Though it started small in 2010, The Walking Dead has grown into a massive franchise complete with multiple spinoff shows like Daryl Dixon, Dead City, The Ones Who Live, and more. However, what truly makes the dystopian zombie series work so well isn’t its vast storylines or armies of the dead, but the characters. Audiences fell in love with characters like Rick Grimes, Maggie Greene, Daryl Dixon, Carol Peletier, Michonne Hawthorne, and so many more over the original show’s eleven seasons. Even so, loving a character was a risk that every viewer had to take, knowing that any member of the show’s cast could be killed off at any point. The Walking Dead often broke its fans’ hearts by brutally killing popular characters to underline just how unfair this fictional world is.

Though there are many heartbreaking moments in the series, Glenn Rhee undoubtedly has the saddest death in The Walking Dead. Portrayed by Steven Yeun, Glenn was a main cast member from the beginning of the series, loyally sticking by Rick’s side through many adventures, from their days in Atlanta until their refuge in Alexandria. Unfortunately, Glenn was killed off early in The Walking Dead‘s seventh season, changing the series forever. Almost eight years after the infamous episode aired, fans of The Walking Dead still wonder why producers chose to kill Glenn, why Steven Yeun left, and whether the series ever truly recovered from losing one of its most beloved characters.

 

How Does Glenn Die On The Walking Dead?

Negan Kills Glenn In The Walking Dead’s Season 7 Premiere

The season 6 finale of The Walking Dead introduced Negan as the show’s next big villain and the most terrifying threat that Rick and the group had ever faced. In the finale, the Saviors captured several members of Rick’s group over 24 hours, finally bringing them face-to-face with their leader. Negan steps out of an RV holding his signature weapon Lucille, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, and after a long speech, announces that one of Rick’s friends has to die. Negan then callously plays a game of “Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe” to determine which of the lineup will be brutally beaten to death. The episode ends as Negan chooses his victim, leaving audiences to wonder who it will be for months as they anxiously await the premiere of season seven.

Who Was In Negan’s Lineup

Rick Grimes

Michonne Hawthorne
Carl Grimes
Glenn Rhee (Victim)
Maggie Greene-Rhee
Abraham Ford (Victim)
Sasha Williams
Rosita Espinosa
Eugene Porter
Daryl Dixon

After months of theorizing about which one of Rick’s group would receive The Walking Dead‘s most brutal death, the seventh season premiere finally answered fans’ questions. In “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” Negan selects Abraham as his victim and beats him to death with Lucille. However, the carnage unfortunately didn’t end there. Negan taunts Rosita as she looks at her former lover’s remains, prompting Daryl Dixon to lash out in rage, leaping up and punching the Savior in the face. As recompense for Daryl’s outburst, Negan decides to take another victim, striking Glenn with the Lucille. Glenn has only a moment to process what has happened, turning to Maggie and declaring that he will find her–just as he had years before. With that, Negan finishes the job, killing Glenn as his pregnant wife watches in horror.

Why Did Steven Yeun Leave The Walking Dead?

Glenn’s Death Was A Major Moment In The Walking Dead Comics

In many cases of characters dying in long-running television shows, it is because the actor wanted to move on to other projects. However, this wasn’t the case for Steven Yeun leaving The Walking Dead. Glenn’s death was a major turning point in the Walking Dead graphic novels and couldn’t be avoided without altering the story dramatically. His demise plays out in much the same way as in the television show, though in this case, he is Negan’s first and only victim during the lineup sequence. Glenn’s death, while tragic and brutal, launched the rest of Maggie’s storyline in the books. After mourning her husband’s death, Maggie becomes an even stronger character, going on to become the leader of the Hilltop community and a major factor in helping Rick win the Savior War. The series intended to follow this storyline from the graphic novels and therefore found it necessary to have Glenn meet the same fast as his comic book counterpart.

 

Steven Yeun’s Major Roles Since The Walking Dead

Okja (2017)
Minari (2020)
Invincible (2021-Present)
Nope (2022)
Beef (2023)

While he didn’t ask to be killed off of The Walking Dead, Steven Yeun has moved on to other projects and found great success since leaving the series. In 2021, Yeun teamed up with Robert Kirkman again to voice the titular character in the animated adaptation of the Invincible comic book. He also starred in Netflix’s Beef alongside Ali Wong, once again proving his terrific range in a role dramatically different from that of Glenn Rhee. Steven Yeun has also found tremendous success in his film roles, even working with legendary horror director Jordan Peele for his third film, Nope. His greatest success came with Minari, however, a story following a Korean-American family searching to find their place in their new home. For his role in the film, Yeun was nominated for an Academy Award, though he lost to Anthony Hopkins. Even so, Yeun made history as the first Asian American man to be nominated in his category.

Glenn’s Death Was A Turning Point In The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Took A Significant Downturn After Glenn’s Death

Image via AMC

Glenn’s death takes place in the 101st issue of The Walking Dead.

While The Walking Dead killed Glenn Rhee as a way to launch its next set of stories, the series never truly recovered from his death. The Walking Dead seasons that immediately followed Glenn’s death are considered to be among the worst in the show’s history. Season 7 took a downward turn from previous seasons, as producers stretched the story out as much as possible. The season also took a significantly dark turn, relishing in the pain that Negan and the Saviors brought to the heroes’ lives. Despite the incredible buildup to the Savior War, Season 8 was even worse, floundering in drawn-out storylines, massive deaths that felt unnecessary, and a rushed conclusion that left fans disappointed. While Glenn’s death wasn’t directly to blame for the show’s downturn in quality, it does represent a turning point in the show’s history.

While Seasons 7 and 8 of The Walking Dead were disappointing, the franchise has somewhat returned to form in more recent years. With the arrival of new showrunner Angela Kang in Season 9, the series began to feel fresh and exciting again and eventually finished on a high note in Season 11. Now, new The Walking Dead spinoffs aim to elevate the franchise even further. While some spinoffs, like The Walking Dead: World Beyond, have generally been panned by critics and fans, others, including Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live, stand out as some of the best quality in the entire franchise. Though Glenn’s death may have represented a negative turning point for The Walking Dead, the franchise may have finally entered a new era of higher quality.

Glenn Rhee’s death will forever be one of the most infamous moments in The Walking Dead. However, his brutal death was manufactured to help launch an interesting story that had great potential but ultimately suffered from poor creative decisions. Even so, the franchise continues as its characters fight to survive in a brutal dystopian world.