaiting her introduction in the series, and it did not disappoint. She appears at the end of the second season and looks exactly as she does in the comics, with walkers on leashes and a katana. It's a quick and mysterious introduction, as she saves Andrea and her face isn't fully shown, but any fan of the comics knew exactly who she was and anyone who didn't was excited to learn more about the character.
Nope: Glenn's Real Death
Fans of the comics wondered if Glenn's death would be the same as it is in the comics and the show's answer to this was: partly. In another cliffhanger ending, The Walking Dead showed that villain Negan did beat a main character with his bat, Lucille, but didn't show who it was.
This led to speculation about who got the bat, and it was revealed that Abraham was killed. Glenn was then killed in the same way for shock value, and many fans were upset that a character who had been around since the pilot seemed to be killed as an afterthought.
Ratings Spike: Negan's Introduction
Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is one of the most popular villains of the comic and fans were excitedly waiting for his appearance on the show. He's incredibly ruthless as a human antagonist and directly kills multiple main characters within the series. Negan and Rick have a legendary rivalry and fans wanted to see who would portray Negan and most weren't disappointed when Jeffrey Dean Morgan was chosen to wield the bat.
Nope: Rick Leaving
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) has been the central character of the series since the pilot and many fans were left feeling that his departure should have ended the show. Rick had died in the comics so it wasn't entirely shocking when it looked like he had been killed in the show, but the fact that Rick survived and might be returning in a film seems to be dragging on the character's storyline instead of providing a satisfying ending to his story and the show.
Ratings Spike: The Governor's Introduction
The Governor is one of the first big baddie characters of The Walking Dead who operates as a true villainous in the apocalyptic world. The Governor runs his own community, Woodbury, and the facade quickly falls as he proves to be psychotic and cold-blooded.
The Governor targets Rick's group for revenge after Michonne kills his zombified daughter and the group attacks Woodbury to save Daryl. He was overall one of the show's most entertaining villains and proved that walkers weren't always the biggest threat.
Nope: Carl's Death
Carl had been at the center of Rick's determination to survive the apocalypse for most of the show because he needed to protect his son and most fans feel that Carl's death didn't honor either character. Carl sacrifices himself to protect Siddiq and slowly dies from a walker bite. His sacrifice didn't accomplish much as Siddiq has been killed off since, it didn't create a truce between Negan and Rick, and Rick didn't seem to be completely devastated.
Ratings Spike: Shane's Descent And Death
Shane (Jon Bernthal) was one of the first human antagonists of the series and his character arc was undeniably entertaining and made sense within the show. The first two seasons built up the divide between Rick and Shane, who used to be best friends and partners before the apocalypse, and the deterioration of their relationship and Shane's mental state in the apocalypse. His descent and eventual death, one of the first main character antagonist deaths of the series, at the hands of Rick was well done and furthered Rick's character development.
Nope: Beth's Death
Although the show is known for its sudden deaths and no character is safe, Beth's death hit differently. She had been missing for several episodes and when she was finally found she was immediately killed, by accident. The show also chose to focus on Daryl's reaction to her death and barely spent any time on her older sister Maggie's reaction. This was a divisive death where some fans were upset and some fans appreciate the suddenness of it all.
Ratings Spike: Rick And Michonne
Rick and Michonne begin a relationship and actually find some domestic bliss within the apocalypse. It wasn't dramatic or over the top, the two just finally came together and had some incredibly sweet relationship moments throughout the show. Most fans rooted for this relationship, like fan-favorite couple Maggie and Glenn, and wanted to see Rick in a happy relationship after Lori's death.