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The AMC’s drama The Walking Dead is known for having a passionate fanbase. On air for over a decade, the show has had its fair share of controversies. From character favorites being killed violently to controversial plots and even worse special effects, this zombie show is known for angering even the most loyal fans.
While it wouldn’t be The Walking Dead we know and love without a lot of shocking violence and gore, fans regularly have criticized the way certain deaths have been portrayed on screen. Then there are the plot holes and story developments that have angered watchers, making some of them even boycott the show.
Here are some of the most controversial moments that have happened over the 11 seasons of The Walking Dead.
SPOILER ALERT! This article contains details from all seasons of The Walking Dead
8/8 Glenn’s Death In Season 7 Of The Walking Dead
Season six ended in a huge cliffhanger. Viewers tuned into season seven’s premiere episode to learn who had met their fate. Many fans were already angered by the overly dramatic cliffhanger ending. The backlash was so bad that showrunner Scott M. Gimple had to tell the press that the wait would be worth it.
Sadly, most audience members were disappointed with the end result. The episode starts by revealing that Negan killed Abraham with his baseball bat as the others watched in horror. Daryl retaliates only for Negan to kill fan-favorite Glenn.
Glenn’s death was criticized for being purely for shock value and being overly gory. It was also pointed out that his death via baseball bat mirrored the violent murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American man who was brutally beaten to death in Michigan in 1982.
7/8 The Unfair Treatment of LBGTQ+ Characters On The Walking Dead
Although The Walking Dead has never been scared to kill off fan favorite characters, it is especially painful to see so many layered LGBTQ+ characters die so violently. Known as “burying your gays,” The Walking Dead is one of the worst offenders at killing off their queer characters.
Denise’s death in the middle of season six frustrated viewers who were happy to see the representation. The deaths of Tara and Jesus during season nine really infuriated watchers, with many feeling that they felt it was okay to swap out one set of LGBTQ+ characters rather than letting us get to know them better.
6/8 That Bad CGI Deer On The Walking Dead
A few CGI moments haven’t quite lived up to viewers expectations. The moment that will come to peoples minds first is during season seven, episode 12, when Rick spots a dear. In an episode focusing on the relationship between Rick and Michonne, it’s the Rick killing the bad CGI deer many people will remember. The shots of the CGI deer were so fake, many people were shocked it made the final cut.
5/8 The Fake Out Deaths On The Walking Dead
Viewers were shocked when AMC announced that season nine’s fifth episode, “What Comes After,” would be Rick Grimes’ final episode of the show. In this universe, that means that someone is about to die. People were shocked were perhaps a little excited.
So, when Rick explodes a bridge to save people from a horde of walkers, everyone assumed this would be his last moment. It seemed a fittingly heroic end to Grimes, yet he is found alive at the end of the episode. He is taken by a mysterious helicopter that isn’t explained until the next season. Many felt it was a tacky ploy to attract viewers and that there had been too many pseudo-deaths by this point.
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The other time fans were angered by a fake-out death was when Glenn and Nicholas jumped into a dumpster in the third episode of season six. Nicholas chooses to end his life and ends up pulling Glenn down with him into the group of walkers beside the dumpster. We see bodies being ripped apart, and we presume they belong to both characters. Three episodes later, we learn Glenn was alive and hiding under the dumpster. It made no sense for him to have survived and fans shouldn’t have waited so long for the reveal.
4/8 The Death Of So Many Black Characters On The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead had one of the most diverse cast on TV. But after T-Dog and Osca died in suspiciously quick succession, the show quickly killed off Tyreese, Noah, and Bob in season five alone. This made people question why all the African-American characters were dying at the same time.
Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd defended the show by saying that they’ve “killed a lot more white characters than African-American characters.” Considering the number of white characters they had in comparison to African-Americans, it is hardly an achievement.
3/8 Carl Grimes’ Journey On The Walking Dead
Rick’s son Carl was a controversial, love-to-hate character on the show. The main plot of The Walking Dead was about Rick and Carl, who grew up during a zombie apocalypse.
Carl’s death was felt by fans as the show looking desperately for a ratings boost. For many, it felt like the whole purpose of the show changes. Carl felt like a natural leader, who would go on to have more adventures in the apocalypse and stake a claim in the brave new world.
It also felt like all the years following Carl and seeing him grow were ultimately pointless. Despite all the times he has been annoying and made mistakes, he was an interesting character whose journey we watched for years.
2/8 Fans Felt Alexandria Was Problematic On The Walking Dead
Although the source materials and the showrunner can be blamed for the season six and seven problems, many feel like The Alexandria Safe-Zone appearing lowered the quality.
Our once-wandering group of survivors was suddenly stuck in this rather boring safe zone, dealing with too many new characters that many felt hard to connect to. We started seeing our original cast less, and it felt like more budget was spent on cast members than cinematography.
1/8 Mismanaging Carol’s Character Was Controversial On The Walking Dead
Carol is one of most people’s favorite character, alongside Daryl and Michone. These characters are so beloved by fans, it’s no surprise they are angry with how they became underdeveloped in later seasons.
Carol’s evolution from a meek housewife to a ruthless killer was one of the most interesting aspects of the early seasons, yet it felt like the showrunners didn’t quite know where to take her. She had lost all the children she had ever had in her protection and even had to controversially kill a child herself, yet the writers didn’t know where to take her development.
The perhaps most shocking Carol moment came in season 4’s “The Grove” episode. After 11-year-old Lizzie stabbed her little sister to death in an attempt, Carol was forced to kill her. For a show that is beloved for its gore, this was too far for many.
