Daryl started the show as someone who was almost subservient to his brother, but once he joined Rick and the other survivors, he became so much more. Daryl became a protector and a leader, and he was one of the main reasons that the people who survived made it to The Walking Dead finale in one piece. However, through it all, the one thing that never happened was a Walking Dead Daryl Dixon love story. There were people that fans shipped with Daryl, with Carol Peletier at the top of the list. Despite this, Daryl became a lone wolf to the end, when he rode off by himself into the sunset.
Honorable Mention: Leah
Leah is the closest Daryl has ever come to an actual Walking Dead relationship. They did have a romantic partnership and could have had a future together. but Daryl was spooked and found it too difficult to let someone in. He was also distracted with trying to survive, learning to live with someone else instead of being the lone wolf he always was, while grieving his friend Rick. Leah is an honorable mention because, while a relationship did actually happen, it didn’t amount to anything. What’s more, it ended with Leah trying to kill Daryl and his people once she realized he betrayed her. She chose her group, The Reapers, over him.
Sasha
Sasha did strike up two romances on the show, first with Bob and then with Abraham. The worst of the romances was with Bob, as Sasha was a battle tested warrior and Bob was more of a meek individual who put people around him in danger. However, her relationship with Abraham made more sense because the two of them were tough as nails and seemed to fit together better. However, Sasha could have been a good fit with Daryl, as both had the same fighting spirit.
There was also a key story reason why Sasha and Daryl could have been an interesting pairing. Daryl came from a home life that was filled with hatred, as his brother Merle was completely racist, and that soaked off onto Daryl for a long time. Seeing him fall in love with Sasha could have shown that he had grown and changed into a better man who didn’t share the views he grew up around. Her relationship with Abraham was strong, but Daryl could have been a partner had they struck up a bond first. Both were trapped by Negan and held hostage, and both made serious sacrifices for the group in order to save them. They could have been a dream team together on the show.
Alpha
The thought of this Walking Dead romance might be stomach-turning, but the disturbing facts about Alpha from The Walking Dead suggest that she’s actually capable of having a relationship, at least in some way. She even pursued a sexual tryst with Negan, presenting it to him as a reward for a job well done, but that might have been simply for the sake of positive reinforcement. Of course, that backfired on Alpha when she died as Negan seemed to finally accept her offer only to slice her throat, ending her threat to his people.
While Daryl wouldn’t be one to accept such an offer, both he and Alpha lived like feral cats. They aren’t afraid to get down and dirty and aren’t focused on appearances, cleaning themselves up, or being considered attractive. Had Alpha not been so evil and cruel, and had she managed to survive, the two of them could have been a pair. Negan proved that some villains could be rehabilitated, and it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.
Jadis
Like Daryl, Jadis was very much a survivalist, so much so that she would only speak in fragmented sentences, suggesting she was turning feral. Daryl is also a man of few words, and the two might have struck up a bond, had they met under different circumstances. While Jadis seemed to take a liking to Rick, and later Gabriel, Daryl would have been far more of a kindred spirit. Plus, she might also have appreciated Daryl’s no-nonsense personality and lack of hesitancy when it came to fighting.
Jadis was also someone who liked to be left alone and preferred to remain isolated from communities. It was a perfect match if the two had met each other under different circumstances. However, with Jadis responsible for kidnapping Rick Grimes – even if she did save his life – there is no chance Daryl would want anything from Jadis now except for revenge.
Beth
What was going on with Beth and Daryl? Left to escape on their own, they shared intimate conversations about their lives, drank together, and seemed like a sweet couple out on the first date. Of course, this may also have been interpreted as a brother/sister type relationship, rather than a romantic one. Some of the most disturbing moments came when Daryl and Beth went off alone and had to fight to protect each other. It seemed their pairing was inevitable.
Whatever the case, Beth’s life was cut short before anything could happen between them, beyond their strong emotional bond. Beth ended up with Carol in a hospital where the survivors there forced survivors into work roles to allow them the right to remain protected there. However, when Daryl showed up to save the two, Beth took the chance to stab her captor, Dawn, and the former cop instinctively shot Beth in the head. Seeing Daryl walk out of the hospital with a dead Beth cradled in his arms remains one of the saddest and most tragic moments of the entire show. Did Daryl love Beth? The odds say yes.
Andrea
Andrea and Daryl were among the first of the group when the apocalypse hit. Daryl had a much bigger chip on his shoulder at the time, and he was much more aggressive and prone to fits of rage. His anguish at the thought of losing Merle in Atlanta didn’t help; neither did his inability to find Sophia in season 2. On the flip side, Andrea had just dealt with the loss of her sister in a zombie attack, which left her feeling suicidal. It was Dale who convinced her to flee the doomed CDC in the first season of The Walking Dead and she didn’t forgive him for letting her live.
While Daryl was starting to finally come into his own, Andrea still needed someone to help her figure things out. That never happened and when Andrea ended up in a bizarre relationship with The Governor, that finally pushed her over the edge, and she finally took her own life via a zombie bite. If Andrea and Daryl had fallen for each other and helped one another grow, things might have played out very differently – especially when it comes to Andrea’s fate.
Michonne
While Michonne and Rick were definitely a Walking Dead power couple that fans loved, she would also have made for a natural love interest for Daryl, had things played out differently. Both of them are survivalists who aren’t afraid to throw down for the sake of their people, and that would translate into an instant bond. The loss of Rick opened up an opportunity for the two to possibly get together, but that never panned out. Both became pillars of their respective communities, while Michonne still yearned for Rick. When she learned that he might still be alive, she went out looking for him, effectively nixing any possible romance with Daryl.
The comics showed how things could have changed for Michonne. There was no Rick and Michonne in the Walking Dead comics, just as there was no Daryl Dixon. Instead, Rick fell in love with Andrea – who was a very different person in the comics (the Carol and Andrea characters switched places in the comics). That was the love Rick found, and Michonne instead paired up with King Ezekiel. If Rick had paired up with Andrea, imagine Michonne and Daryl getting together on the TV show, which could have been the ultimate power couple.
Laura
Laura was once a high-ranking Savior under Negan, but after his fall, she switched sides and integrated into the community. It’s hard to class her as an evil character since her intentions were merely to survive. The season 10 closer “Here’s Negan” showed Laura in a flashback before the Saviors were even a thing, and she was most definitely a heroic character at that time. It’s possible she and Daryl might have sparked up a romance down the line, but that was not to be. The arrival of the Whisperers effectively ended any chance of that when Beta brutally killed Laura, ending her complex character arc for good.
With all the questions about what could have happened in The Walking Dead if certain characters didn’t die, one wonders if Laura could have been an important ally and warrior down the line. She remains one of The Walking Dead characters who deserved more screen time, and it is easy to see someone like her with that spirit hooking up with Daryl if she hadn’t died.
Jesus
One question that has never really been answered in the series is Daryl’s sexuality. Given this, it’s quite possible that he and Jesus might have made a go of it at some point. The two started out relatively as opposites. Jesus was outgoing, personable, and good with people, while Daryl was a more distrustful loner who said very little. Fans loved seeing the two chasing after one another in Jesus’ first scene. Had the two managed to work together more often and strike up a friendship, it could have been something more.
There was also a nice story built up if Daryl ended up gay. He ended up building a strong connection with Aaron and Eric, the first openly gay couple on The Walking Dead. It was Eric and Aaron who helped Daryl get his motorcycle working again and, despite his bigotry from childhood, Daryl never looked down on Eric and Aaron, and that added some questions to his own sexuality, especially since he never gave into one of the fans’ favorite ships. In the comics, Aaron dated Jesus, but Jesus died in the TV show. If Daryl was gay, there wasn’t a better match on the show than Jesus as a partner.
Maggie
It might have been awkward for Daryl to strike up a romance with Maggie after getting so close to her sister, Beth. Plus, by that time, Maggie and Glenn were already married and hopelessly in love. But had Maggie not had eyes for Glenn from the start, she and Daryl could have made a great pair. Maggie was always a strong-willed leader, but became a fierce warrior as well, over time. She and Daryl could have been perfect together, had things gone down differently. Unfortunately, it’s hard to see it working out, given that Daryl’s actions prompted one of the most brutal deaths of The Walking Dead when Glenn met the end of Negan’s bat.
With the way things turned out with Negan, there was no way that Maggie and Daryl could ever get together. She might not have directly blamed Daryl for Glenn’s death, but it was his fault. Plus, after Glenn died, Maggie had no further interest in love or creating a romantic connection with anyone. It seemed Daryl Dixon and Maggie Rhee were very similar at the end, deciding they were always better off alone.
Connie
The only time Daryl showed any semblance of butterflies in his rock-hard stomach was when he was talking to Connie. Since she was deaf, Daryl had to find unique ways to communicate with her, via what little sign language he knew, plus hand motions, expressions, and of course, kiddish love notes. It’s clear they both had a thing for one another and that bond remained strong. After Connie’s apparent demise at the hands of Alpha’s scheming, Daryl searched tirelessly for her. Connie survived the ordeal, which meant there was still a flicker of hope for the two to find peace together.
Connie survived The Walking Dead finale, but there was no romantic happily ever after for Daryl Dixon and Connie. She was part of the final battle and in the end, Connie specifically sought out Daryl and rushed to hug him. It was a sweet moment as Daryl revealed he was now fluent in sign language so he can talk to her and he seemed very pleased to see that she was finally happy. However, Daryl left the Commonwealth and Connie behind to go search for Rick, meaning he gave up on another Walking Dead romance possibility.
Carol
Viewers saw tell-tale signs that Carol and Daryl have a thing for each other as far back as the first two seasons. Since then, they’ve grown together as the best of friends, despite many hurdles over the years. They know how to talk to one another, they would go to the ends of the earth for each other, and their bond appears unbreakable. It may just be a really close friendship, but it always seems like there’s something more lingering beneath the surface. It’s safe to say that the window of opportunity has passed them both by, especially given the tragic things that have happened that mark some of the saddest things about Carol on The Walking Dead.
However, there is no one in Daryl’s life that he cared about more than Carol – and that might include his own brother Merle and his closest friend Rick. Fans wanted to see Daryl and Carol together for years, but it never happened despite the show teasing it more than once. When Daryl left at the end of the finale, it looked like it closed the door to their relationship. However, with the news that Carol might appear in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, it looks like this Walking Dead love story might not be over yet.
