The Walking Dead: 5 Characters Who Overstayed Their Welcome (And 5 Gone Too Soon)

The big man with a heart of gold, Tyreese’s 21 episode arc on The Walking Dead was cut short by Noah’s zombified brother. After the fall of the prison Tyreese’s main connection was with those youngest in the group. Saving Lizzie and Mika from the governor and chauffeuring Rick’s baby to safety were followed by a moment of connection with Noah.

There was still room for Tyreese to grow character wise, and based on his dealings with the other young survivors a story arc between himself and Carl would have been welcomed.

Carl’s own father often takes the most violent and aggressive approach to handling situations, while Tyreese (as seen during the Grady Memorial Hospital hostage exchange) looks to take a more humane and peaceful approach to situations. Giving Carl the balance between both men would have added a new dynamic to his development and provided Tyreese with a meaningful story.

The Walking Dead has mentioned several times that children are the future, and they missed an opportunity by not having a story arc involving Tyreese passing along some of his passive personality traits to the next generation – a generation who never got to experience the pre-apocalypse ‘good’ in the world. Instead the youth of The Walking Dead were and continue to be subjected to the actions of Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon, ensuring violent behaviour for generations to come.