Many characters went missing in The Walking Dead, especially in the last few seasons which included shrugged-off explanations that don't make entirely much sense. One character who was introduced in Season 9 was among these poor folks who get the short end of the stick on The Walking Dead. Luke Abrams (played by Dan Fogler) didn't have the proper story to explain his lack of screen time -- but at least he did make a short-lived return.

It used to be standard in The Walking Dead universe that when an actor wanted out of the show or was busy doing other projects, their character was cut for good with a gory death. A prominent example of this is Sonequa Martin-Green, who left for a leading role in Star Trek: Discovery and her character Sasha was killed off in the Season 7 finale. But since bigger cast members have departed the show and The Walking Dead universe is expanding with various spin-offs, the show's approach to an actor signing onto another project left things a little more open-ended.

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How The Walking Dead Strangely Ignored Luke's Absence

Luke in The Walking Dead season 9

Some people might have assumed that the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth storyline was Pamela's involvement in Sebastian's money heist, or who the leader of the Resistance was, but they were wrong. More people were worried about what happened to Luke, who hadn't appeared at all in Season 11, Part A and B. The last fans saw of the jolly music-lover was Season 10, Episode 16, "A Certain Doom," when he formulated the plan that ultimately destroyed Alpha's horde of walkers. Since then, there was no mention of him -- even by his best friends Magna, Yumiko, Connie and Kelly.

Fans of Luke rejoiced in knowing that the character was not secretly killed off like some of his predecessors during his hiatus from the show. During a panel appearance at Fandemic Tour Atlanta, Fogler said Luke is living at Oceanside with his girlfriend Jules Butler, which was confirmed in Season 11C. During the filming of The Walking Dead's final season, Fogler was away filming Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, reprising his role as the muggle Jacob Kowalski. He also had another role as The Godfather filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola in the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer.

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What Happened to Luke in The Walking Dead Season 11?

Luke and Aaron discuss what happened at Oceanside in The Walking Dead

Oceanside was also a continuous mystery in The Walking Dead, discussed as part of the core communities, yet it rarely ever made appearances. The writers probably patted themselves on the back after finding this easy loophole to explain Luke's absence. But the writers still found themselves in a sticky situation when Fogler returned as Luke in Season 11C. The Season 11B finale ended with the villainous Lance Hornsby taking Oceanside residents hostage. Later in Season 11, Episode 22, "Faith," Luke and Jules miraculously found Aaron's group and informed them that the Commonwealth took over Oceanside while they were on a run. The quick exposition barely confirmed if any of Oceanside's prominent members like Rachel or Cyndie made it, but at least Luke did -- for a while.

Luke might have returned for the final season of The Walking Dead, but his storyline was short-lived. He and Jules both died after being bitten by walkers that overtook the Commonwealth in the final two episodes of the series. Despite the confusion behind his long absence, Luke's death -- after bleeding out from an amputation -- was full of grief and surprising emotion. The rest of his group mourned over him, saying farewell to their optimistic and musical companion.

In fairness, the character was long past the life span of his comic book counterpart, who died at Alpha's infamous pike border. But the TV version of Luke kind of just faded into the background, especially since Rosita's death overshadowed his. He had a brief romantic subplot with Jules, but that's about all he's done. Luke may have been a forgotten soldier in a fatal battle with the Commonwealth, but at least he was granted the privilege of having an on-screen death -- the highest honor of The Walking Dead in its final season.

The Walking Dead Season 11 is streaming on Netflix and AMC+.