Summary

Dale's shocking death in season 2 was a major departure from the comics and surprised both fans and non-fans alike.
The Walking Dead took a big risk deviating from the source material with Dale's death, causing disappointment among many viewers.
Behind-the-scenes issues involving actor Jeffrey DeMunn ultimately led to the decision to kill off Dale, contrary to the original plan.

The Walking Dead typically drew inspiration from comic books for its characters and plot. This worked well because the source material was popular, and many people were invested in seeing that story brought to life on television.

However, The Walking Dead television show did deviate from the comics at specific points. Some of those moments proved to be popular with fans of the comics, while others left people baffled and frustrated. Dale Horvath's fate falls into the latter category, with the television series taking him in a different direction.

This Walking Dead Moment Was Honestly More Tragic Than Most of the Deaths

The Walking Dead is filled with gory deaths, but sometimes, the small moments hit even harder, and this funny scene was also one of the most tragic.

Posts

By Lucy Owens

How Did Dale Die In The Walking Dead Television Series?

This Was A Moment That Took Fans By Surprise

Dale was a series regular from his first episode, being part of the main core group of survivors that the show follows from start to finish. He initially saves Andrea and Amy Harrison before finding the group, and he proves to be a popular character with fans. Dale was someone who always watched over others and was often the moral compass early on, not wanting to give up the human characteristics that people displayed before the outbreak. However, Dale ends up being killed by a walker in the 11th episode of the second season, 'Judge, Jury, Executioner,' when a walker ends up killing him in a gruesome manner. Carl Grimes also plays a part in this by letting that walker go earlier on and agitating it at the same time, while Daryl Dixon ultimately ends Dale's suffering by shooting him in the head.

The situation surprised fans for multiple reasons. Non-comic book fans were stunned because Dale had been such an important character and was one of the first significant names killed off. His kind-natured attitude and elderly age made the situation even more shocking, as this death proved to be one of the most memorable throughout the show's history. Meanwhile, fans of the comics were surprised because they figured he would survive a lot longer based on what happened in The Walking Dead comics.

What Was Different Regarding Dale's Death?

The Walking Dead Television Series Took A Gamble

In the comics, Dale stays in the group far beyond his death in season two of the television show, which is why fans were so shocked. It wasn't a small tweak that was made in terms of his death; it was a significant alteration to the character. He ends up surviving through the prison era of the story and even manages to live for a while longer than that. Rather than the way he's killed off in the show, Dale goes through a serious ordeal. He loses one of his legs earlier in the story before losing his other to the cannibals, which is ultimately how he dies. It's Bob Stookey who is responsible for that, and it ends up being one of the most gruesome deaths in The Walking Dead series. His journey is vastly different, both in terms of death and how much impact he has on the show, with Dale being one of the biggest departures from the original story.

Ultimately, the decision with Dale was a massive gamble because it saw the television show go completely against the comic books. That's a choice that will always risk alienating a section of the audience because many of the comic fans wanted to see the show remain true to the source material. The television adaptation did a good job of sticking true to many of the storylines, and while not every deviation was met with open arms, the series was ultimately never hurt by it in the long term. However, when it came to Dale's death, there was a lot of disappointment, as people felt that this was too big of a change. The series never truly replaced him in terms of how he worked to keep the group grounded and within reality, with his tone and behavior proving tough to replace.

Why Did Dale Get Killed Off In Season Two?

Behind-The-Scenes-Issues Proved Problematic

Dale being killed in season two wasn't something that the showrunners initially had in mind when putting the series together. However, issues behind the scenes proved too much for Jeffrey DeMunn, the actor playing the role. He had a good relationship with The Walking Dead's original showrunner, Frank Darabont, as they had worked together multiple times prior to this. However, Darabont left the show after the second series after a fallout with AMC, which led to DeMunn requesting his character be killed off, as he no longer wanted to be part of The Walking Dead. He wasn't the only actor to stand up for Darabont either, as that had an impact on the fate of Shane and Lori within the show. However, Dale's death was far more shocking for The Walking Dead fans because it was a much bigger change than the comics in comparison to them.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image