Top 10 Walking Dead Twists
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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Walking Dead Twists. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most earth-shattering and unforgettable surprises on this post-apocalyptic show. If you haven’t seen all 11 seasons of the “The Walking Dead”, beware of major spoilers ahead. Which “Walking Dead” twist still has you stunned today? Let us know in the comments below!
After Rick’s group loses their home in season 4, they arrive at a new community known as Terminus. Although the heroes are skeptical of this location, the residents of the town come off as pretty nice. But things took a turn once Rick realized that the people of Terminus had stolen items from their group. In an instant, the members of this safe new community start shooting at the heroes. As an added twist, it’s revealed the Terminus residents want to keep Rick’s group alive and imprisoned for mysterious reasons. The show did a great job at tricking us into thinking that the heroes had found a safe haven. We weren’t expecting to see Rick’s group end season 4 in worse shape than they started.
“Twice As Far”
Although Denise started out as a timid character, her allies inspired her to be more courageous. She eventually became bold enough to volunteer to go on a routine supply run with experienced survivors Rosita and Daryl. While on the road, Denise nearly perished at the jaws of a walker. But shortly after surviving that encounter, she is surprisingly slain by Dwight. One of the reasons Denise’s death was so shocking because she did absolutely nothing to deserve the dark fate. At one point, Dwight even admits that he didn’t even want to slay her in the first place. His confession helped give us some closure on why this sudden death happened.
When the city of Alexandria is overrun by walkers, Rick, Carl, Michonne and the Anderson family camouflage themselves to sneak through the undead. But when the young Sam Anderson freaks out, he and his mom fall to the horde. Their death pushes a kid named Ron to suddenly pull a gun on Rick. Although Michonne protects Rick, the firearm goes off and takes out Carl’s eye. His gruesome injury was a fantastic and jaw-dropping conclusion to a rapid series of twists. Additionally, Carl’s loss of an eye would eventually inspire Rick to take his anger out on the walkers in an incredibly awesome scene. The impact of that game changing shot made it the most substantial twist in a sequence that was full of surprises.
The evil Whisperer leader Alpha caught heroes and the audience off guard when she snuck into a community and helped abduct people without warning. After her startling infiltration, fans started looking for anyone suspicious. But not a single soul suspected that there was a Whisperer hidden in plain sight. After performing numerous good deeds as Alexandria’s doctor, Dante revealed he was sent there by Alpha. He immediately follows up the reveal by taking his ally Siddiq’s life. What made Dante’s betrayal stand out was the fact that it made us reevaluate everything he said and did up to this point. Although we were extremely angry at him, we wanted to rewatch his past episodes to look for clues that pointed to this dark turn.
Season 6 of the “Walking Dead” ended with the infamous cliffhanger that a hero was going to be slain by Negan and lucille. Since Glenn died by the bat in the comics, we fully expected him to bite the bullet on the show. That’s why it shocked audiences to see that Abraham was chosen as the unlucky victim. But just when we thought the nightmare was over, the heroic Daryl punches Negan. This action directly led to Glenn’s death by bat. Admittedly, the second victim twist was extremely controversial amongst the fanbase. While it gave Abraham a more meaningful death, it still spelled the end for the very popular Glenn. But there's simply no denying that this loved and loathed twist was extremely effective.
In season 7, Rick’s ally Eugene is taken by Negan to make bullets for the obnoxious saviors. Fans were absolutely livid when the imprisoned hero actually used his expertise to give his enemies more ammo. But it turns out that we had all misjudged Eugene. During the season 8 finale, it’s revealed that he purposely messed with the bullets he gave the Saviors. When a large group of them try to fire their weapons at a climactic moment, they realize they’ve been duped. The sight of a ton of Savior guns backfiring at once single handedly redeemed Eugene in the eyes of fans. Nobody had any clue he was still a good guy until he surprisingly turned on the Saviors in this satisfying scene.
During a tense standoff between Rick’s people and the Governor’s forces, the villain reveals that he’s captured Herschel and Michonne. Instead of leading with violence, Officer Friendly tries to diffuse the situation. Rick actually appears to get through to the Governor for a moment. Unfortunately, the villain shocked everyone by executing Herschel on the spot with Michonne’s katana. Despite being one of the most painful deaths of the show, this Governor kill stands as one of the show’s most memorable moments. This act of brutality sets off a chain of events that ends with the complete destruction of Rick’s home. While we wish Herschel could’ve survived to see the exciting events that came next, the story could only move forward after his significant demise.
When Andrew Lincoln announced that he was leaving “The Walking Dead”, fans had a sinking feeling that his iconic run as Rick Grimes would end with tragedy. In the actor’s final episode, his character is severely injured while trying to get away from a gigantic horde. Rick’s fate seemed to be permanently sealed when he seemingly sacrificed himself to take out walkers. However, not only did he survive, but a helicopter was called to take him to an unknown location. This surprising turn of events opened up a whole new world of story possibilities for Rick Grimes. It also meant that Officer Friendly still had a shot of finding a happy ending.
All of the heroes agreed to stay on their new ally Herschel’s farm while looking for the lost Sophia. Despite their best efforts, they only discovered a few clues…and the fact that their new friend had a barnful of walkers. After the heroes eliminate most of the undead residents of that structure, one last enemy stumbled out. Our jaws dropped when we realized that the last walker was the young Sophia. This cruel twist of fate completely shattered our expectations of the show. In one fell swoop, the writers let us know that absolutely anyone could die and that innocent spots like barns could hold startling surprises. It also made the long amount of time we spent on the farm completely worth it.
Before we shamble to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
The Reveal That She Survived the Prison Attack Was a Welcome Surprise
There was a time where we believed characters could only become a walker if one infected them. This rule seemed to hold true…until the last two episodes of season 2. After Rick fatally stabs his friend Shane, the seemingly dead character returns to life without getting so much as a bite. Near the end of the finale, it’s revealed that this strange event occurred because every single survivor is already infected. The news that anyone can turn into a walker at death was the show’s biggest bombshell. This meant that the threat of the undead was present wherever people chose to live. By upsetting the established rules, “The Walking Dead” added a terrifying yet exciting plot point that affected the entire narrative going forward.
#10: Terminus Is Not A Sanctuary
“A”After Rick’s group loses their home in season 4, they arrive at a new community known as Terminus. Although the heroes are skeptical of this location, the residents of the town come off as pretty nice. But things took a turn once Rick realized that the people of Terminus had stolen items from their group. In an instant, the members of this safe new community start shooting at the heroes. As an added twist, it’s revealed the Terminus residents want to keep Rick’s group alive and imprisoned for mysterious reasons. The show did a great job at tricking us into thinking that the heroes had found a safe haven. We weren’t expecting to see Rick’s group end season 4 in worse shape than they started.
#9: Dwight Suddenly Slays Denise
“Twice As Far”
Although Denise started out as a timid character, her allies inspired her to be more courageous. She eventually became bold enough to volunteer to go on a routine supply run with experienced survivors Rosita and Daryl. While on the road, Denise nearly perished at the jaws of a walker. But shortly after surviving that encounter, she is surprisingly slain by Dwight. One of the reasons Denise’s death was so shocking because she did absolutely nothing to deserve the dark fate. At one point, Dwight even admits that he didn’t even want to slay her in the first place. His confession helped give us some closure on why this sudden death happened.
#8: Carl Loses An Eye
“No Way Out”When the city of Alexandria is overrun by walkers, Rick, Carl, Michonne and the Anderson family camouflage themselves to sneak through the undead. But when the young Sam Anderson freaks out, he and his mom fall to the horde. Their death pushes a kid named Ron to suddenly pull a gun on Rick. Although Michonne protects Rick, the firearm goes off and takes out Carl’s eye. His gruesome injury was a fantastic and jaw-dropping conclusion to a rapid series of twists. Additionally, Carl’s loss of an eye would eventually inspire Rick to take his anger out on the walkers in an incredibly awesome scene. The impact of that game changing shot made it the most substantial twist in a sequence that was full of surprises.
#7: The Good Doctor Dante is a Sinister Whisperer Spy
“Open Your Eyes”The evil Whisperer leader Alpha caught heroes and the audience off guard when she snuck into a community and helped abduct people without warning. After her startling infiltration, fans started looking for anyone suspicious. But not a single soul suspected that there was a Whisperer hidden in plain sight. After performing numerous good deeds as Alexandria’s doctor, Dante revealed he was sent there by Alpha. He immediately follows up the reveal by taking his ally Siddiq’s life. What made Dante’s betrayal stand out was the fact that it made us reevaluate everything he said and did up to this point. Although we were extremely angry at him, we wanted to rewatch his past episodes to look for clues that pointed to this dark turn.
#6: Negan Had Two Victims
“The Day Will Come When You Won't Be”Season 6 of the “Walking Dead” ended with the infamous cliffhanger that a hero was going to be slain by Negan and lucille. Since Glenn died by the bat in the comics, we fully expected him to bite the bullet on the show. That’s why it shocked audiences to see that Abraham was chosen as the unlucky victim. But just when we thought the nightmare was over, the heroic Daryl punches Negan. This action directly led to Glenn’s death by bat. Admittedly, the second victim twist was extremely controversial amongst the fanbase. While it gave Abraham a more meaningful death, it still spelled the end for the very popular Glenn. But there's simply no denying that this loved and loathed twist was extremely effective.
#5: Eugene Sabotages the Saviors
“Wrath”In season 7, Rick’s ally Eugene is taken by Negan to make bullets for the obnoxious saviors. Fans were absolutely livid when the imprisoned hero actually used his expertise to give his enemies more ammo. But it turns out that we had all misjudged Eugene. During the season 8 finale, it’s revealed that he purposely messed with the bullets he gave the Saviors. When a large group of them try to fire their weapons at a climactic moment, they realize they’ve been duped. The sight of a ton of Savior guns backfiring at once single handedly redeemed Eugene in the eyes of fans. Nobody had any clue he was still a good guy until he surprisingly turned on the Saviors in this satisfying scene.
#4: The Governor Cuts Herschel Down
“Too Far Gone”During a tense standoff between Rick’s people and the Governor’s forces, the villain reveals that he’s captured Herschel and Michonne. Instead of leading with violence, Officer Friendly tries to diffuse the situation. Rick actually appears to get through to the Governor for a moment. Unfortunately, the villain shocked everyone by executing Herschel on the spot with Michonne’s katana. Despite being one of the most painful deaths of the show, this Governor kill stands as one of the show’s most memorable moments. This act of brutality sets off a chain of events that ends with the complete destruction of Rick’s home. While we wish Herschel could’ve survived to see the exciting events that came next, the story could only move forward after his significant demise.
#3: Rick Lives
"What Comes After"When Andrew Lincoln announced that he was leaving “The Walking Dead”, fans had a sinking feeling that his iconic run as Rick Grimes would end with tragedy. In the actor’s final episode, his character is severely injured while trying to get away from a gigantic horde. Rick’s fate seemed to be permanently sealed when he seemingly sacrificed himself to take out walkers. However, not only did he survive, but a helicopter was called to take him to an unknown location. This surprising turn of events opened up a whole new world of story possibilities for Rick Grimes. It also meant that Officer Friendly still had a shot of finding a happy ending.
#2: Sophia Was On the Farm All Along
“Pretty Much Dead Already"All of the heroes agreed to stay on their new ally Herschel’s farm while looking for the lost Sophia. Despite their best efforts, they only discovered a few clues…and the fact that their new friend had a barnful of walkers. After the heroes eliminate most of the undead residents of that structure, one last enemy stumbled out. Our jaws dropped when we realized that the last walker was the young Sophia. This cruel twist of fate completely shattered our expectations of the show. In one fell swoop, the writers let us know that absolutely anyone could die and that innocent spots like barns could hold startling surprises. It also made the long amount of time we spent on the farm completely worth it.
Before we shamble to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Carol Slayed Two Sick Survivors, “Isolation”
Her Casual Confession Was Seriously ShockingSebastian’s Death, "A New Deal"
This Annoying Character’s Comeuppance Came Much Sooner Than We AnticipatedJudith Is Alive, “The Grove”
The Reveal That She Survived the Prison Attack Was a Welcome Surprise
Season 1 Ally Morales Returns As A Villainous Savior, “The Damned”
We Could Have Never Seen This Reunion ComingThe Dead Are Evolving, “Variant”
One Shocking Scene Proved that Rumors About Smarter Walkers Were True#1: The Infection Is Inside Everyone
“Beside the Dying Fire”There was a time where we believed characters could only become a walker if one infected them. This rule seemed to hold true…until the last two episodes of season 2. After Rick fatally stabs his friend Shane, the seemingly dead character returns to life without getting so much as a bite. Near the end of the finale, it’s revealed that this strange event occurred because every single survivor is already infected. The news that anyone can turn into a walker at death was the show’s biggest bombshell. This meant that the threat of the undead was present wherever people chose to live. By upsetting the established rules, “The Walking Dead” added a terrifying yet exciting plot point that affected the entire narrative going forward.
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