4. Keeping Shane (But Not For Much Longer)
Shanes death in the comics is one hell of a moment. It teaches you in the sixth issue the most important fact of the Walking Dead, that
anyone can die at
any point. Even Shane, the man primed to vie with Rick for leadership and instigate a family-destroying love triangle, is gunned down before he can start his plan. He is shot by Carl, no less, as we see the world as its cruellest. The most brutal fact is that even with humanity close to its end and zombies roaming the streets, a child is forced to shoot a grown man in order to protect his dad. Shane staying around in the TV show allows us to see a little of these plans. How he would try to manipulate Carl and Lori into a new family as well as the group into him being the leader. He was kept around long enough to see him spiral into the opposition of Rick, who still struggled to make decisions and cope with the loss of life, but not too long that he were longing for Shane and Rick to face off. It's the perfect example of exploring a 'what if?' scenario without making the changes affect the rest of the story. Shane lasted longer than we expected and, more importantly, didn't overstay with welcome.