The Walking Dead comic's monumental 16-year long story ended in 2019 as the series concluded its run after 193 issues. Since the show was adapted for television in 2010, fans have always stayed on the look-out for their favorite comic book scenes to make it to the small screen.
While a good number of iconic scenes were indeed delivered on the show, there are some that were left out for a variety of reasons, as the show wanted to remain unpredictable and subversive to their fanbase. Here are 10 of the best scenes from the comics that never made it into the series.
10 The Governor Cuts Off Rick's Hand
While the toned-down version of The Governor in the television series was a polarizing and somewhat sympathetic character to a lot of fans, The Governor from the comic books was blatantly and shockingly evil, which basically allowed him to set the standard for future villains of the series.
In one particular scene that seemed to come out of nowhere with no build-up or warning at all, he cuts off Rick Grimes' hand. It's a monumental scene because not only does it severely debilitate the series' main protagonist, but also establishes The Governor's, and by extension the whole series, unpredictability moving forward.
9 The Governor Tortures Michonne & Vice Versa
The Governor and Michonne's animosity toward each other was another dynamic from the comics that was incredibly diluted on the show, and it's understandable because it was definitely not for the faint of heart.
In the comics, The Governor raped and tortured Michonne, which was profoundly stomach-churning stuff to see on the pages of a comic book. But the more disturbing part comes when Michonne gets the chance to return the favor, and she is equally brutal to The Governor, if not more so. It definitely made readers question the moral ambiguity of the series protagonists (and quite possibly their own) as Michonne did unspeakable things that were oddly satisfying because they were being done to the villain.
8 Tyreese's Daughter Julie & Chris' Tragic Romance
A pivotal scene in the comics that was completely written off on the show, the twisted Romeo & Juliet-like love story gone awry of Julie and Chris was the first time the survivors of The Walking Dead comics discover that dead people reanimate into zombies regardless if they are bitten or scratched.
After making love for the first time, the two lovers make a suicide pact to shoot each other, but it doesn't go so smoothly, as Chris accidentally shoots Julie first. Afterward, Tyreese holds his dead daughter in her arms as she reanimates and tries to bite him, which Chris reacts to by instinctively shooting her in the head. Tyreese then chokes Chris out for what he did and waits for him to reanimate so he can kill him again. It's a jarring scene that definitely shocked fans of the series and also put a new spin on the zombie genre.
7 Andrea Sniping Woodbury Soldiers
One of the most disappointing reinterpretations of the source material that fans have criticized the show for was with Andrea's character. In the comics, she was a certified badass and one of the rocks of the core group of survivors alongside Rick Grimes, whom she ends up in a relationship with.
She was a gifted sniper who had one of the highest human and zombie kill counts in the series. In one particular scene, she shot down invading Woodbury soldiers while atop a guard tower during the attack on the prison and killed or stopped a huge number of them from advancing.
6 Jesus Infiltrates The Sanctuary, Takes Out Some Saviors, & Kicks Negan's Ass
Another character who deserved better treatment on the show, Paul "Jesus" Monroe (NOT Rovia) was arguably the most skilled fighter in The Walking Dead universe, he was a one-man wrecking crew against zombies and bad guys alike.
In one of his most impressive feats, he single-handedly infiltrates Negan's base of operations, stuns a handful of his soldiers, and goes one-on-one with Negan himself while blatantly insulting him mid-fight, and wins. Then he just walks out and escapes like it was nothing! Jesus from the show never really got to show this level of badassery.
5 Michonne's Lovers Always Dying
Michonne is a much more disturbed character in the comics compared to her depiction on television. While she grew to become a critical main character in both versions, Michonne's traumatic love life in the comics grew to become a recurring theme that led her to plunge into a darker state of being.
She had relationships with Morgan, Tyreese, and King Ezekiel at different times in the series, and each time they ended up in traumatic death scenes that caused Michonne to increasingly become emotionally closed-off.
4 Jesus & Aaron Fight Beta
Beta is one of the most formidable foes in the comics the survivors ever had to face. The fact that Jesus went toe-to-toe with him despite the size differential is a testament to his previously mentioned fighting prowess. In this scene, the tandem of Jesus and Aaron are able to take down the Whisperer's second-in-command and 7-foot tall killing machine.
Unfortunately, this scene didn't get a chance to play out on TV because of Jesus' shocking death, but Beta and Aaron are still alive (for now), so maybe Daryl Dixon may be able to fill-in for Jesus in this iconic scene.
3 Andrea Saves Eugene But Gets Bitten
In her final act of heroism in the comics, Andrea is able to save Eugene Porter from being overwhelmed by a horde, which they were trying to corral away from the communities in the aftermath of the war with the Saviors and Whisperers. But they soon find that she gets a minor bite on her neck in the process.
It was a particularly shocking scene because all signs pointed to a period of peace and prosperity for the survivors at that point, and Andrea seemed poised to be a part of it as Rick's right-hand woman. Unfortunately, series creator Robert Kirkman wanted to remind fans that accidents happen in the apocalypse and no one is safe.
Kirkman later regretted his decision and issued an official apology to fans in an open letter that said he legitimately missed the character of Andrea as if she were a "close friend."
2 Rick's Jarring Death
Rick Grimes' death at the hands of Sebastian Milton, the son of The Commonwealth's leader, was a gut-wrenching scene for fans, to say the least. After everything Rick survived through 190 issues of the comics, for him to be killed by an entitled brat whose motivation was fear of change in his family's status quo at The Commonwealth is just the kind of tragic ending that Robert Kirkman would pull.
Even more sad is the fact that Carl ends up being the one who puts down his reanimated father as he breaks down emotionally afterward. Justice is served in the end, however, as Sebastian is imprisoned for his crime, which fully realizes the vision Rick envisioned for the future in the apocalypse that he helped usher in.
1 Old Man Carl
In the aftermath of Rick's death, the comics run ended rather abruptly, as it jumped forward in time to show a civilization that has fully coped with the reality of zombies, and a relatively safe society is established in the world of The Walking Dead.
This future shows an older Carl who ends up marrying Sophia, whom he has a daughter with, Andrea Grimes, named after his late adoptive mother. The scene shows a pensive Carl telling a story to his daughter about his father, who now seems to be written about in history books.
It's a great ending to the comics that will unfortunately never be replicated on television, as Carl Grimes has already passed in the series.