Glenn’s Walking Dead death is by far one of the franchise’s most controversial moments, and the TV show’s depiction proved to be worse than the comics for three main reasons. Despite being a fan-favorite, The Walking Dead decided to give Glenn the same fate he suffered in the comics, which subsequently produced one of the saddest deaths in television history. Starting as a relatable underdog, Glenn became one of the franchise’s most competent and dependable survivors, earning the audiences’ support throughout his Walking Dead tenure. However, his shocking exit proved divisive among fans, especially when compared to the comic’s version.

Although Glenn died in roughly the same way in both the comic and the television series, there were a few key differences that made viewers angrier than readers. While the graphic and brutal nature of his death upset some viewers, this isn’t unexpected in The Walking Dead universe and captures the gruesome moment from the comic surprisingly well. Instead, the big change involving Negan’s victims alongside Glenn’s different portrayals makes the TV depiction of this event more disappointing. There are still great elements in the show, but it is impossible to ignore why Glenn’s TV death was so controversial.

3. Glenn Was A More Popular Character In The Walking Dead’s TV Show Than In The Comic

Steven Yeun’s Portrayal Of Glenn Became One Of The Most Popular Characters On TV

While both versions of the character are popular, Steven Yeun’s portrayal of Glenn made the TV version far more likable than the comic version. Glenn’s comic book counterpart has a similar story, rescuing Rick in issue 2, falling in love with Maggie, and being a reliable ally until his final moments. Despite the comics still doing a great job with Glenn, he isn’t as admired as Yeun’s version of the character. Steven Yeun gave Glenn far more personality and felt like a major character compared to the comic portrayal as he had a much bigger role in the TV show.

Yeun provided Glenn with plenty of charm and emotional depth, which led to him becoming one of The Walking Dead‘s best characters. This made Glenn’s death at the hands of Negan all the more shocking. Negan killed Glenn during his introduction in both the comics and TV show, immediately elevating him as a serious villain. Using his baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, he bashed Glenn’s skull in front of his loved ones, cementing this moment as one of the most brutal in The Walking Dead history. Sadly, the TV show could have given this death to anyone else.

There were plenty of other options that would have been less controversial, but killing off Glenn felt like the heart and soul of The Walking Dead was ripped out.

The acting and emotion in this scene were phenomenal, creating a truly chilling and memorable episode, but it could have been just as impactful if they had chosen another major character. There were plenty of other options that would have been less controversial, but killing off Glenn felt like the heart and soul of The Walking Dead was ripped out. He was so popular that some people stopped watching just because of his death, and while choosing to kill Glenn would have been divisive on its own, the biggest difference to the comics makes the TV death far worse.

2. The Walking Dead TV Show Killing Abraham Too Was Overkill

Abraham’s Death Was Overshadowed By Glenn Being Killed Minutes Later

Glenn’s popularity made his death tough to swallow, but killing off Abraham as well was overkill. In the comics, Glenn is the only casualty during Negan’s introduction, but in the TV show, Abraham is killed first. This was naturally a huge swerve and could have solved the original problem of killing Glenn. Abraham was the perfect blend of a well-received character whose death would have been devastating without causing the same backlash as Glenn being killed. Unfortunately, the show decided to have them both meet their demise at the end of Negan’s bat, making the scene even more controversial.

Killing off both characters was a bold decision, but it is one that ultimately backfired given how notorious the scene has become.

Both characters had a healthy fan base, but Abraham’s death was completely overshadowed by Glenn’s. Although people were still sad to see Abraham go, audiences barely had time to digest his final moments before Glenn’s death occurred. Killing off both characters was a bold decision, but it is one that ultimately backfired given how notorious the scene has become. The Walking Dead should have stuck to Abraham’s comic death, as it was also shocking and would have avoided frustrating viewers, but losing two of their most popular characters at once only ended up hurting the show.

While Glenn’s death is a horrifying moment in The Walking Dead comics, the deeper tragedy is that he isn’t around to help raise his son Hershel.

1. The Cliffhanger Of Who Negan Killed Backfired For The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Lost A Lot Of Viewers After The Season 7 Premiere

In addition to Abraham’s death, The Walking Dead TV show also decided to make who Negan killed a cliffhanger, which ultimately proved to be a bad decision. The comic got straight to the point, introducing Negan, delivering his monologue, and killing off Glenn all in a single issue. In contrast, it took over six months for the TV series to finally reveal who Negan’s victim was. While this did help build anticipation for the show’s return and even boosted viewers for season 7’s premiere, there was a drastic decline in viewership despite the premiere’s quality.

People were eager to see who Negan killed, but leaving this as a cliffhanger caused a lot of frustration among the fan base. Waiting all this time meant some people spoiled the twist that there were two victims and waiting six months for two beloved characters to be killed off did more harm than good for The Walking Dead. Killing Abraham in season 6’s finale and then Glenn in season 7’s premiere may have been a better execution for this twist, but the show’s big changes from the comics proved to be too significant and made Glenn’s death extremely controversial.