The Ones Who Live Proves Walking Dead Character Rules Haven’t Changed

Spoilers for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Episode 2 Ahead

While Game of Thrones is largely credited for the trend of killing off a main character with its shocking first-season death of Ned Stark, The Walking Dead was doing that long before. Based on stories written in the Robert Kirkman comics of the same name, The Walking Dead’s first surprising main character death came with Shane (Jon Bernthal), though it took two seasons to get there.

From that point, the known character rule became “no one is safe.” At any moment, a fan favorite character could, and often did, meet their end. The latest spin-off, The Ones Who Live, proves this theme continues throughout the franchise.

What Is The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live About?

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is the latest and arguably best spin-off in the growing franchise. Continuing the original, the series begins by explaining what happened to Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) after he was taken away by helicopter to tend to his severe wounds in Season 9. It picks back up shortly after he has recuperated, then flips to the present day, simultaneously telling the story of Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) journey to find him. Now that she’s all but certain he’s still alive, she wants to find and save her husband and bring him back home to his kids, including one he doesn’t even know he has.

The stories come together in the timeline by the end of the first episode, with Rick and Michonne reuniting after many years. From there, it becomes a tragic love story about escaping a military-like run organization, dealing with difficult moral decisions, and fighting for what’s important.

Evidence of the Cardinal Character Rule in The Walking Dead

As noted, when The Walking Dead began, it was a slow ride before the deaths of any major characters. It started with Andrea’s (Laurie Holden) little sister Amy (Emma Bell) and Carol’s despicable husband Ed (Adam Minarovich), then continued with the CDC’s Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich) and Jacqui (Jeryl Prescott), two characters fans barely got to know before they were eliminated. The death of Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince) was arguably the most heart-wrenching first death, given that it was at the hands of Shane and could have reasonably been avoided.

From there, The Walking Dead became ruthless in its kills, following the cardinal rule that anyone can go at any time. From T-Dog (IronE Singleton) to Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn), Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) to Merle (Michael Rooker), Hershel (Scott Wilson) to Beth (Emily Kinney), even the most endearing, likable characters met their ends.

It became apparent that The Walking Dead was not afraid to kill off a beloved main character, even if it meant diverting from the comics and resulting in fan protest. Several seasons into the show, in fact, once Daryl (Norman Reedus) came into his own as a leather jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding protector of “L’il Ass Kicker” Judith, fans began a campaign: “If Daryl dies, we riot.” Thankfully, the show listened, and Daryl was spared throughout its run.

To put this cardinal The Walking Dead rule in perspective, the only remaining characters from the original season, along with Daryl, are Rick and Carol (Melissa McBride), as well as Morgan (Lennie James), who eventually crossed over to another spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead. Yes, even Carl (Chandler Riggs) eventually met his end. From Season 2, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) is the only new addition to make it through to the end, save for Judith, who was born in Season 2, and Michonne, who makes her hooded teaser entrance at the very end of that season.

How The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Carries on This Path

Along with killing off main characters that fans have become attached to over time, The Walking Dead also has a knack for introducing interesting new characters only to eliminate them before their storylines even develop. We saw such teasers in the original series with characters like Sam (Robin Lord Taylor) and Ana (Brina Palencia) at Terminus, Tomas (Nick Gomez) at the prison, and Paula (Alicia Will) with the Saviors.

This same pattern continues with The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Fans were beginning to see Lieutenant Colonel Donald Okafor (Craig Tate) as an intriguing character who could become a genuine ally to Rick. His complex decisions, including helping the CRM save a city that cost him his wife, proved that he was haunted and genuinely wanted to make a positive change. Rick was finally warming to Okafor’s plans, leading fans to believe he would have a big part in the story of Rick and Michonne’s presumed reunion. However, Okafor was shockingly killed at the end of the first episode when their helicopter was shot down. In a twisted turn of events, as revealed in Episode 2, Michonne and her ally Nat (Matthew August) are responsible for the attack.

Which brings us to another character in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Nat. Like the original series (and its spin-offs), new people come, and many of them go. Michonne meets Nat, the presumed leader of a community, who is more than kind to her. He feels an instant connection with her when Michonne presses against their rules that saving one person is not worth risking the safety of many. So much so that in the process of helping her get on her feet with supplies, including giving her a horse, Nat decides to go with her. Two others join as well.

Related

The Walking Dead: 12 Major Character Deaths That Fans Forgot About

Glenn might be the first character to come to mind, but there are many other major characters that have been killed throughout The Walking Dead.

It’s heartbreaking when a CRM blast kills the couple, the woman of whom was pregnant. Fans should have known that sweet, loving couple with a baby on the way never had a chance. But it’s Nat’s later death that’s most devastating. He was only in a single episode, yet watching his budding friendship with Michonne, hearing his tragic backstory, and seeing him come to terms with how much his stepfather loved him even though he didn’t realize it then, fans become invested in the character. Knowing he and Michonne spent a year together recovering from the damage caused to their lungs by the blast makes him arguably as close to her as others she’d known for years.

It’s Nat who helps Michonne get to where she needs to be. To see him killed by a surviving soldier from their take-down is beyond heartbreaking. It causes a mix of emotions for Michonne. She is forced to process this profound loss and grief, along with her feelings of happiness in finding Rick and the confusion about why he’s wearing a CRM uniform. It’s a lot to unpack, and the unnecessary cardinal rule death adds fuel to the already heart-wrenching fire.

If Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live continues down this path, fans should not get too invested in characters because everyone is fair game. Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt), Major General Beale (Terry O’Quinn), Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), and Esteban (Frankie Quinones) represent this season’s new heroes and villains so far. Which ones will last to the end? It’s impossible to know for sure because that cardinal rule is always rearing its Grim Reaper head to throw viewers for a loop and generate the shock and awe for which the franchise has become known. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is airing on AMC and AMC+. The first two episodes are available now.