Daryl Dixon is officially back in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2, subtitled “The Book of Carol.” After the landmark events of the first season, which saw Norman Reedus’s titular character wash ashore in France, Daryl now reunites with one of his oldest friends and must decide whether to keep fighting for the survivors abroad or finally return home.

While Daryl still has plenty of development to do in his spinoff series, much of his character traits can be traced back to his journey in the original The Walking Dead series. In his eleven seasons on the show, Daryl lost many people close to him, with their deaths shaping who he would become.

10Rosita’s Death Sobered Daryl Ahead of His Spinoff

Rosita Was Bitten by a Walker in the Series Finale

Name
Rosita Espinosa

Actor
Christian Serratos

First Episode
4×10: “Inmates”

Death Episode
11×24: “Rest in Peace”

Rosita Espinosa was a major part of The Walking Dead from its fourth season until the very last episode of the series. A fighter to the very end, Rosita sustained a walker bite while protecting her baby Coco from the horde that had infiltrated the Commonwealth. She survives through the rest of the episode’s action, only to reveal her injury after the danger has ended. She dies in a bed, surrounded by her loved ones, a relatively good way to go in the zombie apocalypse.

Daryl and Rosita grew close over the last few seasons of The Walking Dead and, while viewers don’t see much of his reaction to her death, it changes him significantly. Before Rosita’s death, it had been a long time since Daryl had lost someone so close to him and he had grown somewhat used to having people around. By the time his spinoff series has started, Daryl has reverted back to his loner personality, afraid to let new people in for fear of losing them too.

9Daryl Vowed Revenge After Denise’s Death

Denise Was Shot Through the Eye with an Arrow by Dwight

Name
Dr. Denise Cloyd

Actor
Merritt Wever

First Episode
6×02: “JSS”

Death Episode
6×14: “Twice as Far”

Dr. Denise Cloyd was Aelxandria’s resident doctor in Season 6 of The Walking Dead. However, she didn’t last much longer after her introduction. While on a scavenging mission with Daryl, Eugene, and Rosita, Denise grew tired of their bickering and gave them a long lecture–which was cut short when an arrow shot through the back of her head and out her right eye.

The surprise attack on Denise had been perpetrated by Dwight, one of Negan’s soldiers who had a particular rivalry with Daryl. Although he hadn’t been that close to the doctor, Denise’s death profoundly affected Daryl. He vowed revenge on Dwight from that day forward, targeting him whenever he could after the Savior War erupted. However, Daryl surprisingly let go of his anger after Dwight redeemed himself and he eventually let his sworn enemy live.

8Hershel’s Death Confirmed Daryl’s Worst Fears

Hershel Was Decapitated with a Katana by the Governor

Name
Dr. Hershel Greene

Actor
Scott Wilson

First Episode
2×02: “Bloodletting”

Death Episode
4×08: “Too Far Gone”

Dr. Hershel Greene was one of The Walking Dead‘s most beloved characters. A veterinarian who often gave Rick sage advice, Hershel’s time in the series was cut short halfway through Season 4. He and Michonne were captured by the villainous governor, who used them as hostages against Rick and the prison community. However, the Governor refused to accept the terms that Rick offered to get his hostages back, instead decapitating Hershel in front of his friends and family.

Like the other members of the prison community, Daryl was forced to watch Hershel die a brutal death that he hadn’t earned. Unlike Rick, Daryl had never believed that they were safe in the prison and had devoted much of his time to finding the Governor, though he failed to do so. After this horrific event, Daryl’s worst fears were confirmed and he retreated into himself, growing colder as a result. It was only the friendship of Hershel’s daughter Beth that brought Daryl back from the brink, and even then only briefly.

7Daryl Was Forced to Kill Leah to Save Maggie’s Life

Daryl Shot Leah in the Head While She Was Trying to Kill Maggie

Name
Leah Shaw

Actor
Lynn Collins

First Episode
10×18: “Rendition”

Death Episode
11×16: “Acts of God”

Leah Shaw was Daryl’s first love interest on The Walking Dead, but things didn’t work out between them. After their separation, Leah’s community was decimated by Maggie, who acted in defense of her own people. This kickstarted a long rivalry between the two women, which led to Leah capturing Maggie and attempting to kill her. Thankfully, Daryl arrived just in time and was forced to shoot his former lover in the head.

Leah was one of the first people whom Daryl opened up to after Rick’s disappearance, making it all the more heartbreaking that he was forced to kill her later in the series. Daryl still hasn’t engaged in another romance since her death, though fans of the character often campaign for him to end up with either Carol or Connie.

6Sophia’s Death Shocked the Entire Group

Sophia Was Bitten by a Walker Off-Screen

Name
Sophia Peletier

Actor
Madison Lintz

First Episode
1×03: “Tell it to the Frogs”

Death Episode
2×07: “Pretty Much Dead Already”

One of the biggest deaths in the early seasons of The Walking Dead was that of Sophia Peletier. Carol’s daughter disappeared at the beginning of the second season, with the characters devoting several weeks to searching for her in the nearby area. However, their search was in vain, as they discovered when Sophia’s walker stumbled out of Hershel’s barn.

Sophia’s death was particularly heartbreaking for Daryl, who had been the most diligent member of the group in searching for her. At this point, Daryl was only just beginning to warm to the other survivors in his group but Sophia’s death caused him to take a step backward. From that point on, Daryl was always more protective of the children in his group, doing his best to protect them so that they didn’t meet the same fate as Sophia.

5Merle’s Death Freed Daryl from His Past

Merle Was Shot by the Governor

Name
Merle Dixon

Actor
Michael Rooker

First Episode
1×02: “Guts”

Death Episode
3×15: “This Sorrowful Life”

Daryl’s brother Merle was one of The Walking Dead‘s more complicated characters. He often served as an antagonist, even working for the Governor for most of the third season. However, the Governor eventually betrayed Merle, leading him to join forces with Rick’s group. This proved to be an ill-fated partnership, however, and Merle abandoned the group to engage in a suicide mission to assassinate the Governor. Merle failed in his attempt and was shot to death by his enemy, leaving Daryl to discover his undead remains.

Upon discovering his brother, Daryl cried onscreen, finally revealing his more vulnerable side. He and his brother had been at odds for most of the series, but he still loved him. Losing Merle, however, was good for Daryl, as he represented all that he had once been. After Merle’s death, Daryl was able to fully embrace a softer, more compassionate side of his personality that had always been locked away when his brother lived.

4Abraham’s Death Pushed Daryl Too Far

Negan Beat Abraham to Death with Lucille

Name
Abraham Ford

Actor
Michael Cudlitz

First Episode
4×10: “Inmate”

Death Episode
7×01: “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”

In the Season 7 premiere of The Walking Dead, Daryl is forced to watch as Negan, the leader of the Saviors, callously selects which of Rick’s group he will murder. After a game of “Eenie Meenie Miney Moe,” Negan kills Abraham by beating him to death with Lucille, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.

Daryl was devastated to watch someone he’d traveled with for so long die such a brutal death, but it was Negan’s next action that truly pushed him too far. When Negan taunted Rosita with Abraham’s remains, Daryl was overcome with rage and attacked the Savior. Negan’s allies pulled Daryl away and what happened next would break him for seasons to come.

3Daryl Never Forgave Himself for Glenn’s Death

Negan Beat Glenn to Death with Lucille

Name
Glenn Rhee

Actor
Steven Yeun

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

Death Episode
7×01: “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”

After Daryl attacked Negan, the leader of the Saviors decided that the group hadn’t quite learned its lesson yet. He then brutally beat Glenn Rhee to death with Lucille in front of all of his friends and his pregnant wife. Glenn’s death was particularly brutal and, for some, marked the beginning of The Walking Dead‘s decline in quality.

Glenn’s death was even harder on Daryl than Abraham’s. The two had traveled together since the very beginning of the apocalypse and had grown close over the years. Worse, Daryl knew that he was responsible for Glenn’s death, which wouldn’t have happened had he not attacked Negan. Daryl spends the next season beating himself up for what happened to Glenn and only begins to find solace when Maggie tells him that it isn’t his fault.

2Daryl Lost a Piece of Himself When Beth Died

Dawn Shot Beth in the Head

Name
Beth Greene

Actor
Emily Kinney

First Episode
2×02: “Bloodletting”

Death Episode
5×08: “Coda”

After the collapse of the prison community, Daryl finds himself on the road with Beth Greene. Although the two characters couldn’t have been more different, they begin to bond during their travels. This makes it all the more tragic when Beth is kidnapped by Dawn’s hospital community. When Daryl and the group finally arrive to rescue Beth, the negotiations go awry and Dawn shoots her in the head.

Daryl immediately took revenge after Beth’s death, shooting Dawn in turn. However, this didn’t bring her back. Beth had been one of the few characters who could get to the heart of Daryl as a character and losing her broke him. Many fans believe that Daryl may have been falling in love with his traveling companion, only to have his heart broken at the end of it all. Beth’s death remains one of the most tragic in the entire series–and Daryl never truly recovered.

1Rick’s Apparent Death Changed Daryl Forever

Rick Seemingly Died in a Massive Explosion

Name
Rick Grimes

Actor
Andrew Lincoln

First Episode
1×01: “Days Gone Bye”

“Death” Episode
9×05: “What Comes After”

When it comes to surviving the zombie apocalypse, one needs a good brother-in-arms to fight side-by-side with. For Daryl, that person was Rick Grimes. The two grew closer over the years, considering themselves brothers. However, Rick seemingly died in Season 9 when he was caught in an explosion as Daryl and the others watched helplessly from afar.

While viewers know that Rick survived the explosion and was carried off in a helicopter, Daryl and the others had no such solace. Daryl refused to believe that his friend was dead and devoted years to trying to find him. His search took him to the distant shores of France, but he never found what he was looking for. Hopefully, future seasons of The Walking Dead‘s spinoffs will reunite Rick and Daryl once more, mending a wound that has long simmered in Daryl’s psyche.