With the final part of season 11 of The Walking Dead set to be released this fall, and at least one spinoff focusing on the characters of this series in the works, fans are eager to see how the showrunners will end this long-running story.
Whether they're new characters or ones that have been around since the beginning, some of the prominent figures have made important decisions that change the course of the plot. While there have been a lot of decisions made by these central characters, each of them made a decision that was more dire than the others.
Mercer - Killing His Own Men
While Mercer at first came off as a villain in the series, it's become clear that he's a good person at heart. It's hard to dislike a character who is with someone as likable as Princess.
When Pamela Milton's spoiled son sends people in to get money out of a house swarmed with walkers, Rosita and Daryl are the only ones to make it out alive. Whether to get rid of his guards that are unreliable and selfish or just out of anger, Mercer chooses to shoot both of the guards that safely await the money. By doing this, he proved he has morals that outweigh his dedication to the Commonwealth.
Ezekiel - Secret Clinic
There are a lot of burning questions left after the second half of season 11 of The Walking Dead, but fans were relieved to see Ezekiel's cancerous tumor taken care of before it became fatal.
While Carol's assistance bumped him up on the list to receive this life-saving surgery, Ezekiel also noticed the difficult nature of health care in the Commonwealth. To help out those that need medical services and aren't able to access them, Ezekiel opens a secret clinic to assist the common people of the community. Though he isn't a king anymore, it's refreshing to see him still trying to do his best for the people.
Rosita - Moving To The Commonwealth
It's clear now that the Commonwealth has a lot of secrets and isn't as wholesome as they pretend to be. However, Rosita made a good choice in moving to the community.
While Rosita was pretty good at taking care of herself, it was clear she was a perfect fit for the guards of the community. She now also has a safe place for her infant, Coco. Now that they know that there are some scheming, evil people in the community's hierarchy, Rosita is someone on the inside that works with the police system.
Aaron and Gabriel - Working With The Commonwealth
In the second half of season 11, Aaron convinces Gabriel to work with the Commonwealth to recruit other groups to join the community's network. While it turns out to almost get the two of them killed, seeing Carlson's true colors opened their eyes to the danger of this supposedly perfect community.
The events of killing Carlson and many of the Commonwealth's guards lead to Lance Hornsby's attempt to take out Maggie's group. Had they not gone with Carlson's group to supposedly recruit, they never would have known the true nature of this other group.
Eugene - Looking For Stephanie
One of the best moments in season 11 of The Walking Dead is when Eugene goes on an obsessive search for his supposedly missing girlfriend, Stephanie. It's not hard to feel bad for Eugene after he finds out Stephanie was a phony working with Hornsby.
However, this also opens Eugene's eyes to the conniving, evil nature of Lance Hornsby. This search leads him to the reality of the Commonwealth, encouraging him to work with other members of the group within this community to uncover the dirty deads of the leaders.
Carol - Working With Hornsby
Carol has a track record of pretending to be someone she's not to get on people's good side. However, she acts like her powerful, intelligent self when she begins working with the deputy governor. By working with Lance Hornsby she is able to show her true colors while also gaining access to one of the most powerful members of the Commonwealth.
Now that Hornsby has proven to be a villain, fans are hoping Carol's access to him will result in her ending his reign of terror when the time comes.
Daryl - Turning On Hornsby
At first glance, it was a good decision Daryl made to move him, Judith, and RJ to the Commonwealth. While there, he gave the children a safe place with access to education and food.
However, it didn't take him long to learn Hornsby's way and stand by Maggie, turning on the guards of the Commonwealth and eventually having to kill Leah when she's working with them to kill Maggie. Daryl is one of the characters with the most growth, going from a loner to someone dedicated to keeping those he cares about safe.
Negan - Leaving The Group
Negan is the best villain known in The Walking Dead series, but he has also been an exceptional antagonist in this last season. Though he tries to prove himself to the group, he understands when it's time to separate for a while and go his own way.
That was the best decision Negan has made in this season. By leaving, he was able to find other people that could rely on them. When Maggie saw he had people that knew who he used to be and still trusted him with their safety, she began to start trusting him.
Maggie - Abandoning Hilltop
Maggie has changed a lot throughout the course of this series, becoming a strong leader capable of making the most difficult decisions. While audiences appreciated her ability to start trusting Negan, her best decision was the one she made for the good of her whole group.
Hilltop has been her home for many years. Even when she was away for a time, she came back when she needed a safe place. By blowing up the Hilltop to get the upper hand when fighting Hornsby's group, she decided to give up a place for the safety of her people.