Boom. A barbed-wire bat to the skull, and just like that, Glenn Rhee was gone. The Walking Dead comic's most infamous death wasn't just a shock to fans—it left its own creator emotionally wrecked. In a recent Letter Hacks section of The Walking Dead Deluxe #110, Robert Kirkman dropped a raw confession: killing characters hurts, even when they're ink on paper.
The Weight of Fictional Blood on His Hands
Kirkman's answer to a fan's question was startlingly human: “It's upsetting. I mean, it's not like a real person dying… but it sucks.” The kicker? The grief isn't instant. It creeps in later, in the quiet moments when a dead character should be there—like Glenn, whose absence still makes Kirkman mutter, “Well, damn it.”
This isn't just writerly guilt. Glenn's death in Issue #100 was a calculated massacre, a narrative grenade that reshaped the series. But Kirkman's admission reveals a darker truth: even the god of a fictional universe mourns his creations.
A Legacy of Carnage—And Regret?
The Walking Dead didn't just kill characters; it ritualized their deaths. Shane, Lori, Andrea, Hershel—each demise was a storytelling sledgehammer. But Glenn's stood apart. Why?
- Brutality: Lucille's swing wasn't just violent—it was intimate, forcing readers to watch a beloved character's skull collapse.
- Legacy: Glenn's death became shorthand for the series' merciless stakes. Even the TV adaptation (which mirrored the comic's beat) sparked fan outrage so intense, Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) reportedly got death threats.
Kirkman's eulogy for Andrea in Issue #167—a full-page “I'm sorry”—proves this isn't just about shock value. “Deaths in this series are never taken lightly,” he wrote, comparing it to losing a friend.
The Walking Dead's Unshakable Ghosts
Compare this to George R.R. Martin's infamous Game of Thrones kills. Both authors weaponized character deaths, but Kirkman's grief feels more personal. Why? Because The Walking Dead wasn't just a story—it was his world, built over 16 years. Every death was a choice, and choices have consequences… even for the chooser.
Final Thought:
Kirkman doesn't regret the bloodshed. But his lingering guilt? That's the real twist. The Walking Dead didn't just teach us no one's safe—it taught its creator that killing sticks, long after the last panel fades.
“From time to time, I think about Glenn.” Yeah, Robert. So do we.
