Appears In: TV Show Cause Of Death: Disemboweled By Walker Before Hershel assumed the role of keeping everyone's heads together, the responsibility had previously fallen to survivor Dale. A striking contrast from the character of the same namesake in the comic, Dale in the show was a warm, friendly and comforting presence. He's exactly the kind of guy you need when the world turns to hell to remind you of how lighthearted and easy going things used to be, what with his lame dad jokes and weird anecdotes. He was one of the few characters who refused to let the apocalypse take his humanity away from him and ultimately he succeeded, dying with it intact. Despite playing on the same emotions that Hershel's death did, Dale's demise was ultimately much more shocking as it came completely out of nowhere and from something that could've been so easily prevented. Earlier in the episode, other notable dumb kid Carl went wandering off and found a walker stuck in mud. Instead of killing it like any normal, responsible adult would, Carl inspects it with slight amusement, provoking it like any normal, responsible child would and in its aggravated state the zombie manages to free itself. The walker then wanders onto the farm the group are staying at and attacks Dale as he patrols the perimeter. Although he initially fights it off, the zombie still manages to rip open Dale's stomach, revealing his exposed organs. Why It's So Brutal Still fully conscious as his friends rush to his side, he must spend his dying moments knowing these are his last. Hershel explains that his condition is far too critical for recovery and Darryl does the big man thing by putting the poor old guy out of his misery. His truly tragic death also marks the first time a main character is killed off of the series and serves as a memorable warning shot to all its viewers that, once again, no one is safe. Especially not nice old men in bucket hats.
