Summary
The Walking Deadstar Andrew Lincoln reflects on the death of Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun). Glenn’s brutal and gruesome death at the hands of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the season 7 premiere isone ofThe Walking Dead’s most divisive moments. While the series frequently killed beloved characters, Glenn was one of the few original survivors left from season 1, and the nature ofThe Walking Deadcharacter’sdeath elicited a strong and largely negative reaction when it occurred.
While speaking withEmpire, Lincoln shared his honest reaction to Glenn’s death. He discussed the impact it had onThe Walking Dead’s fanbase, acknowledging that"I do still think[Glenn’s death] might have been when we over-egged the omelet,”and“maybe it was lingering too much.”He provided insight into filming the heartbreaking scene in which Negan had Glenn and the other members of Rick Grimes' group on their knees, which was one of"the most intense nights of shooting I’ve ever been part of.”Read the rest of Lincoln’s comments below:
“[Morgan] had to do this extraordinary monologue on his first day at work, and everybody was on their knees and weeping when they weren’t on camera. He came over and went, ‘Is this normal?’ I went, ‘Yeah, everybody just keeps going.’ It was an extraordinary night.”
Was Glenn’s Death A Mistake?
It Both Helped & Hurt The Franchise.
Without Glenn’sThe Walking Deaddeath, the arcs of Negan and Maggie, which continue to be vital to the franchise, would be completely different and perhaps not be as compelling, but that doesn’t negate the mistakes in how Glenn’s fate was handled.
Unlike many ofThe Walking Dead’s deathsthat clearly helped or hurt the story’s trajectory,Glenn’s death positively and negatively impactedthe future of the original series and the overall franchise. It was an effective introduction to Negan, cementing him as the most ruthless human villain yet in the series, with a disturbing penchant for showmanship while inflicting pain and suffering on his enemies. Between Negan’s killing of Glenn and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and making the rest of Rick’s group watch in terror, there was no question of Negan being a genuine threat.
3 Reasons Glenn’s The Walking Dead Death Was Worse In The TV Show Than The Comics
Glenn’s Walking Dead death remained largely the same in both adaptations, but there are three key ways his TV death was worse than in the comics.
In later seasons, when Negan went through a redemption arc, no matter what he did, it was difficult to see him as fully redeemed because of what he did to Abraham and Glenn. This is most apparent in his relationship with Glenn’s wife, Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan), who understandably struggled to forgive Negan.Maggie and Negan’s complex relationshipbecame the basis for their own spinoff series,The Walking Dead: Dead City, in which Maggie and Glenn’s son, Hershel Rhee (Logan Kim), needs to be saved.
As for the original Glenn, seeing him killed in such a grisly fashion was arguably excessive. The series seemed to delight in brutally showing the fan-favorite character being killed, making his death more about the pure shock value than about the narrative weight of losing such an important character. WithoutGlenn’sThe Walking Deaddeath, the arcs of Negan and Maggie, which continue to be vital to the franchise, would be completely different and perhaps not be as compelling, but thatdoesn’t negate the mistakes in how Glenn’s fate was handled.
The Walking Dead
Cast
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on July 10, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
