The Walking Dead: 8 Characters Who Died Too Soon
For a show that thrives on death, sometimes its losses are premature.
If there's one thing fans of The Walking Dead have gotten used to over the last six seasons, it's death.
An episode rarely passes without the demise of a living character, and fans have had to say many a goodbye to faces major and minor. In some cases, characters die at just the right time from a narrative perspective, like Shane or The Governor; their exits necessary in spite of what they brought to the show, because they've run their course. In other instances, characters die for the sake of packing a massive emotional wallop, like Hershel or Lori; their exits poignant and unforgettable because their own storytelling potential has been reached.
However, sometimes a character comes along and gets killed off only for there to be a staggering sense of unfulfilled potential left behind in their wake. A character whose end is disappointing and regrettable simply because it didn't feel like "the right time" for them to go, with so much to offer had they been given the chance to live even just a little bit longer.
With season seven looming on the horizon, let's take the opportunity now to take a spoiler-filled look back at the journey so far to pick out 8 characters who died too soon...
8. Oscar
Not long after arriving at the prison, Rick and the gang encountered a group of inmates who'd been locked inside the cafeteria, comprised of Tomas, Andrew, Big Tiny, Axel, and Oscar. After killing Big Tiny without hesitation, Tomas did the rest of his "friends" no favors by attempting to kill Rick, only to fail.
As a result, Axel and Oscar were put on the outs with Rick and the group, who were understandably distrustful of them both. But after Andrew wreaked havoc on the prison and came to blows with Rick, Oscar stepped up, faced with a choice between shooting Rick or Andrew and choosing the latter, earning Rick's respect and a place in the group for him and Axel.
Just a few episodes later, he volunteered to help infiltrate Woodbury to rescue Glenn and Maggie, where he was shot and killed in a blink-and-miss moment during a shootout. The Walking Dead is no stranger to sudden deaths, but this one was almost cruel for how it disposed of Oscar without a second thought, wasting a character who could've grown into a real asset to the group and retroactively making his "big moment" of proving himself to Rick hollow.