Merle Dixon

Merle Dixon is a main character and former antagonist of AMC's The Walking Dead, appearing in season one and three. Having survived with his younger brother, Daryl, he eventually joined a group of survivors but was abandoned and was found by the Governor, becoming one of his top lieutenants.

History[]

Background[]

Before the outbreak, Merle and his brother Daryl lived somewhere in the mountains of North Georgia with their neglectful parents; their father being an alcoholic and their mother being both that and a chain smoker. When they were both young, they lost their mother to a house fire that had been caused by her cigarette while she was asleep. Because of the lack of love and guidance he was given, Merle chose to act out against society, which led him to frequently be incarcerated in juvenile institutions. His father beat both brothers, with Merle leaving because he would have murdered him. He raised Daryl to share the same beliefs and also become tough in a cruel adult world that both of them faced. Despite talking proudly about taking care of Daryl, Merle was often absent from Daryl's life and didn't give him the emotional support that an older brother should. It is also implied that Merle was a crystal meth user and that he had a dealer. Merle abandoned the family during his teenage years due to the abuse his father inflicted on him, leaving Daryl with their father. He then enrolled in the military, as shown by his physical strength, tactical abilities and skill with firearms. At one point, he punched a sergeant, which got him dishonorably discharged. He was then court-martialled and sent to prison for sixteen months. Merle was also the leader of a motorcycle gang calle the Savage Sons Motorcycle Club.

Survival Instinct[]

While he was in jail for drugs, sometime during the outbreak's onset, Merle escaped the cell and took camp on the roof of the Fontana Police Station. When he found a group of people whom he believed to be military because they were dressed in uniforms, in reality it was scavengers led by Anna Turner. He shot at them, believing they wanted to take him back to jail. He killed many of them and injured some, specifically Noah Cruz and the survivors that hid in the buildings. He shot car alarms to lure the walkers toward the survivors however this caused trouble for Daryl, who

Merle 1 — Merle as he appears in Survival Instinct

came looking for him. After figuring out that the sniper is Merle, Daryl heads there. When Daryl finds Merle, he opens fire on Daryl, believing that it was a ruse to let his guard down. When he lets Daryl, he finds that Merle is burnt red by the sun and drunk. It is discovered that he has a fever and requires medicine.

During travelling, Daryl and Merle discuss their family, short term plans for survival and next location. They decide to travel to Merle's old clubhouse: a bar named Jakes. Merle mentions to Daryl that he has something special for him there. However, they find their way blocked by a horde. After miraculously finding fireworks, Merle guides Daryl to the church where Daryl blows it up with fireworks to distract the walkers. While Daryl blows up the church, Merle blows up the gas station where he hid as another distraction. Such an occasion causes the two to successfully make it to the bar. When Daryl arrives, he finds Merle gathering drugs and killing his former gang members, blaming them for putting him in jail. When more bikers arrive, Merle escapes and Daryl is knocked out. Luckily Daryl managed to escape the walker infested town with his crossbow, which was Merle's surprise, but was unable to find Merle. While escaping a giant horde at a train yard, Daryl hears Merle talking to him. When Daryl talks to Anna about it, she tells him that it was all in his head, as his walkie-talkie was broken much to Daryl's disbelief.

Merle later appears in a Humvee to help Daryl fight the undead herds in a survivor camp in a stadium. When all the walkers are dead, Merle stops Daryl from going in a chopper. When the chopper leaves them Daryl yells at Merle, but Merle announces that the pilot was bitten. The two get in the Humvee and drive off, with Daryl telling Merle that he is the only one he could count on.

Season One[]

Merle is one of the Atlanta survivors who left the refugee camp to gather supplies in Atlanta with Glenn Rhee, Andrea, Jacqui, T-Dog and Morales. When the department store is besieged by Walkers, Merle fires his rifle at several of them. T-Dog demands that he stops firing as it will draw more Walkers. After Merle insults him, T-Dog throws a punch which Merle parries with the rifle and the two begin to brawl. Though Rick Grimes, Morales and Glenn attempt to intervene, Merle single-handedly knocks them down and viciously beats T-Dog, establishing his dominance by spitting on the man. After declaring himself leader, he is blind-sided by Rick, who hits him with his own rifle and handcuffs him to a pipe before Merle can cause further harm. Rick then confiscates Merle's pistol and cocaine and tosses the drugs off the side of the building, infuriating him. He is then put under watch of T-Dog while

Merle 3 — Rick stops Merle from causing any more trouble

the other survivors attempt to find a way out of Atlanta. When the survivors do find a way out, T-Dog is about to leave him behind like the others are, but after listening to his frightened pleas for help, he turns around to take the handcuffs off and help him out of the store. However, he trips and accidentally drops the handcuff keys into a roof drain, forcing him to abandon Merle on the rooftop, as he flees after locking the rooftop door shut with chains to buy him time. Merle is left behind, screaming and filled with anguish, as the survivors escape Atlanta without him.

Left alone, he begins the stages of accepting his fate until he begins to fight again, this time with the pipe he is cuffed to. As he hallucinates that Walkers have invaded the building and are reaching the chained door to the rooftop, Merle struggles harder until he notices the spilled tools that the others left behind. He uses his belt to reach a hacksaw and succeeds in cutting off his right hand to escape. Later on, Daryl, Rick, Glenn and T-Dog return to the rooftop where Merle was left behind and chained to and are shocked to discover he has escaped and his severed hand remaining.

Season Two []

Merle's whereabouts are completely unknown and almost no one in the group is concerned about where he is, if he is alive or dead or even finding him, aside from Daryl. Merle reappears in an injured Daryl's hallucinations, in which he taunts Daryl for giving up, telling him to be tougher. He also tells Daryl to stand up to Rick, even suggesting that Daryl shoot him and mentioning that Rick handcuffed him and left him to die on the roof of the department store. As a result of this vision, Daryl is able to pull himself from the gorge he'd fallen into.

Season Three[]

At some point after amputating his hand and escaping the rooftop in Atlanta, Merle was eventually discovered by the

Governor while on a scouting mission. Merle was on the verge of death from blood loss and starvation and that he was even contemplating suicide. The Governor took Merle back to Woodbury where his wounds were treated and he gradually recovered from his injuries and restrained himself to use weapons. Gradually, Merle became one of the Governor's most trusted lieutenants and assisted him in attacking other survivor camps and settlements. Merle has killed nearly sixteen people while serving under the Governor.

Merle is with the Governor and his men as they scout the helicopter wreckage and he eventually comes upon Andrea and Michonne who are hiding in the woods, holding them at gunpoint. When Andrea turns around, he is surprised to see her alive. He then quickly dispatches a walker that had sneaked up on him with a knife and it is revealed that Merle's severed arm is covered by a self-made metal covering with a bayonet attached to it. Andrea, who was already sick at the moment, passes out. As night falls, Merle is in the truck with the Governor, Andrea and Michonne as they travel back to Woodbury. Andrea lifts her blindfold briefly and sees Merle right next to her, with him motioning her to keep quiet. While Dr. Stevens is tending to Andrea and Michonne, Merle enters, telling Dr. Stevens to leave so he can start a more proper conversation with her, one they haven't since the last time they saw each other. He tells her that before being found by the Governor, he was bleeding out and starving to death, and was hoping to commit suicide and wait for his brother on the other side. He remembers what Rick did to him and still despises him for it. Andrea catches him up, telling him that Daryl has earned his place in the group. She explains that the group left Atlanta and went to a farm, but the farm was overrun and this was the last time she saw everybody before being split up from the rest; they've lost many people along the way including Amy. In a rare show of compassion, Merle expresses his condolence for Amy's death.

The Governor enters the room, after whispering something to Merle, he exits. As he later takes the pair out to show

Merle 7 — Merle alongside Milton and the Governor

them Woodbury, Merle demonstrates his role by climbing a fortified barricade and taking a rifle. He shows that he can still shoot a machine gun despite losing his hand, taking out three walkers in three shots. The next day, Merle is found in a makeshift laboratory, working with Milton Mamet, a researcher. As the Governor enters, the two are caught having a disagreement about something; the Governor stops them, comparing their small outburst to a school fight. When the Governor asks about Andrea, Merle reveals that he used to be part of her group in Atlanta. The Governor orders Merle to interrogate her more and dismisses him. Meanwhile, while Milton is showing his latest findings, he insists to the Governor that Merle isn't the right man for the job and that it should be him.

Later on that day, the Governor is seen driving to a national guard outpost that was revealed by Lieutenant Welles, the only survivor from the helicopter crash. He pretends to be innocent by proposing for them to move to his settlement while Merle and the others discreetly surround the area. The Governor quickly pulls a gun out and shoots Corporal Brady, the first soldier that approached him. This was the signal for Merle and other Woodbury guards, who were hiding in the woods nearby, to open fire at them, quickly dispatching all of the soldiers as they were caught off-guard. After successfully killing all of them, Merle and the rest steal their equipment and return to Woodbury. Merle is present when the Governor makes a speech to the townsfolk saying that the soldiers were already dead when they got there. He later talks privately with Merle and Milton.

Merle 8 — Merle receives the map from Andrea

After receiving a map from Andrea to show Merle where the Greene Family Farm was, Merle decided to make an effort to go and find Daryl and his location, but after asking Andrea if was still alive, Andrea didn't know and mentioned that the attack on Hershel Greene's farm was eight months ago. He then decided to converse about himself and Andrea on why they didn't hook up as a couple, but after having the discussion, Merle then goes to talk to the Governor and tells him that he made up his mind to go search for his brother in which the Governor rejects his request and tells him that he is needed in Woodbury. The Governor then tells Merle that if he got more solid evidence of Daryl's whereabouts, then the Governor would go and find Daryl along with Merle. Merle is one of many participating in a day of celebration put on by the Governor and he appears with the Governor and Milton as they retrieve more drinks from the Governor's apartment. Although Milton's suggests that they postpone the night's party, Merle rejects the offer and the Governor agrees with Merle. After Michonne kills the captive walkers behind Milton's lab, Merle escorts her back to the Governor, giving her sword back to him and leaves. After Michonne storms out, Merle asks the Governor what happened and he comments that Michonne has quite a personality but she is no problem. Later, Merle drives out to the wind generator located outside of Woodbury with Milton and a few others. Discovering they have caught a bunch of walkers in a netted trap, Merle kills a walker while Milton holds her down. He wrestles the other walkers and begins pulling out it's teeth. During the afternoon, Merle stops Andrea and Michonne as they are trying to leave through the gate. He informs them that they will need an

Merle 9 — Merle's fight against Martinez

escort. When he whispers something to Caesar Martinez and Andrea tries to interject, he orders her to back up. Eventually, Merle decides to open the gate for them but Andrea refuses to exit Woodbury and Michonne leaves alone. That night, Merle is one of the two brawlers in a twisted wrestling match, surrounded by chained walkers. All of Woodbury cheers him on as he beats up his opponent, Martinez. What the people don't know is that the fight between Merle and Martinez is choreographed and that none of the walkers in the arena have teeth. The Governor orders Merle to hunt down and kill Merle, as she is considered dangerous. Merle, Crowley, Tim and Gargulio go off in the woods, following her trail and searching for her. They

Merle 10 — Merle discovers Michonne's message

locate her and Merle begins to taunt her in order to receive a reaction. Afterwards, Michonne sneaks them from behind, she uses her katana to decapitate Crowley and stab Tim in the stomach before Merle begins shooting at her. He accidentally shoots and kills Tim as Michonne runs off and Merle chases her down and shoots her in the thigh before losing her trail again. Merle regroups with his remaining companion, Gargulio, who is in shock for the death of Crowley and Tim. Merle tells Gargulio to rise to the occasion and then stabs Tim's brain to prevent him from reanimating, and forces Gargulio to do the same with Crowley's head. Merle rushes to leave the area, as the shots fired would attract walkers. Michonne sneaks up on them once again and attempts to attack Merle, but all three become disoriented in the fight. Walkers arrive, causing Merle to ignore Michonne for a moment. A walker attacks him and Gargulio stabs it in the head, saving Merle, as Michonne escapes amid the commotion. Merle kills the last walker and he assesses that Michonne is as good as dead, since she escaped right into the "red zone", and he plans to lie to the Governor about the events that had taken place, but Gargulio objects. Gargulio refuses to lie to the Governor, he remembers what Merle said earlier about how serious the situation was, Merle at first agrees, but then he shoots Gargulio in the head when he is distracted by a bird call. Sometime after, Merle follows Michonne into the "red zone" and, much to his surprise, he stumbles upon Glenn and Maggie Greene while they were on a supply run. Merle questions Glenn about Daryl, Glenn says that Daryl is still alive but refuses to take Merle along because of his knife prosthetic. Merle tries to be friendly at first, but then he

shoots at them and holds Maggie hostage. He then forces Glenn to get in the car and drive them to Woodbury, but, without their knowledge, Michonne was watching everything from behind a car. Later on, Merle interrupts the Governor and Andrea as they are having sex. The Governor walks out of his apartment to talk to Merle, who lies to him saying he has killed Michonne but she managed to kill the others. The Governor is saddened for the loss of his men, Merle then tells him that he's captured Glenn and Maggie. They decide not to reveal this to Andrea and Merle leaves, stating that he's going to find out where they are holed up.

Merle brutally interrogates Glenn to find out the location of the Atlanta survivors' current camp. Despite the brutality, Glenn still does not reveal anything, saying that Rick will eventually find and save them. Merle reinforces that nobody's going to find them, so Glenn tries to scare Merle by mentioning several strong survivors still being in their group, but he commits the mistake of mentioning Andrea, so Merle instantly knew that he was lying. Merle eventually becomes frustrated and leaves a walker in the room with Glenn, hoping that it would kill him. However, Glenn ends up killing the walker in a matter of minutes with a piece of the broken chair he was duct-taped to. Eventually, Merle, the Governor and Martinez discuss the situation, Merle says that he wasn't able to extract any information from Glenn but he's going to interrogate Maggie next. The Governor refuses and tells him he is going to talk to her himself. After a while, the Governor gets tired of games, he along with Merle and Martinez take Maggie to the shack where Glenn is and threatens to kill one in front of the other. Maggie eventually reveals that their group is camped in a prison inside the Red Zone. Later on, at the Governor's apartment, the Governor says that now that they know Daryl is still alive, this may count when the time comes to Merle to choose a side, he questions where Merle's loyalty lies and Merle assures him that his loyalty is no longer to his brother or the Atlanta group, but to Woodbury and the Governor.

Merle converses with the Governor, who is interesting in ambushing the prison and enlisting Daryl as an inside man. Merle requests that nothing happens to Daryl and the Governor complies. He then orders Merle to take Glenn and Maggie to the "screamer pits" and execute them. Merle and Warren are going to collect the two when they are ambushed by Glenn and Maggie and Warren is killed. Shots are accidentally fired during the confusion, attracting the attention of the entire town. Maggie holds Merle at gunpoint but is stopped when Martinez arrives. Glenn and Maggie are restrained and prepared to be executed, but Merle and the other Woodbury guards are ambushed by Rick's group, who throw several flash grenades inside the shack and successfully rescue Glenn and Maggie. When the Governor and the others are in Milton's lab talking about what is happening, Merle arrives to inform them that they are under attack and that Warren was killed. The Governor immediately orders every guard to check every corner of Woodbury in search of the "terrorists". Shortly after, smoke dominates the streets of Woodbury and another shootout ensues. Merle participates in the shootout between the Woodbury soldiers and Rick's group, though the smoke affects their vision, so they are unable to recognize each other.

After the shootout where Rick's group manages to escape, Merle visits the Governor at the infirmary after he was stabbed in the eye. Merle asked what happened but the Governor only tells Merle that he was attacked and doesn't say who it was (Michonne, who Merle lied that was dead, is the one who attacked the Governor). The Woodbury citizens are all called into the arena, where the Governor makes a speech about the attack to calm down his people. He then accuses Merle of participating in the attack and betraying them all. Merle is shocked when the Woodbury soldiers bring in a restrained Daryl, who was captured during the shootout. The Governor asks the residents what should be done with the terrorists. The Dixon brothers are finally reunited after nearly a year apart as the crowd cheers for their deaths.

In the arena, the Governor orders Merle and Daryl to fight to the death with the winner walking away free. Merle

claims that he will do whatever he can to prove his loyalty to Woodbury before punching and kicking Daryl. On the ground, Merle tells Daryl to follow his lead, proving that he has no intentions on killing him. Rick and Maggie attack the Woodbury citizens by shooting the lamps and throwing in a smoke grenade, Merle knocks down Shumpert and escapes with Daryl, Rick and Maggie. After reuniting with the others far away from Woodbury, Glenn and Michonne are not happy to see Merle and attempt to attack him. After Daryl tells Merle to shut up multiple times, Merle begins insulting the group but Rick pistol whips him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Daryl later decides to depart with Merle, refusing to abandon him again. Merle is in the woods with Daryl, and it appears the two haven't had much luck with scavenging food. Daryl hears the

Merle 18 — Merle in the woods with Daryl

cries of a baby at the bridge over Yellow Jacket Creek, where Merle jokingly suggests that the noise is just two raccoons mating. They notice a Mexican family being surrounded by walkers and Merle reluctantly assists Daryl in saving the family. After the walkers had been killed, Merle holds the family at gunpoint and attempts to retrieve their supplies until Daryl holds his crossbow at Merle and orders him to allow the family to depart. Back in the woods, Merle and Daryl argue over the events that had just transpired, Merle is jealous that Daryl changed so much after spending almost a year with Rick and mentions the original plans to rob the Atlanta group back at their original camp. Daryl says that Merle was the one who left him, as he always did in the past. Merle gets frustrated and rips Daryl's shirt, unaware of his father's abuse of Daryl, it is revealed that Merle was abused and that's why he left. Daryl decides to depart back to the prison and Merle tearfully informs Daryl that he can't accompany him because he attempted to kill Michonne and brutally attacked Glenn. Daryl accuses Merle of once again leaving him and departs however both Merle and Daryl return to the prison in time to save Rick from three walkers, who had him pinned against the chain-link fence. Merle is locked inside the common room of the prison as the group discusses what to do about the Governor's recent attack. Merle informs the group that the Governor probably has scouts on the outside to trap them in and that they

had a window of opportunity to retaliate last night, but didn't. Merle appears to be right when Rick notices movement near the trees from afar when he looks out with his binoculars. While fastening his bayonet back to his metal covering, Hershel Greene visits him in his cell, where they bond over their amputations saving their lives and a Bible verse. Merle also informs Hershel of the Governor's planned pecking order if he attacks again, with Merle being the first to die and Rick being the last because the Governor wants Rick to watch all his family and friends die around him.

Later on, Merle apologizes to Michonne for trying to kill her, saying that he was simply following orders and that he has done a lot of things he regretted, before and after. When Andrea shows up at the prison, a now armed Merle assists Rick into scouting her in. He, along with the rest of the prison group, listens to Andrea's plan of making peace with the Governor and Woodbury, Merle chuckles when she says that there is room for all of them at Woodbury. After Andrea leaves by the evening, Merle is seen in the door of the common room, listening to Beth Greene singing. Rick privately tells Daryl that if Merle causes any trouble, he is to blame.

Whilst Rick, Daryl and Hershel have departed to rendezvous with the Governor so they can talk, Merle is seen with the rest of the survivors back at the prison where it looks like they are gearing up for war and lookout. Also, whilst Rick and the Governor are discussing their need to fulfill the protection of their people, Merle is mentioned by the Governor, whom he blames for the capture and torture of Glenn and Maggie but it doesn't convince Rick. Back at the prison, Merle is seen suggesting to Glenn in front of the rest of the group that they have to kill the Governor before he kills them, which puts a scared look in Glenn's eyes; he is worried that Merle is actually scared of someone for once. But as the de facto leader whilst Rick, Daryl and Hershel are gone, he decides that it's a bad idea and that keeping Merle at the prison and fighting is the best chance they've got, which puts a disappointed yet worried look on Merle's face, showing his desperation to killing the Governor.

Later, Merle is seen packing guns into a duffel bag, in which he tells the group he is going to assassinate the Governor. Glenn becomes infuriated due to Merle not heeding his warning about putting Rick, Daryl and Hershel into a cross fire which could potentially kill them. Merle tries to leave but Glenn block the door, wanting Merle to stay put within the prison. This infuriates Merle and his temper begins to ignite, so after a few warnings and Glenn repitively saying for him to stay, a fight ensues. Merle grabs Glenn and pushes him away but before he can open the door, Glenn tackles him and they fall down a small set of stairs. Merle is strangling Glenn until Maggie begins to choke him

Merle 20 — Merle fighting with Maggie and Michonne

and Michonne holds his bayonet arm. Beth, with an annoyed look on her face, shoots the ceiling, which stops the confusion. Merle is left angrily demanding Maggie and Michonne to let him go, which they do. After this, he meets Michonne alone, telling her that she is attractive and seductive, and they can end this by assassinating the Governor. She denies the offer, saying that she will not get involved in causing even more deaths by killing the Governor. When Rick arrives back with the others, Merle asks if Rick was all alone with the Governor, he answers that he was. Merle walks by Glenn saying that they should've done it when they had the chance. He listens as Rick explains to the group that they are going to war against the Governor and Woodbury.

Merle is at Cell Block B, ripping apart mattresses and searching for drugs. Rick approaches him and reveals that the Governor promised to leave the group alone as long as they give him Michonne. He wants Merle to do the dirty work, Merle comments that Rick is cold before giving him instructions of which kind of wire they will need to keep Michonne captive. He also doubts that the Governor will leave them alone and mocks Rick for asking him to do this since he is ashamed of giving up Michonne's life like this, knowing that the Governor will slowly torture her. Merle is then seen watching the group from the outside, he laughs at Rick's reaction next to Michonne, which draws Carol Peletier's attention. She questions if Merle is with the group or not, and he says that he is with the group because of his brother. She tells him to pick a side and Merle reminds Carol that she used to be a scared and innocent woman back at the Atlanta camp.

Merle goes to the generator room to gather supplies to capture Michonne, where Daryl arrives and Merle says he was only searching for crystal meth. Daryl asks him if he is going to do it and Merle says that he is, since nobody else has the courage to do it. He also questions what happened to Daryl because he isn't the same since he became friends with Rick and laughs at him for always taking Rick's orders. Daryl says that he just want his brother back, so Merle tells him to leave. Daryl walks away as Merle puts the supplies in a bag and he then takes Michonne to the tombs with an excuse that Rick told them to search for the breach Tyreese Williams and his group used to get in, while she is distracted by killing walkers, Merle knocks her out and drags her into a room where he binds her wrists and covers her head with a bag. Later, Merle and a captured Michonne are walking down a road on their way to the

meeting, he explains the deal Rick made with the Governor and how he didn't want to take any risks. Michonne tries to irritate Merle, but he ignores her and uses her katana to kill a walker that was approaching, he says that she could have escaped while he was doing this but says that she wouldn't leave without her sword and they both strangely laugh. Further, Merle stops to check if there is a car available for them, he tells Michonne not to take it personal because this the only way he can save his brother at the prison. Michonne notes that Merle has a conscience after all, but Merle disagrees, claiming that he killed 16 men since the start of the outbreak. They come upon an abandoned motel, Merle tethers Michonne to a post while he hotwires a car. He accidentally triggers the alarm, attracting all the nearby walkers. Michonne is forced to fight the walkers with no weapons while Merle turns off the car alarm, he then frees Michonne from the post, they get in the car and drive off. In the car, she tells him how the group would welcome him with open arms but instead he chooses to be an outsider. He also calls her an outside, but she adds that once the Governor has killed her, at least she won't have to live with herself. She wonders why Merle wants to deal with the Governor since he was the one who turned Merle into a killer, and Merle says that there is no way back from his path but Michonne says that they can go back to the prison. Merle stops the car, cuts the wire that were tied to her wrists and opens the door for her, he tells her to go back and gives her sword

Merle 22 — Merle teases the walkers with alcohol

bak to her, he says there's something he has to do and drives off alone. Merle is next seen outside a bar playing loud music inside the car while drinking alcohol and walkers surround his car, and he smiles. He slowly drives to the meeting, prompting the walkers to follow him along the way, when he arrives at the farm store, he bails out of the car allowing it to crash into the meeting area. This forces the Woodbury soldiers waiting for Rick's arrival to defend themselves from the herd. Merle finds a hiding spot and grabs his assault rifle and starts shooting the Woodbury soldiers one by one. Due to the loud music and shots being fired against the walkers, the soldiers don't notice that it is an ambush. Merle finally spots the Governor helping his men to kill the walkers, Merle has dead aim at the Governor but Ben unintentionally walks in the way and gets shot instead, saving the Governor's life. Immediately after he missed the shot, a walker in the farm store almost bites Merle, attacking from the side but

Merle 24 — Merle, moments before being shot in the chest by the Governor

he managed to kill the walker after a struggle. The struggle revealed his location and the Woodbury soldiers attack and kick him to the ground. The Governor orders them to back off, saying that he is going to take care of Merle himself. The Governor drags Merle back into the farm store where he was hiding and starts beating him. An already severely weakened Merle fights back, but to no avail. The Governor chokes him and bites off two of Merle's fingers, before breaking his bayonet arm and finally stunning Merle. Merle weakly says that he isn't going to

beg for mercy, so the Governor pulls out his gun and shoots Merle in the chest, killing and dooming him to become a walker. After the Governor and Woodbury faction left, abandoning many of their dead, Merle

Merle 26 — Merle is put down by his brother

reanimated and started feeding on Ben's corpse. Daryl, on a mission to rescue Merle, arrives and sees his brother as a walker. Daryl is immediately heartbroken and shocked. As Merle tries to attack him, Daryl pushes his undead brother back three times before finally dropping Merle to the ground and stabbing him in the head multiple times. Daryl then falls to the ground crying next to his dead brother.

Personality[]

Merle Dixon is a stereotypical Southern redneck, being extremely ill-tempered, racist, misogynistic, violent, volatile and quick to express his beliefs. However, Merle is also extremely humorous in nature and is a thrill seeker who gets joy by mentally and emotionally toying with others. He is an expert tracker and hunter as well as being deadly with firearms and later his hand-blade attachment proves to be one of his deadliest weapons. He is also an experienced bruiser.

After being abandoned and joining the Woodbury Army, Merle devolved into a ruthless killer who follows orders without question, all while striving to find his brother and is also vengeful. While he was staying at Woodbury, Merle read many books, including the Bible, and even memorized verses of the Bible, showing that he is intelligent and possibly religious. He also has a very cruel side as he is not above using torture and is willing to kill people for information.

After joining the prison group, Merle's personality slightly changed, appearing to lose some of his violent and racist tendencies. He realized that he had to coexist with the prison group and that not doing so would damage his relationship with the only family he has left. This causes Merle to examine his past mistakes and reevaluate himself. He is even shown searching for some forgiveness from those of the group who he had once wronged. He later has a change of heart and sacrifices himself for his brother and the prison group as his biggest and final act of redemption.

To the end of his life, Merle was a flawed man with issues that he kept himself from facing, but was never truly evil. He loved his brother and it drove him to keep fighting in a world filled with despair. His final act of courage gave his brother and the prison group a final chance and, perhaps for the first and only time in his life, Merle truly found his place among others.

Victims[]

Numerous counts of zombies and at least 8 unnamed people.
Six U.S. Military Soldiers: Shot to death.
Wilson: Shot to death.
Tim: Shot twice.
Garguilo: Shot in the head.
Mean Guard: Shot and then devoured by walkers.
Ben: Shot in the shoulder.
Six Woodbury Soldiers: Shot or fed to walkers.

Relationships[]

Daryl Dixon[]

Rick Grimes[]

Lori Grimes[]

Carl Grimes[]

Glenn Rhee[]

Andrea[]

Carol Peletier[]

T-Dog[]

Jacqui[]

Morales[]

Amy[]

Dale Horvath[]

Shane Walsh[]

The Governor[]

Caesar Martinez[]

Milton Mamet[]

Tim[]

Crowley[]

Garguilo[]

Michonne[]

Hershel Greene[]

Maggie Greene[]

Beth Greene []

Quotes[]

"You need to grow up. Things are different. Your people look at me like I'm the devil. Grabbing up those love birds like that, huh? Now y'all wanna do the same damn thing I did, snatch someone up and deliver them to the Governor. Just like me. People do what they gotta do or they die."
"You oughta be more polite to a man with a gun! Only common sense."
"Hey! Bad enough I've got this taco-bender on my ass all day. Now I'm gonna take orders from you? I don't think so, bro. That'll be the day."
"I'll tell you the day, Mr. Yo. It's the day I take orders from a nigger."
"We're gonna have ourselves a little powwow, huh?"
"Yeah? Well, screw you twice."
"Rub muncher. I figured as much."
"Ain't that right, sugar tits? Hey, honeybunch, what say you get me out of these cuffs, we go off somewhere and bump some uglies? Gonna die anyway."
"Now, how's about a big hug for your old pal Merle?"
"Easy does it, girl. Mine's a whole lot bigger than yours."
"So you got a thing for little girls now?"
"All them years I spent trying to make a man out of you, this is what I get? Look at you. Lying in the dirt like a used rubber. You're gonna die out here, little brother. And for what?"
"You're a joke is what you are, playing errand boy to a bunch of pansy-asses, niggers and democrats. You're nothing but a freak to them. Redneck trash. That's all you are. They're laughing at you behind your back. You know that, don't you? I got a little news for you, son. One of these days they're gonna scrape you off their heels like you was dog shit. Hey. They ain't your kin, your blood. Hell, you had any damn nuts in that sack of yours, you'd go back there and shoot your pal Rick in the face for me."
"Well, I'll tell you what...I'm as real as your Chupacabra."
"Got a way with words, don't I?"
"Ain't that all a big ol' pig sack? We got something in common, blondie. We got left behind by the same people and saved by another."
"This is my brother."
"Hey, man, I ain't wasting my bullets on a couple of strangers that ain't never cooked me a meal or felicitated my piece. That's my policy."
"Wild animals gettin' wild."
"Oh come on, why don't you just piss in my ear and tell me it's raining."
"Hey, we both took our licks, man."
"I don't know the reasons for the things that I do. Never did. I'm a damn mystery to me."
"You gotta play the hand you're dealt. I only got one."
"Can't put a price on anything anymore."
"When the Governor returns, he's gonna kill me first. Michonne, my brother, then your girls. Glenn, Carl, the baby, whoever else is left. He'll save Rick for last so he can watch his family and friends die ugly. That's who you're dealing with."
"That's right. You heard me, bitch. You got a problem? Bring it on if you're man enough. Or take it up the chain if you're a pussy. You heard me, you pussy-ass noncom bitch. You ain't deaf. Take it up the damn chain of command or you can kiss my lily-white ass. That's right. That's what I said. And then this idiot, he takes a swing, you know and well...oh, you should've seen the look on his face when I punched out his front teeth. Yeah, five of 'em. Pow! Pow! Just like that. Huh. Oh my god. Sixteen months in the stockade...oh, that's what them teeth cost me. Ah, that was...that was hard time, but by God, it was worth every minute of it. Just to see that prick spit his teeth out on the ground. Yes sir, worth every minute. Oh, no. No, no! No, no! God! God! No, no! God! Jesus! No, no, merciful Christ! No, no. No, no. God! God! Jesus, please! Jesus, please. Help me! Come on now! Help me."
"No, Jesus. Jesus. No, no, no, no, no, no. Please, I didn't behave, I know. I know I'm being punished. I know. I...oh, I deserve it. I've been bad. Help me now. Show me the way. Go on, tell me what to do. Tell me. Tell me. God! That's okay. Never you mind, silly Christ boy. I ain't begged you before. I ain't gonna start begging now. I ain't gonna beg you now! Don't you worry about me begging you ever! I'll never beg you! I ain't gonna beg you! I never begged you before. Oh, shit! No!"
"I'm gonna kick his ass one-handed. Oh, the hell with it. No-handed! Yeah!"
"There ain't a pair of nuts between the whole pussy lot of you."
"I'll bake a cake with pink frosting. Would they like that? Ain't nobody coming."
"I ain't gonna beg. I ain't gonna beg to you."
"Look at this. She sent us a biter-gram, y'all."