Carol is one of the most popular characters from the AMC series The Walking Dead, which is based on the Robert Kirkman comic book series of the same name. With many aspects of the show, creative liberties are taken in order for the concept to translate better to the big screen versus the written page. That includes both the overarching stories as well as the characters themselves.
Some characters take completely different paths, like Andrea and Carl, while others like Glenn are pretty much the same in the comics versus the series. Others, like Daryl, didn't even exist in the comics at all.
When it comes to Carol, the on-screen version shares some personality traits and storylines with her comic counterpart. But there are also ways she is completely different.
Her Relationship With Tyreese: Different
On the series, Carol and Tyreese did indeed share a close relationship, but it was purely platonic. And in fact, it was tense given that Carol is the one who killed Tyreese's girlfriend Karen when she was showing signs of being ill.
In the comics, Carol and Tyreese were actually romantically involved with one another. Adding a further twist to the story that is completely different from the series, Carol broke up with Tyreese because he had an affair with Michonne.
Abusive Husband: Same
The story of Carol's husband being abusive is consistent through both the series and the comics. However, while Ed is actually seen on the series as a strong personality and appears to be very mean, controlling, and both mentally and physically abusive on the series, he is described as "occasionally hitting her" in the comics. And he is seen more in a depressed state after witnessing his parents being killed and reanimated.
The comics focus more on Carol having stayed with Ed for fear of being alone while Carol on the show is depicted more as staying with Ed for fear of what would happen if she tried to leave.
She Died By Suicide: Different
While fans know that Carol's story does not end by walker, at least not any time soon given the already announced spin-off series centered around Carol and Daryl, in the comics, this is how she meets her demise.
Following her broken heart after discovering Tyreese's cheating, Carol is devastated. And eventually, she decides to let herself be bitten. The Carol on the series is much different, obviously, as she remains very much alive.
Meeting With Shane's Group: Same
Just as in the series, in the comics, Carol meets with Shane's group and she and Sophia end up setting up camp with them.
Like in the series, she does a lot of the domestic duties, including cleaning clothes and tending to the kids who, on the series, only included Sophia and Carl at that time. She was friendly with all of the women on both the show and in the comics, mostly with Lori in the comics and arguably more with Andrea on the series, who spoke out to defend her when she saw how Ed was treating her.
Ed's Death: Different
In the comics, Ed falls into a deep depression after seeing his parents killed and become walkers, and he isn't able to get out of it. He eventually dies by suicide, leaving Carol and Sophia on their own, after which they move to Atlanta to meet up with her sister.
In the series, Ed's death is far more dramatic. He is attacked by a walker in the middle of the night while with Shane's camp. Carol is the one who must deliver the final blow to the head using a pick-ax to end his reanimation. But she ends up thrusting the ax again and again, releasing her years of pent-up anger.
Protective Of Sophia: Same
Carol was very protective of her daughter Sophia both on the show and in the comics, though she seemed like a much better motherly figure on the show than in the comics.
In the comics, after Carol dies, Sophia is so traumatized that she erases all memory of her mother and takes to Glenn and Maggie as if they were her parents, eventually leading to their adoption of her. On the show, it's Carol who is traumatized by her daughter's death when she sees Sophia's reanimated body slither out of Hershel's barn with the rest of the walkers.
Her Flirtatiousness: Different
In the comics, Carol is very flirtatious, immediately giving Tyreese suggestive looks and sparking up a romance right after meeting. She also desperately kisses Rick and tries to get him and Lori on board with having a polyamorous relationship with her.
On the series, Carol is far more reserved. She doesn't really have a meaningful romantic relationship with anyone until she meets Ezekiel. If she's ever flirtatious at all, it's with Daryl, which has had fans clamoring for a romance between the two for several seasons.
A Michonne Love Triangle: Same
While there wasn't really the same type of love triangle between the comics and the series, Carol was sort of involved in a situation with herself, Michonne, and another man in both. In the comics, Carol was dating Tyreese and they broke up after he cheated on her with Michonne.
In the series, while nothing really happened between Michonne and Ezekiel (who had just broken up with Carol), they did share an awkward kiss. Ezekiel immediately apologized and blamed it on his strange state of mind.
Her Mentality: Different
Carol starts off weak in the series, but she grows stronger and stronger each season, becoming one of the fiercest fighters on the series, rivaling even Michonne.
She is the exact opposite in the comics. While the idea with Carol in the series is to show how someone can become stronger in the apocalypse once they break free of chains that might have been holding them back in real life, Carol in the comics demonstrates how the apocalyptic situation can completely break someone, especially a person who was already very co-dependent.
Hallucinating: Same
Carol hallucinating happened in both the comics and the series, though for very different reasons. In the comics, she hallucinates while talking to a walker, with the intention of finally dying by moving close enough for it to bite her neck.
In the series, Carol's hallucinations come at the expense of Alpha. Following the death of Henry, yet another child she took under her wing who perished, Carol began to hallucinate and see visions of every child who died while under her care.