5 Walking Dead Characters Still Alive From Season 1

The Walking Dead will finally be coming to an end after the 11th season wraps up in late 2022. The show has seen many characters come and go, and some will continue long beyond the show’s end thanks to various spin-off series (and movies) that have already been confirmed

Based on announcements made thus far, several characters will certainly survive to the end so they can go on to star in their story continuations. Interestingly, some of them are among the few original cast members who are still alive. Overall, only five characters who appeared in the first season of the show are still alive, and one just barely made it there.

Carol

Carol has had one of the most exciting character arcs on the series to date, going from a beaten and battered housewife to a fierce and confident fighter. Fans love Carol, one of the characters on The Walking Dead who got better over time. So, it’s no surprise she will appear in a spin-off series alongside long-time friend Daryl.

Indeed, Carol and Daryl have been together since the very beginning of the apocalypse, instantly connecting, relating in ways others couldn’t, despite their very different pre-apocalypse lives. Carol has gone astray several times through the series, such as when she was banished from the group by Rick then when she chose to live on her own in a shack outside of The Kingdom. But no matter her circumstance, and despite tons of close calls, Carol has always managed to make it out alive.

Daryl

Since the departure of Rick, Daryl has become one of the male leads of the show, if not the male lead. Always brooding and laser-focused on getting things done, he also has a huge heart for the people he cares about. Daryl is one of a few people who thrived in the apocalypse. His skills as a talented tracker made him useful, and arguably for the first time in his life, Daryl felt needed and wanted by others.

Fast forward 10+ years and Daryl has become a killing machine, strategist, and formidable force. His disheveled, unkempt long hair, crossbow, leather jacket, and motorcycle remain his defining look, a far cry from the short hairdo and sleeveless plaid shirt he wore in season 1. It’s interesting to see Daryl’s slow transformation over the years on The Walking Dead.

Morgan

Another character who is still alive but is no longer on the show is Morgan, the first human person Rick comes across in season 1. It’s Morgan and his son Duane who tell Rick what happened while he was in his coma. Morgan becomes Rick’s first friend and confidante, a character who disappears for some time but pops back up in various scenarios, with their constant open line of communications through the walkie-talkies. One time Rick happens upon Morgan, he is having a mental breakdown. Another time Morgan pops up again, he has found inner calm, learned aikido, and decided that killing was no longer the way to live.

Morgan left The Walking Dead, and his group of friends, for the sake of his mental health. But he remains within the family of shows, heading up the cast on the spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead. Without Morgan, however, Rick might have ambled around for much longer and could have encountered someone sinister before he understood what was going on.

Rick

Rick was presumed dead for a moment by fans and for years by other characters on the show. But fans knew based on the final moments of his last episode that Rick survived, thanks to Jadis, who whisked him off in a plane for medical assistance. While he no longer appears on The Walking Dead, Rick will star in a spin-off set of movies. For now, fans wonder where he has gone, even spawning hilarious “Where’s Rick? Walking Dead memes asking that question.

Rick was the protagonist through much of the series’ run. The story was first told from his perspective as he woke up in a hospital bed from a coma only to find the world had been demolished. He led the group through every season, including both old and new members, fought foes who became increasingly violent through the seasons and dealt with so much loss. While Rick is no longer on the show, he is very much alive and likely somewhere in the Civic Military Republic (CRM).

Judith

Technically, Judith wasn’t born until the third season of the show, in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes on The Walking Dead. It was Judith’s birth that led to Lori’s death as Maggie had to cut her open to ensure Judith would survive. Thanks to time jumps, of course, baby Judith is now 12+ years old by season 11 of The Walking Dead.

However, with Lori asking Glenn to get her a pregnancy test at the beginning of season 2, and the first few seasons taking place over a shorter period than the most recent ones, chances are that Lori was already pregnant with baby Judith by the events towards the end of season 1. With Judith also presumed to be Shane’s biological child, it also makes sense that she was probably conceived in season 1. Despite all the odds against her as a baby born into the apocalypse, however, Judith managed to survive thanks to groups of loving people looking after her. From Carol and Tyreese caring for her after the fall of the prison until they could reconnect with Rick, to Daryl stepping in as uncle while Michonne goes on a journey to find Rick, Judith has always been protected at all costs. That paid off with Judith having appeared in every season of the show, albeit played by different actors.