A surprising 14-year Walking Dead acting record shows who the franchise's true main character is

Summary

• Daryl Dixon's 15-year career in the universe of The Walking Dead consolidates his status as an iconic character, even surpassing Rick Grimes.
• Norman Reedus' portrayal of Daryl Dixon marks an important acting sequence, demonstrating his commitment to the role from the start.
• Despite initial plans, Daryl Dixon's popularity led to his survival and emergence as a central character, calling Rick Grimes' protagonist status into question.

14 impressive years Walking death The sequence of actors emphasizes that a character can be the true protagonist of the franchise. Since the start of the show in 2010, The Walking Dead has been full of interesting and memorable characters, but the show has always had a rotating cast. Throughout the main series' 11 seasons, there were understandably a lot of significant deaths and departures, meaning some of the franchise's biggest characters didn't get to arrive. The Walking Deadthe final. Even the franchise's main character, Rick Grimes, left the show during season 9, meaning his streak of back-to-back appearances was cut short.

Andrew Lincoln returned briefly as Rick in the finale, and eventually made his full return during Those who live. However, despite the excitement over Rick's return The Walking Dead universe, he may have lost his status as a main character. After Rick Grimes Walking death disappearance in season 9, a character stepped in to fulfill his role and move the season forward. The series did not have an official protagonist after Rick, but an actor who has been on the show since its first season became the face of the franchise and continued his superb acting track record.

Daryl Dixon Season 2 marks Norman Reedus' 15th consecutive year playing Daryl

Norman Reedus has played Daryl Dixon every year since The Walking Dead debuted in 2010

Norman Reedus' Walking death spin off, Daryl Dixon, is expected to return this summer, and season 2 will mark the actor's 15th consecutive year as the character. Having made his Walking death Debuting in Season 1, Episode 3, Reedus has remained a mainstay ever since. Although his initial role seemed to be nothing more than a supporting character, Daryl quickly became a fan favorite and continued to appear in the franchise every year. The Walking Dead produced main show content every year from 2010 to 2022, and Reedus was involved in every seasonallowing him to accumulate an incredible streak.

Although the series ended in 2022, that didn't stop Reedus from reprising his role as Daryl in its 2023 spinoff. Naturally, the Daryl Dixon spin-off centered on the character of Reedus, and with season 2 scheduled for release in 2024, this will make 15 consecutive years that Reedus has appeared as the main character. Unsurprisingly, this makes Daryl one of the longest surviving survivors. Walking death characters, with Reedus having the most appearances in the franchise. As a result, Daryl became one of The Walking Deadthe most emblematic characters of and its honorary protagonist of recent years.

Reedus' track record is even more impressive given Daryl's Walking Dead origins

Daryl Dixon was a character created specifically for the television series

Since Daryl Dixon never appeared in The Walking Dead comics, Reedus' acting streak is even more impressive. Daryl was a character designed specifically for the television series and wasn't even part of the original plans for the series. Although The Walking Dead cast Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, the actor who originally auditioned for the role of Merle and was desperate to be on the show, no matter how big his role was. Reedus' audition was so impressive that season 1 showrunner Frank Darabont created a new character specifically for him, leading to the creation of the iconic Daryl Dixon.

Daryl instantly became a fan favorite and his audience support led him to become the most recurring character in the entire television series.

Considering he wasn't part of the source material, Daryl was initially supposed to be killed off early in the series, but his popularity kept him alive. Daryl instantly became a fan favorite and his audience support led him to become the most recurring character in the entire television series. This makes Reedus' track record all the more impressive since Daryl's popularity can be almost entirely attributed to him. He inspired the creation of the character and was so successful in the role that he became the face of the franchise, earning this phenomenal acting streak.

Daryl Dixon appeared more than Rick Grimes (Who is the real main character?)

Daryl featuring more than Rick creates questions about who the true protagonist of the franchise is

Rick Grimes may be The Walking DeadThe original protagonist of, but Daryl Dixon has had more appearances, which raises questions about who the true protagonist of the franchise is. Season 1 began with Rick waking up from a coma and the series continued to focus around him until he left for season 9. However, as the seasons progressed, more and more characters were introduced. The Walking Dead the universe, and the plots were split, which meant Rick had less screen time as the series progressed. He was still the focal point of the series, but characters like Daryl were becoming just as important.

By the time Season 9 rolled around, there were already a plethora of key characters other than Rick, who stepped in after leaving the show. Although Daryl wasn't the only one taking on this new central role, he was the closest thing to Rick's replacement., especially since he became Judith's primary parental figure after Michonne left. Daryl was central to many storylines after Rick left, including the Whisperer War, the Reapers storyline, and the Commonwealth arc. This proved how valuable he was to the franchise and highlighted that he had essentially taken on the role of Rick on the series.

With Rick returning to the picture, he will likely return to the spotlight and reprise his role as the franchise's protagonist.

Considering Daryl was one of many Walking death characters who were supposed to die earlier, his survival ended up being crucial to the show's final seasons. He is the only character to receive a solo spin-off, and although Carol has since joined the series, Daryl Dixon is a sign that Reedus is essential for The Walking Deadthe future. With Rick returning to the picture, he'll likely return to the spotlight and reprise his role as the franchise's protagonist, but Daryl's impact means he's become a main character in his own way and is just as influential as Rick.

Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon has been featured in more episodes of
The Walking Dead
than any other character, appearing in 148 of the main series' 177 episodes.

Melissa McBride technically shares Norman Reedus' Walking Dead record

Melissa McBride's Carol has also appeared every year since The Walking Dead began

Despite the impressive Norman Reedus Walking death The record is that he technically shares this with Melissa McBride. McBride has played Carol since season 1, and, like Reedus, has appeared in every season since. Even though she replicated Reedus' sequence in the main series, McBride didn't get her own spin-off, but that didn't stop her from matching her record. Carol made a small appearance in the Daryl Dixon spin-off, meaning she also appeared as a main character Walking death character every year since its creation. Given that it will play a more important role in Daryl Dixon season 2, his streak will also continue.

McBride's role in 2023 was nowhere near as big as Reedus', but she was still technically up to her feat. Given Daryl Dixon looks set for a third season, the cast will likely extend this series through 2025, and it could continue beyond that with a potential crossover show still on the cards. Season 1 doesn't seem to indicate that Carol or Daryl would become central characters, but McBride and Reedus' commitment to their roles means they're approaching 15 consecutive years of Walking death appearances, surpassing any other cast member and setting a seemingly unbeatable franchise record.