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Obviously, we’re talking about a huge spoiler for ‘The Walking Dead‘ today so if you missed out on last night’s episode you might want to head back for a few minutes as this one really is a biggy. Clearly there was a death on AMC’s hit series as mentioned in the title but for who it is, you’ll need to continue past the spoiler image below. It was a bit of a shock though wonderfully executed, pun intended.

Last chance to turn back is right here!

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Wow, so a near perfect setup for one character’s death took someone else in the same manner. Fellow comic book fans were probably uneagerly awaiting Abraham’s death last night as he went on a walk with Eugene that fatefully would be his downfall in the comics. But no, without the buildup of friendship and animosity between Rick and Abraham in the televised series his death was put on pause for the time being with the surprise twist of Merritt Wever‘s Denise biting the big one!

I apologize for the image as I couldn’t find a good comparison shot from the episode online quite yet as the scene nearly matched what was on page completely.

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Anyone familiar with how the show works could have guessed that she was going to die half way through the episode anyway, but it was still quite shocking for the when and how it happened on screen. We always get to see an “Aha!” moment for major character deaths where they experience great character growth or a revelation with a strong look at their character in the episode that they die in. This has happened frequently for both major and minor characters on the show and sadly makes some deaths a bit too predictable.

In the comics, Denise lasted quite a bit longer and being the doctor for Alexandria had a vital part in many of the comics eventually ended up dying due to a walker bite with Michonne putting her down before she can become one of the undead. Honestly, with the Eugene and Abraham story arc that ended in Abraham’s death in this exact fashion in the book, one has to wonder if he is now about to be knocking at death’s door and could be a replacement for Glenn when we are brutally introduced to Negan.

Were you surprised that Denise’s death came so early in the series? What do you think this means for Abraham going forward? Share your thoughts below!

Sources: Comic Book, Vanity Fair