47 Most Shocking Moments from The Walking Dead… So Far

42. Dale Dies

Speaking of Dale’s story line, let’s talk about Dale’s demise. Dale had a kind, forgiving soul:

"“Don’t you see that if we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead? And this new world is ugly, it’s harsh, it’s survival of the fittest! And that’s a world I don’t want to live in.“"

He didn’t agree with a lot of what his group did but he considered them all he had, and he treated them as family. This death could have easily been prevented, making it shocking to not only viewers, but to the characters, especially Carl.

Carl was watching a walker out on the woods one day at Hershel’s farm. He could have easily killed it but instead, left it. The walker made its way onto the farm. While Dale is out patrolling the property, he hears a noise behind him. He turns around and sees the walker that Carl saw earlier. Although he escaped without a bite, the walker rips open dale’s stomach, leaving him to bleed out in the field. Daryl finds him and puts him down before he changes.

This was a turning point for Carl. Before this, he didn’t understand the consequences of his actions.