The Walking Dead: 8 Reasons Glenn Is Dead For Realsies

Updated on Nov 21, 2015 at 9:35 PM

At the end of October, The Walking Dead ripped out the hearts of its millions of viewers, then threw them on the ground and stomped all over them. Yep, we're talking Glenn, who dies thanks to the carelessness of that trash monster Nicholas. In the weeks since, we've found plenty of proof that Glenn's alive, but the evidence to the contrary has been steadily mounting with each passing day. And the fact that Jeffrey Dean Morgan got cast as Negan was the real nail in Glenn's coffin. So, while the show has been renewed for another season, we've lost most, if not all, hope of seeing more Glenn. Keep reading to find out why.

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Glenn Hasn't Fired the Flare Gun

One of the crucial components of that fated episode is that Glenn has a flare gun and has promised to send a signal to say that he's OK. In the most recent episode, though, there's no such signal. If he had survived that awful situation, wouldn't he have let everyone know by now?

Think About the Walkers

OK, let's pretend Nicholas fell across Glenn's body and all of those horrifying intestines actually belonged to Nicholas. The thing is, a lot of Glenn's body would still be uncovered, right? There's no way he would've made it out of that situation without a single walker noticing and biting at least one body part. There's just no way.

The Problem With the Whole "Disguise" Theory

Some fans of the show have pointed out that Glenn has previously covered himself in blood to throw off his scent, making it impossible for the walkers to detect him. The argument follows that perhaps the same thing happens when the intestines — believed to belong to Nicholas — drench Glenn in blood. Sadly, the issue is that Glenn used walker guts all those episodes ago, making him seem like just another walker. But this is real blood from a living (well, dying) human. It's oxygenated, it's life blood. If anything, the walkers would be more attracted to Glenn in this case. Sorry, guys.

Maggie's Pregnancy

According to the comic books, Glenn dies right around the time he learns of Maggie's pregnancy. Maggie's pregnancy is revealed in episode five, "Now," making the timing about right.

His Omission From the Opening Credits . . . Twice

In the two episodes since that ambiguous sequence, actor Steven Yeun's name has not appeared in the show's opening credits. That's pretty bleak.

Another Look at the Creator's Postmortem Statement

Let's examine the full statement given by showrunner Scott M. Gimple. It was read by Chris Hardwick on Talking Dead, a weekly show that helps fans decompress and digest an episode.

"Dear fans of The Walking Dead, this is a hard story to tell and when we were planning to tell we knew our friends at the Talking Dead would be talking to you about it. And knowing you'd all be talking, and feeling and commiserating, I knew we should say something about it lest our silence say something we didn't mean to say or not say. So I'll say this: In some way, we will see Glenn, some version of Glenn or parts of Glenn again, either in flashback or in the current story to help complete the story."

While the fact that "we will see Glenn" is a promising hint that suggests he might not be dead, the clarifying clauses surrounding those words are enough cause for alarm. "Some version of Glenn" sounds like Gimple means walker Glenn. "Parts of Glenn" sounds like we're going to see his mangled, dismembered body at the foot of that dumpster. So, just because this isn't the last we'll see of Glenn, it doesn't mean he's coming back in the way we want.

Even If Glenn DID Survive, He May as Well Be Dead

Listen, there's plenty of compelling evidence to confirm that Glenn is alive, but some recent casting news suggests that he will definitely not survive the season. Just this week, actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan nabbed the role of Negan, one of the comic's baddest villains. Negan also happens to be the person who viciously beats Glenn to death with a barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat in the comic book series. So, what we're saying is, even if that mob of walkers didn't kill Glenn, the impending arrival of Negan just sealed his fate.

This Show Is Random and Unfair and We're Probably All in Denial

If we're all honest with ourselves, and if we take out all of the logic we've been using to argue for Glenn's survival, one point remains. Above all, we don't want to accept that Glenn's dead because he's been on the show the whole time. He's survived so many near-death experiences. The first instinctual argument isn't logic, it's just, "They can't kill Glenn! They just can't!" But here's the thing: they can. No one is safe in this bleak, postapocalyptic world. Anyone can die at any time. Even Glenn. Even Maggie. Even Rick Grimes. The sooner we come to terms with that fact, the better.