The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, the latest spin-off from The Walking Dead‘s main television series, premieres on September 10, 2023. But who is Daryl Dixon?
Daryl Dixon is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC’s The Walking Dead. He is the younger brother of Merle, played by Michael Rooker. Daryl is an expert at hunting, tracking, navigation, and observation. He is also a skilled combatant, knife-wielder and crossbowman. The series mainstay, Rick Grimes, values him as his right-hand man, close friend, and later on as a brother figure.
While never appearing in the The Walking Dead comic books series written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, Daryl was a prominent character in the AMC’s The Walking Dead tv show. Dixon made his debut on the third episode of the first season in 2010 portrayed by Norman Reedus. The character was created by writers Frank Darabont, Charles H. Eglee and Jack LoGiudice specifically for Reedus.
Daryl went begin brazen and surly, but lets his guard down and starts to bond with the group, particularly Carol Peletier (played by Melissa McBride). Over the 11 seasons the relationship between Carol and Daryl grows and morphs. While the latest spin-off is titled, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, it was originally supposed to also star McBride’s Carol, but following logistical issues Melissa stepped away from the project.
Reedus’ Dixon made his final appearance on the main series during the penultimate episode (Season 11, Episode 24). He was the longest tenured character on the series, appearing in a total of 148 episodes (of 177). A character most fans stated would cause them to riot, should AMC kill him off.
Despite pressure from The Walking Dead viewers to insert Daryl Dixon into the comic book, longtime artist Charlie Adlard says it would have felt “wrong” and “completely disingenuous” to bring a character created for the show into the comic universe. He has become one of the few fan-favorite characters to only appear on screen.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is the latest spin-off from the original series following The Walking Dead: Dead City featuring Maggie and Negan. Check out the latest series starting September 10 only on AMC and AMC+.
