12 Darkest Moments In The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead has been airing since 2010, and over the last eleven years has never shied away from portraying the dark and shocking aspects of its post-apocalyptic setting. Fans have been forced to say goodbye to dozens of great characters, often in particularly grisly fashion, and the violence, drama and tone has always kept audiences on their toes.

Over the last ten seasons, there have been sudden splashes of violence, characters being killed off with little-to-no warning, and antagonists who have pushed their madness and evil ways to the breaking point. All of this and more has led to some decidedly harsh moments, many of which still traumatise fans to this day.

It's fair to say that some moments, such as the (spoiler!) death of Carl Grimes or loss of Rick, haven't gone down that well with audiences, but there are still plenty of seriously awesome, if horrifying, sequences that show off just how great the AMC zombie drama can be.

With that in mind, here are the 12 darkest things to ever happen on The Walking Dead. Major spoilers throughout.

Back in the early days of the show, the primary plot revolved around the love triangle of Rick, Shane and Lori. During Rick's days in the coma, Shane and Lori had started an affair, believing Rick was dead. When Officer Friendly returned, though, Shane was cast aside and Rick was able to get his family back.

Throughout the first two seasons, Shane began to crack. First, he became violent, beating Carol's abusive husband to a bloody pulp, then he became desperate, assaulting Lori during the group's stint at the CDC. Later, Rick learned about the affair and Lori's pregnancy, and Shane struggled to maintain a hold of his sanity.

In his final plunge to the dark side, Shane killed innocent farmhand Otis in order to escape a walker horde, murdered the group's prisoner Randall, and set-up a trap for Rick. The plan failed, and Rick was forced to put his friend down. The whole storyline was incredibly dark, escalating with every passing episode until Shane was too far gone, and his death signalled a new era of the show.