In the zombified universe that is The Walking Dead, one of the original members of Rick Grimes’ ragtag group of survivors, Glenn, was brutally killed off during a harrowing series of events that ushered in the true evil of the series in the vulgar villain named Negan. But according to the comic’s creator, Glenn was supposed to have died multiple years and dozens of issues before his ultimate fate, something that might come as a shock to fans of the character.
Making his debut in 2003’s The Walking Dead #2, Glenn Rhee immediately became a fan-favorite zombie-killer thanks to his everyman qualities and ability to turn a bad situation into something worth salvaging.
Eventually killed off via a bat to the head almost 100 issues after his introduction, Glenn’s legacy would live on in the child he fathered with Maggie Greene as well as in the hearts and minds of the survivors he left behind. And while Glenn’s death was tragic, writer Robert Kirkman recently revealed that he was never meant to last as long as he did in comics, with his end planned for shortly after the release of the 71st issue of the series.
Glenn Wasn’t Supposed To Live As Long As He Did In Comics
Admitting having earmarked Glenn for death in the “Cutting Room Floor” section of The Walking Dead Deluxe #71, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, Kirkman reminisces here on a notation he made in the margin of this issue’s original handwritten note page that reads “GLENN DIES NEXT.” Saying that Glenn “…seemed like the character most ripe, whose death would lead to the most story…” Kirkman goes on to explain, “…Glenn would most certainly NOT die next as I would continue to change my mind… again… and again…” officially telling fans that if Kirkman’s initial plan for the character came to fruition, this staple Walking Dead hero would have died well before his killer, Negan, was ever introduced.
Continually kicking the “GLENN DIES NEXT” can down the road until he bit the big one in The Walking Dead #100, it makes sense that Glenn was a character Kirkman couldn’t bear to part with until much later in the series, as his story and the emotional core he developed with Maggie, Rick, and others became far more integral to the plot than most of the other characters who came and went without much fanfare. Furthermore, Glenn had been with readers almost from the beginning, so extending his expiration date only to brutally murder him made his death that much more effective and heartbreaking when it eventually came.
Glenn Survived Longer In The Walking Dead Than Originally Planned
So while Glenn’s end still stands out as one of the most intense and unexpected demises in The Walking Dead’s almost 200-issue run, the fact that Robert Kirkman was going to kill him way earlier in the story is a fun nerd fact for fans of the character to learn. The Walking Dead’s Glenn is hands down one of the best characters to have ever lived (and died) in this sprawling zombie epic, it’s just too bad he didn’t last to see the hopeful future he helped build for his friends and family.
