10 Walking Dead Characters Who Deserve Their Own Spin-Off

Fan favorite Merle Dixon, played by Michael Rooker, had quite the up and down journey during his short time on the early seasons of The Walking Dead. As the brother of Daryl, Merle was first perceived as a minor antagonist of the series, but later had a successful redemption arc.

First appearing in the second episode of season one, Merle is stuck on the rooftop with the core group during Rick's introduction. After an altercation with Rick, Merle is handcuffed to the rooftop and left behind. Later, when our heroes return to free him, it's revealed that Merle escaped by cutting his own hand off.

Skip forward to season three, and we discover that Merle joined The Governor's entourage, and plays an instrumental part in the capture of Michonne and Andrea.

Yet, when Merle learns of Daryl's trust for Rick's group, and The Governor's plan to attack the prison, Merle switches allegiances and begins his redemption. After a spontaneous solo effort to eliminate The Governor, Merle eventually bites the bullet and turns into a walker.

However, Michael Rooker recently stated, in an interview with Comicbook.com, that he was done with the character considering Merle had his emotional send-off. Therefore, any hopeful spin-off would have to serve as a prequel and detail Merle's past life and dynamic with brother Daryl.

Merle Dixon does have a very interesting backstory as a former U.S. Army Private turned drug dealer, and thus would make for a very grounded and gritty series.