Appears In: TV show Cause Of Death: Decapitated By The Governor Hershel is one of the many characters in the show that undergoes a pretty significant character arc, starting out as an ignorant, stern father figure before transforming into the wise, compassionate voice of reason the group so desperately needs. Of course, this makes for an all the more shocking moment when he is killed by the franchise's Big Bad, The Governor. Hershel's death is especially painful for a number of reasons. Hershel has just spent the last eight episodes trying to convince protagonist Rick Grimes that he and this world is not too far gone just yet, that there is still hope and that it is something we must cling on to. Rick contests Hershel's optimism for most of the season but slowly starts to come around. When The Governor rocks up at the jail where the crew are holed up with his own group and tank, threatening to take over, Rick gives a heartfelt speech and plea for peace. He offers to share the prison with The Governor and his people explaining that they do not need to do this, echoing Hershel's own advice. Hershel looks at Rick with a loving, proud smile, happy to see his friend finally taking on board what he had been trying to tell him for so long. Why It's So Brutal But this moment is short-lived when in an ironic twist of fate it is these same words of optimism that anger The Governor who whispers, 'liar', hacking into Hershel's throat before slowly decapitating the most loved and endearing characters on the show - one who had endured so much yet showed so much resolve. The death also deserves an honorary mention for the clever way it mirrors another violent, iconic beheading from the comic, also at the hands of The Governor, but we'll get to that soon.
