Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) quickly became a fan-favorite character when he joined the cast of The Walking Dead in season four. After running into Glenn Rhee (Steven Yuen) and Tara Reid (Alanna Masterson), who were searching desperately for Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan), he makes a fast impression. Alongside his comrades Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) and Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos), the trio quickly proves that they can be solid allies. Once the group meets the others, including Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Abraham becomes a worthy member of the team.

Sadly, however, he meets his end in one of the most gruesome, polarizing episodes of the show. He is the first of two to meet the end of Negan Smith’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) trusty bat Lucille. It was a horrifying moment and one that is ingrained in fans’ minds. But it was overshadowed by the even more heart-wrenching death of Glenn that followed.

Why Did Negan Kill Abraham?

Abraham Sacrificed Himself

Abraham’s First Appearance
Abraham’s Death Episode
Abraham’s Last Appearance

Season 4, Episode 10, “Inmates”

Season 7, Episode 1, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be”
Season 11, Episode 24, “Rest in Peace” (Flashback)

After Rick and his group decide to invade a Saviors outpost, killing several members in their sleep by driving knives through their skulls, they think they’ll get away with it, having eliminated or at least weakened a threat. However they did not yet understand the scope of Negan’s power and the size of his group. Negan had them rounded up and presented to him in a circle, each on their knees in one of the saddest scenes in The Walking Dead.

Negan was looking for an eye-for-an-eye scenario. Rick took the lives of many of his men, and Negan needed to even the score before he took control of Alexandria in retaliation. But the charismatic yet narcissistic leader in the leather jacket just couldn’t decide who to kill.

The moment was drawn out over two seasons as Negan paced back and forth, playing his own wicked game of eenie, meenie, miney, mo to decide who to make his victim. He stared each member in the face, holding out the barbed-wire bat he named Lucille to taunt them.

Fans who knew Negan, especially from the comics, understood that he lived by a few moral rules. He refused to hurt women (for the most part) and children. This eliminated several possible victims, including people like Carl (Chandler Riggs), Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), and a very ill and pregnant Maggie.

When Negan walked over to Abraham, the red-headed former army sergeant gave him a fearless, confident look as if to say that he was ready for death. Fans may recall that Abraham contemplated suicide before ever meeting Eugene. He was about to take his own life following the deaths of his wife and kids. Just before he pulls the trigger, however, he runs into Eugene, a stranger who needs his help. He has a glimmer of hope when Eugene lies and says he’s a scientist who knows how to get to a cure. This also gives Abraham a renewed sense of purpose and keeps him going for years to come.

Now, in the face of death, it’s as though Abraham recognizes that his new purpose is to be the sacrificial lamb so Negan can move on and his friends can live. Negan picks up on this fearlessness and confirms his decision by striking Abraham multiple times in the head with Lucille in one of the saddest deaths in The Walking Dead.

What Were Abraham’s Last Words on The Walking Dead?

They Were True to His Personality

Personality Traits
Pre-Apocalypse Job

Witty, Short-Tempered, Fearless, Potty Mouth
U.S. Army Sergeant

True to his personality, which often included brash, inappropriate comments and foul language, Abraham’s last words are vulgar, but also a perfect way fans can remember him. When Negan glares at him in the eyes and is ready to strike, Abraham is unnerved. After the first blow, when Negan declares that he’s “taking it like a champ,” Abraham manages to muster three hilarious words: “suck my nuts.” His hilarious personality is one of the many reasons fans believe Abraham is a The Walking Dead character they wish stuck around longer.

Arguably more important than his words, however, are his subtle actions. Just before meeting his end, Abraham flashes a peace sign to Sasha from behind his back. The pair had recently started a romantic relationship. It’s a callback to a gesture he and Sasha made to one another on numerous occasions, even before their relationship was taken to the next level.

It was his touching way to say goodbye that only she would understand and would let her know how important she was to him. It was also his way of telling her that he accepted his fate and that everything would be okay. The moment was heartbreaking, especially as Sasha begins to cry even before Negan swings because she knows what’s coming. She knows that Abraham is telling Negan with his eyes that he would like to be the one. Cudlitz confirmed to CinemaBlend about the moment and the subtle but powerful gesture that “it was to Sasha…It was an unspoken, very loaded peace sign.”

Abraham may have died in the most brutal fashion on The Walking Dead. The scene was so gruesome, in fact, that it led to a mass exodus of fans abandoning the show altogether. Thankfully, though the series went through a dip in ratings, it later re-emerged stronger than ever. Negan finally redeemed himself in the eyes of some. Sasha later died, never truly recovering from so much loss, while Rosita moved on with other relationships and a child. Eugene finally found his voice and strength. But Abraham was never forgotten.