Unbelievable Twists in The Walking Dead That Left Fans Shook

Robert Kirkman has referred to “The Walking Dead” as an ongoing zombie saga. In his own words, he expressed his fondness for zombie films but disliked their conclusions. To him, it was intriguing to create a zombie story that never ends. He envisioned the exploration of characters surviving over an extended period, searching for sustenance, building relationships, and preserving those bonds amidst a zombie apocalypse as an engaging and captivating narrative to delve into for numerous years.

After an incredible journey spanning 16 years and 193 captivating issues, I found myself wrapped up in Kirkman’s epic comic series from Image, The Walking Dead. What made this ending so surprising was that not a soul could have predicted the final twist: it wasn’t until flipping through the pages of issue #193 that we realized the tale we had been following since 2003 had reached its conclusion.

I shared with the readers back then that the abrupt conclusion, which arrived without any prior notice or pomp, was due to The Walking Dead’s inherent nature of surprise. This unpredictability manifested in numerous ways, such as a last-minute character death or a plot twist so intriguing it left us stunned.

The live-action version of AMC’s zombie comic series based on Kirkman’s work came to an end in 2022, following a 177-episode journey spanning eleven seasons. Post its conclusion, spinoffs like “Dead City,” “Daryl Dixon,” and “The Ones Who Live” took over. Just as any thrilling zombie storyline, the original series was packed with unexpected turns and jolting moments, some of which were inspired by the graphic novel while others left even devoted comic readers in a state of surprise. Below you’ll find our list ranking those plot twists (proceed with caution as there are potential spoilers)).

10. Jadis and the Scavengers Betray Alexandria

As a cinephile, I’ve been on the edge of my seat for half a season, watching the build-up to an all-out conflict with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his Saviors. It appeared that Alexandria was finally finding allies in their struggle: Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and her fellow Scavengers from the junkyard.

During season 7, the team primarily focused on forging bonds with oppressed communities such as the Kingdom and Oceanside. They even persuaded the Scavengers to rise up against Negan, offering them firearms in return. However, when the Saviors arrived at Alexandria in the final episode of season 7 titled “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life,” Jadis and her Scavengers betrayed the group by aligning with Negan instead, which triggered a full-scale war between the Saviors and Scavengers against the united forces of Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom.

9. Dante Is a Whisperer

In a further deception, it was disclosed in season 10’s episode “Open Your Eyes” that Dante (Juan Javier Cardenas), who used to be Maggie’s romantic interest in the comics, had been secretly working as a Whisperer spy, tasked with spying on and undermining Alexandria.

Apart from forming a friendship with Dr. Siddiq (Avi Nash), Dante was also a member of the Whisperers, the group who wore human skin, and had left Dr. Siddiq deeply traumatized when he was forced to witness the beheadings performed by Samantha Morton’s character, Alpha. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that Dante had taken Dr. Siddiq’s life by strangling him.

8. Rick’s Secret

During the early seasons of “The Walking Dead,” one question that sparked much curiosity was: What did Jenner whisper to Rick? In the season 1 finale, when Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) took his group of survivors to the CDC in Atlanta, virologist Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich) shared a secret with Rick by whispering something in his ear. It wasn’t until over a year and another 13 episodes that viewers discovered the secret Rick had been guarding.

I learned from Jenner at the CDC that whatever this infection is, we’re all carrying it. It wasn’t through a bite for some of us, like Randall showed. Rick confirmed it when he had to kill Shane, and even after I’d stabbed him, Shane came back as one of them.

7. Carol Killed Karen and David

In my viewpoint as a fervent fan, the comic books hinted at a chilling secret hidden within the inmates of Rick’s group’s newly-captured prison. Unfortunately, this intriguing plotline didn’t quite make it onto our screens. Instead, season 4 episode “Infected” delivered an unexpected jolt with the revelation that Tyreese (Chad Coleman) stumbled upon the gruesome remains of his girlfriend Karen (Melissa Ponzio) and friend David (Brandon Carroll).

Karen and David were confined due to a flu virus outbreak that was rapidly spreading throughout the prison. In an effort to halt the spread, Carol (Melissa McBride), known for her meek demeanor, took matters into her own hands by executing Karen and David. This ruthless act was all the more shocking given Carol’s previously submissive nature, even as she began to blossom following the events of season 2 (more on that later).

6. Terminus Cannibals

Following the Governor’s (David Morrissey) destructive attack on the prison in the midseason 4 finale titled “Too Far Gone,” the second half of season 4 showed the survivors split apart. Every path ultimately led to Terminus, a place that had announced: “Refuge for all. Society for all. Those who come, live.

As the various groups eventually met up at Terminus, Rick, Carl (Chandler Riggs), Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Daryl (Norman Reedus) arrived to discover that the others had been corralled into a boxcar like cattle. It was then disclosed that Gareth’s (Andrew J. West) group, the Termites, were brutal cannibals who would entice people to Terminus only to slaughter them. The fifth season episode “No Sanctuary” was as startlingly violent and ruthless as it was merciless, particularly when Carol initiated a solo assault on Terminus to rescue her friends before they could be butchered and consumed.

5. Eugene’s Lie

As the fifth season progressed, the relocated group found a new purpose when timid Eugene (Josh McDermitt) suggested he possessed a remedy for the walker pandemic. Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Rosita (Christian Serratos) took charge of guiding Eugene to Washington D.C., aiming to save mankind, and later Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Glenn (Steven Yeun), and Tara (Alanna Masterson) joined them on this critical journey.

Heading to D.C. during season 5’s “Self Help” episode, I found myself, Eugene, admitting the truth: “I’m not a scientist, I lied, I don’t know how to halt this.” In my desperation for safety, I tricked stronger and more capable individuals into leading me to safety. However, as our resources dwindled, we were left with no choice but to journey towards D.C., eventually finding ourselves in the Alexandria community in Virginia.

4. The Pikes

As a film enthusiast, I found myself on the edge of my seat during the climactic moments of “The Calm Before,” the ninth season’s penultimate episode. The scene closed with Daryl, Carol, Michonne, Siddiq, and Yukio (Eleanor Matsuura) standing at Alpha’s boundary, marking the Whisperer territory. Simultaneously, an ominous chill settled over the Kingdom’s Fair of New Beginnings as people mysteriously vanished.

Upon reaching the boundary, I stumbled upon a chilling sight – decapitated heads of ten individuals, grotesquely impaled on spikes. Among them were familiar faces like Tara and Enid. But what truly sent shivers down my spine was the head of Carol’s adopted son, Henry. The shock was palpable as I recognized his face.

3. Eeny Meeny Miny More

At the end of season 6, titled “Last Day on Earth,” Rick was captured by Negan’s group, the Saviors. In a suspenseful finale moment, Negan presented himself and conducted a chilling game using the rhyme “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” to decide which member of Rick’s group would suffer the gruesome fate of having their head bashed in with his bat, Lucille, wrapped in barbed wire.

The cast consists of Rick, Carl, Michonne, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, Rosita, Abraham, Eugene, Sasha (played by Sonequa Martin-Green), and Aaron (Ross Marquand). The previous episode ended with a death using a baseball bat, but it wasn’t until the season 7 premiere, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” that Negan’s victim was disclosed. In an unexpected turn of events, Negan brutally killed Abraham in the following episode. Contrary to expectations, Glenn appeared to escape his demise from “The Walking Dead” comic book issue #100, but tragically, Negan claimed a second life when he savagely crushed Glenn’s head into a gory pulp.

2. Sophia In the Barn

In the premiere episode of season 2 titled “What Lies Ahead,” Carol’s daughter Sophia (played by Madison Lintz) fled from a group of walkers on the highway and went missing. The team then established themselves at the Greene family farm, dedicating the first half of season 2 to finding Sophia. She was eventually located during the “Pretty Much Dead” midseason finale.

Though they clung to belief that the girl might still be alive, the group was taken aback when a zombified Sophia emerged from the barn, accompanied by numerous other walkers controlled by Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince). This incident occurred at a point in time when Hershel (Scott Wilson) thought there could be a cure for them. In response, Rick took action and shot Sophia to end her life.

1. Carl’s Death

As I sat down to pen my thoughts on the gripping eighth season of this beloved show, I found myself compelled to share an intriguing revelation from the episode titled “How It’s Gotta Be.” In this installment, our protagonist Carl, in a moment that left viewers on the edge of their seats, confided in Rick and Michonne about a harrowing encounter he had several episodes back (specifically, “The King, the Widow, and Rick”). It was then that we learned Carl had been bitten by one of the undead horde, while heroically saving Siddiq from certain doom. The suspense was palpable as we awaited the consequences of this fateful bite, adding yet another layer of tension to an already action-packed season.

In a surprising turn of events, Carl’s death in “Honor,” during the midseason premiere of season 8, marked a significant departure from his comic book counterpart. Despite numerous twists and turns, fans of The Walking Dead believed that Carl was relatively safe due to his longevity extending into a 25-year time jump and surviving the series in the comics. However, this was not the case on television.

2025-04-17 15:12