Home News

The Walking Dead Fans Threaten To Riot If Daryl Dies

The Walking Dead fans were left anxious that Daryl might genuinely be killed off last night, resurrecting the promise “If Daryl dies we riot.”

The Walking Dead Season 9 Daryl

The Walking Dead has been hemorrhaging viewers for several years, and this season’s meandering stand off with the Whisperers is not doing much to help matters. Now, the most recent episode, “Stalker,” has threatened the most cardinal sin possible – killing off Daryl – and fans were not happy about it.

Recommended Videos

Daryl’s scenes see him searching for another entrance to the cave in which Connie and Magna remained trapped, only to encounter a group of Whisperers and engage in a knock down drag out with Alpha. Critically wounded, unable to walk, half-blind from blood pouring into his eyes and with a group of zombies approaching, his portion of the story was left for a full 15 minutes before being revisited, leaving fans genuinely fearful for his safety in a way they haven’t been for some time.

https://twitter.com/MissLizzD/status/1234301989636509696

https://twitter.com/miaxpaige/status/1234427054289895424

One of the show’s most popular figures, Daryl was introduced in the third episode and is its longest-serving character alongside Carol, the pair being the only ones from the first season still around, and grew from a redneck caricature into someone to be respected and admired, often a voice of reason among more reckless characters while also being one of the story’s most formidable fighters.

Given the high mortality rate of the cast, many people were fearful for the safety of their growing favorite, a mantra of “If Daryl dies we riot” developing among fans. Granted, that was back when the series’ viewing figures were about triple what they are now, but those who remain watching through either loyalty or grim determination to see it thought to the end after having come this far can still make some noise should the unthinkable actually come to pass. For now, it looks as though Daryl has been granted another reprieve after being apparently saved by Lydia, allowing him to live on to remain one of the few reasons people still bother tuning in.

Quite often, the regular deaths on The Walking Dead, such as the numerous ones seen in this episode when Beta stalked his way through Alexandria to reclaim Whisperer defector Gamma/Mary, are either nameless redshirts or tertiary characters who have been around for some time but never in any prominent capacity. The removal of any of the principal cast is often a big deal – such as the furor surrounding Rick’s heavily advertised departure – but if Daryl were to ever leave, it may well lead to a large number of viewers calling it quits.