Merle Dixon

Merle Dixon is a main character and a former antagonist as well as a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. During the initial outbreak, he and his younger brother, Daryl, joined a group of survivors outside of Atlanta, Georgia. After being abandoned on a rooftop in Atlanta, he was found by a man known as The Governor and was taken to Woodbury, before reuniting with his brother and rejoining Rick's group. He served as the primary antagonist of the episode "Guts" and the secondary antagonist for the first half of Season 3.

Overview
A seemingly stereotypical Southern redneck, Merle is boorish, surly, abrasive, combustible, violent, racist, misogynistic, volatile, extremely ill-tempered 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. Much like his younger brother, Merle is an expert tracker and hunter. He is deadly with firearms, and in the third season, his hand-blade attachment proves to be one of his deadliest weapons. He is an experienced bruiser, showcased in the first season when he dominated T-Dog in a fist-fight, and at the same time was able to fend off Rick Grimes, Morales, and Glenn Rhee simultaneously. He also showed his fighting abilities when he took down Caesar Martinez in the brutal battle-royal event in Woodbury, and was able to fend off Michonne's sword attacks with his hand-blade.

After being left behind in Atlanta, Merle was found by the Governor and eventually became his right-hand man and a key member of the Woodbury Army. During this time he devolved into a ruthless killer who followed the Governor's lead without question, all the while striving to find his brother and take vengeance on Rick and T-Dog, who left him for dead on the roof of a building in Atlanta. Though the Governor and Merle were allies, it seemed that Merle feared him to an extent and no doubt had issues with his authority looming over him at all times. While he was staying in Woodbury, Merle read many books, including the Bible, and even memorized verses of the Bible, showing that he is intelligent, and also possibly religious. When he later comes across Glenn and Maggie Greene and kidnaps and takes them back to Woodbury as prisoners, his crueler side is shown as he brutally interrogates Glenn and almost kills him for information on the location of his brother and their camp.

After the prison group came to the rescue of Glenn and Maggie, Merle was then branded as a traitor and a terrorist by The Governor for lying about killing Michonne which cost the Governor his eye and zombified daughter, and became an enemy of Woodbury. Merle escaped Woodbury alongside Daryl with aid from Rick and Maggie. It became apparent that between the Governor and Daryl, Merle was always loyal to his brother and knowingly discarded any chance of becoming a part of Woodbury again when he saw a chance to reunite himself with Daryl.

After joining the prison group, his personality began to slightly change, appearing to lose some of his violent and racist tendencies. Merle realized that he had to coexist with the prison group and that not doing so would damage his relaionship with the only family he had left, Daryl. This causes Merle to examine his past mistakes and reevaluate himself. He is even shown to be searching for some forgiveness from those of the group who he had once wronged such as Michonne, although his attempts are in vain for some of the other group members, notably Glenn. He later attempts to fulfill the potential deal made by The Governor and Rick, which was an exchange of Michonne for peace between the two groups. However, he has a change of heart and releases her, instead opting to take on the group of Woodbury soldiers who had been planning an ambush. This would be his biggest and final act of redemption, as after taking down eight Woodbury soldiers, he is killed by The Governor, reanimates and is finally put down by his own brother.

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 rest of the prison group a fighting chance and, perhaps for the first and only time in his life, Merle truly found his place among others.

North Georgia
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 little, 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 brutally beat both brothers, eventually casing Merle to leave because he claimed he would've killed their father otherwise. He raised Daryl to share the same beliefs and also become tough in the cruel adult world that both of them faced. Despite talking proudly about taking care of Daryl, Merle, like their father, was often absent from Daryl's life and didn't give him the emotional support that a big brother should. It is revealed near the end of Season 3, when Merle tells his brother that he is looking for crystal meth, that Merle may have once been a user, which is further supported by a scene in season 2 when Daryl was looting Merle's bag of drugs in the satchel on his bike and crystal meth is visible. Merle later jokes in "This Sorrowful Life": "Yeah, I know. I shouldn't mess my life up, when everything's going so sweet, right?" and in Episode 12 of Season 4, Daryl talks about how Merle had a white dealer.

Merle abandoned the family during his teenage years, due to the abuse his father inflicted on him, leaving Daryl alone with their father (seemingly oblivious to the abuse his brother was facing). 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-martialed and sent to prison for sixteen months.[1]

Following their father's death, Daryl reconnected with Merle and the two entered into a drifter lifestyle, with Daryl following his brother's lead everywhere they went.

Death
Instead of handing Michonne to the Governor, Merle chooses to ambush and attempt to kill the Governor himself. During the ambush, Merle is eventually captured by the Woodbury soldiers and is severally beaten.
 * Killed By
 * Himself (Indirectly Caused)
 * The Governor (Alive)

The Governor then grabs him and takes him back inside the building that Merle was shooting from. The Governor beats him, bites off two of his fingers on his left hand and breaks his right arm, before fatally shooting him in the heart. Later, Daryl comes across a zombified Merle and begins to cry uncontrollably. A zombified Merle approaches Daryl, who pushes him back three times before stabbing him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground and then stabbing him seven times in the face, putting him down.
 * Daryl Dixon (Zombified)

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Merle has killed:
 * Wilson (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * Tim (Before Reanimation)
 * Gargulio
 * Warren (Before Reanimation, Possibly)
 * Mean Guard (Caused)
 * Ben (Accidental)
 * 6 U.S. Military soldiers (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * 6 Woodbury soldiers (Direct or Caused)
 * Himself (Indirectly Caused)
 * Numerous counts of zombies and at least 8 other unnamed people

Relationships
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Daryl Dixon
Merle sincerely loved his younger brother. Daryl was raised by his brother to share his beliefs and Merle was Daryl's biggest influence growing up, and was also apparently the only member of their family that paid any attention to him growing up. When the apocalypse broke out, Merle and Daryl worked together and easily survived. When Daryl found out in "Tell It to the Frogs" that Merle had been left for dead by the group, he became furious. After discovering Merle had escaped Daryl had no doubts his brother was still alive. Daryl was the only person during Season 2 who was interested in looking for his brother, and even had an hallucination about Merle in "Chupacabra". In the hallucination, however, Daryl expressed his own dislike of his brother and how Merle was never really there for him and how he lived in Merle's shadow. Although it did seem to be implied that the image of his brother tormenting him was the only thing to help him survive in such a broken down state, possibly a testament to tough love that Merle gave him, and his understanding of this is why he still cares for his brother.
 * "My brother? My brother ran the wrong way his whole life. If he were here, if I stuck with him when he left, we'd be with the Saviors, too, or some other group just like 'em. But I'd have figured out who they were just like you did. "
 * —Daryl mentioning Merle to Tara[src]

In Season 3, after being captured, Daryl finally reunites with his brother for the first time since the Atlanta camp. When faced with leaving his brother behind at the end of "The Suicide King", Daryl chooses to go with his brother out on their own instead of returning to the prison without him. During the rescue of a family trapped by walkers, Merle sees that the time his brother spent with the Atlanta group has changed him; when Merle goes to raid the family's supplies, Daryl threatens to kill him. Later as they argue, the two fight each other and Merle is seen to be horrified when he notices scars on Daryl's back from beatings that he received as a child from their father.

In "This Sorrowful Life" Daryl is seen attempting to talk Glenn into forgiving Merle, because he knows Merle is too proud to apologize. Later on he finds Merle in the generator room and the two talk about the plan to hand Michonne over. Merle says that the group needs someone to do their dirty work- a bad guy, and that the group, without Daryl, looks at him like the Devil. Daryl tries to convince Merle that he can't do things without people anymore. Merle comments on the way Daryl has changed, stating that he would've have called people acting as he does "sheep" before the apocalypse. Daryl then expresses his concern of his brother's own change, mentioning that he just wants his brother back. Daryl later goes to track down his brother when Merle leaves with Michonne. Upon finding him reanimated as a walker, he breaks into tears. After shoving his brother back three times, all the while trying not to break down, he tackles Merle to the ground and stabs his head multiple times in rage. Daryl then breaks down crying over the loss of his older brother, showing just how much he cared for him.

Merle is mentioned by Daryl when he has a personal conversation with Beth at the cabin. Daryl tells her a story of a time he and Merle were at a tweaker friend's house and that Daryl ended up being punched by the tweaker, after he made a comment regarding a cartoon with a talking dog that the tweaker's child loved. Merle and the tweaker laughed and forgot about the whole ordeal when Daryl vomited after being punched in the stomach. Daryl also mentions Merle when he elaborates that before the apocalypse, he was a drifter with Merle and did everything his brother told him. Beth then asks Daryl if he does miss him, to which Daryl looks down silently. Merle is mentioned by Daryl again indirectly when Denise Cloyd describes her own brother as "brave but angry." Daryl makes a brief note of the similarities between Denise's brother and Merle.

Daryl mentions Merle again after he is brought up by Tara while discussing Dwight's loyalty in which she claims that Merle was once an ally to the Governor just like she was, yet they both switched sides. Daryl counters that Merle ran the wrong way for his entire life and that if Merle was still alive and that if he chose to leave with him, the both of them would've eventually found and joined the Saviors or another group just like them, though Daryl claims he would've realized who they really were just like Tara did with the Governor. While it is likely Daryl loves and misses his brother a lot, this comment implies he possibly still holds some anger towards Merle for ever siding with the Governor and making wrong decisions throughout his life and how these decisions would eventually cost him his life.

In "A New Beginning" Daryl mentions Merle again, stating that most of the memories he has of Merle are of them fighting. This possibly implies that Daryl is regretful that he and Merle had a rough relationship with each other when he was alive and likely misses him to a degree.

Glenn Rhee
Glenn and Merle didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, as Merle was unwilling to co-operate with the others. He also declared himself in charge, which angered Glenn and the rest of the group. Glenn showed little regret or remorse for Merle being left behind in Atlanta and reluctantly went along on the rescue mission to free Merle from the rooftop. Much later, Merle captured Glenn and Maggie and took them to Woodbury, where he brutally interrogated Glenn on where the remaining Atlanta Survivors were located. Merle attacked and beat Glenn continuously and even went as far as bringing in a walker to attempt to persuade Glenn to talk. Maggie eventually gave up the location of the prison but then shortly afterward, Rick, Michonne, Oscar, and Daryl breached Woodbury's walls, rescuing Glenn and Maggie although Maggie revealed the location of The Prison. When Rick and Maggie returned and rescued Daryl and Merle, Glenn tried to kill Merle showing a negative relationship however he was stopped by Daryl. Glenn was in full agreement with Rick in not letting Merle come to stay at the Prison, triggering Daryl to leave.
 * "He tied me to a chair, beat me and threw a walker in the room. Maybe I can call it even but he..... He took Maggie to a man who terrorized her! Humiliated her! I care more about her than I care about me!"
 * —Glenn telling Daryl why he cannot forgive Merle.[src]

Later, after saving Rick from the walkers, Merle was allowed to enter the Prison, a decision Glenn did not agree with, and later he tried to convince Rick to give Merle up as a bargaining chip to the Governor, showing that Glenn had developed a severe hatred of Merle for his actions towards him and Maggie. Merle apparently showed no regret or remorse for what he did to Glenn and Maggie, which may have contributed to Glenn's dislike of him.

When Merle decided to go to the meeting between Rick and the Governor in order to kill the Governor, Glenn would not allow him to go, triggering a fight between the two in which Merle almost stabbed Glenn, thus strengthening Glenn and Merle's bad relationship. Daryl questioned Glenn if Merle had apologized for his actions, but Glenn did not respond, implying Merle had not apologized. Daryl promised Glenn that Merle would apologize eventually, but Glenn, in turn, needed to show some forgiveness. Glenn responded that he could've forgiven Merle, had he not given Maggie to the Governor who, in turn, humiliated her. While never seen onscreen, it can be assumed that Glenn showed no remorse for Merle's death at the hands of the Governor, despite his final attempt to kill the Governor and end the war.

T-Dog
T-Dog and Merle didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite. T-Dog and the Atlanta group didn't agree with Merle due to the fact that he was wasting bullets and attracting more walkers while shooting at them. Merle, being racist, called T-Dog a "nigger" and beat him up. Their relationship worsened when T-Dog refused to release him and accidentally dropped the keys to Merle's cuffs down a drain, forcing Merle to amputate his own hand. T-Dog seemed to show remorse for what he did to Merle and volunteered to return to Atlanta to set Merle free, although it is clear that over time T-Dog got over the situation. When Merle learns of T-Dog's death, he shows no remorse, and said that he hopes that he died slow.
 * "Well, I hope he went slow."
 * —Merle to Glenn discussing T-Dog's fate.[src]

Morales
Morales and Merle didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite. Morales and the Atlanta group didn't agree with Merle due to the fact that he was wasting bullets and attracting more walkers while shooting at them. Merle, being racist, called Morales a "taco bender", claiming Morales to have been on his case all day. This lead to Merle attacking Morales, T-Dog, and Rick, announcing his leadership of the group. Morales and the rest of the group abandoned Merle after T-Dog lost the keys to Merle's cuffs. Morales pressed to Rick to not feel remorseful about Merle being abandoned, as no one would be angered of his loss at the Atlanta camp, other than Merle's own brother, Daryl. It is clear Morales showed little regret or remorse for Merle being left behind in Atlanta.
 * "Best not to dwell on it. Merle got left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back... except maybe Daryl."
 * —Morales to Rick about Merle.[src]

Jacqui
It is clear that Jacqui did not like Merle much. Jacqui and the Atlanta group didn't agree with Merle due to the fact that he was wasting bullets and attracting more walkers while shooting at them. Merle, being racist, made many racist remarks to Jacqui and the others. After Merle attacks T-Dog, he asks who votes that he become leader of the run, to which Jacqui flips him the bird. Jacqui showed little regret or remorse for Merle being left behind in Atlanta.
 * "Merle, cut it out!"
 * —Jacqui telling Merle to stop beating T-Dog.[src]

Andrea
Andrea and Merle didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, as Merle was unwilling to co-operate with the others. He also declared himself in charge, which angered Andrea and the rest of the group. Merle flirted with Andrea on the rooftop in Atlanta, calling her "Sugar Tits". Andrea showed little regret or remorse for Merle being left behind in Atlanta, claiming it was his own fault and that Rick handcuffing him was necessary, although she did suggest to the group it would be better to tell Daryl the truth instead of lying as her sister, Amy, suggested. In "Walk With Me", after bringing Andrea and Michonne to Woodbury, he discovers the Atlanta group members' deaths from Andrea, being sympathetic about Amy and asking about Daryl. Merle is given information on the farm from Andrea so he can look for Daryl and asks why they never, "hooked up". Andrea answers that he called her a "whore" and a "rug-muncher". Merle smiles, saying that he has a way with words, and the conversation ends with the two appearing to have buried the hatchet. During the death-match between Daryl and Merle, Andrea stands up for them and tells the Governor to stop them, though it seems she was more concerned about Daryl then Merle. Later on, when Andrea returns to the prison, she appears to be angered at Merle for what he did to Glenn. Merle also disagrees with her claim that the two groups can live in peace. This is the last time the two interact.
 * "With his finger on the trigger. Wasn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you?"
 * —Andrea to Glenn about Merle.[src]

It is unknown if Andrea learned of Merle's involvement in the ambush and killing of the Governor's men and if so how she reacted to his death.

Amy
Merle and Amy were never seen together, although she suggested lying to Daryl about what happened to Merle in Atlanta, implying that she didn't like him. When Andrea is reunited with Merle, she informs him of the people in the group that had died since he was separated from them, tearfully concluding with Amy. Merle showed genuine sympathy for her, telling Andrea that Amy was a good kid.
 * "She was a good kid."
 * —Merle offering his condolences to Andrea.[src]

Rick Grimes
Rick showed an immediate dislike of Merle, handcuffing him to the roof of a building in Atlanta to prevent him from being a risk to the group (Merle had been berating them and had beaten T-Dog to the point of near-unconsciousness). It was because of Rick that Merle was left behind, which cost him his hand. Rick appeared to show remorse for what he did to Merle and also showed a desire to make amends to Merle, by returning to Atlanta in the hopes of freeing him, though not before Merle removed his hand and escaped the roof, and Atlanta. It is clear that over time Rick got over the situation.
 * "You go on. Give him that girl. He ain't gonna kill her, you know. He's just gonna do things to her. Probably take out one of her eyes. Both of 'em, most likely. You'd let that happen for a shot? You're cold as ice, Officer Friendly. You're gonna need wire, not rope. Wire. Nothing she could chew through. (...) You know something? You're right. I don't know why I do things I do. Never did. I'm a damn mystery to me. But I know you, Rick. Yeah, I thought a lot about you. You ain't got the spine for it."
 * —Merle to Rick about giving Michonne to The Governor.[src]

When Andrea was reunited with Merle in Woodbury, Merle revealed that he had not forgotten what Rick had done to him and severely despised him. It is clear that Merle wanted revenge on Rick for leaving him behind. After rescuing Merle and Daryl from the Governor, Rick despises Merle for his actions towards Glenn and Maggie and would not allow him to come back to the prison, triggering Daryl to leave with Merle. Daryl and Merle later save Rick's life and it seems that he and Merle have put everything aside, although Rick still shows reluctance in letting Merle stay in the prison. As time goes on, Rick slowly accepts Merle in the group and develops limited trust for him. Later, Rick goes to Merle, asking for help to take Michonne to the Governor. Merle notes that Rick is cold as ice for sacrificing Michonne to the Governor just to keep the others safe and that he knows that Rick is not the type of person to do so. Merle's words, alongside his hallucination of Lori, makes Rick realize that he can't sacrifice Michonne for the greater good, for they are the greater good.

It is unknown how Rick responds to Merle's death, but when Michonne returns to the prison without Merle, Rick seems confused and possibly happy that Merle let her go. When Carl blames Rick for Merle's death, he seems to acknowledge this, showing he feels at least some responsibility in his death.

Rick mentions Merle in "Warning Signs" while speaking to Daryl in which he reminds him that Daryl once spared his life even though he was responsible for Merle being left behind in Atlanta, implying Rick has not forgotten what he did to Merle though it is unknown if he still feels remorse for it.

Lori Grimes
Lori and Merle were never shown once together in the series although it is clear that Lori did not like Merle much. Lori showed little remorse for Merle being left behind in Atlanta, and told Rick not to think about it and when Rick wanted to return to Atalanta to retrieve a bag of guns and free Merle from a rooftop, Lori, like Shane and many others were against the decision due to the bad person Merle was. Lori claimed Merle's life was not worth anyone's life, even with the guns thrown in.
 * "Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives even with guns thrown in!"
 * —Lori to Rick about Rick returning to Atalanta to save Merle's life.[src]

Merle most likely showed little remorse for Lori's death due to him showing no sympathy for Carl having to shoot her to prevent reanimation and he crowned it simply as "mercy killing".

Carl Grimes
Carl and Merle didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite. Carl told his father that he didn't want him to go back for Merle or the bag of guns. The first part may hint that Merle could have been mean or just an annoyance to Carl while at camp, or for most likely being a pain for Shane and Lori alike. After Merle joined Rick's group in the prison, Merle wanted to go ambush the Governor while Rick had the meeting together with him. Glenn and Merle had an argument on how Rick is handling things as a leader and Carl showed his disgust at Merle for comments towards Rick, and Merle responded that Rick could be killed by the Governor in an instant, which clearly upset Carl. Merle also apparently didn't show any sympathy for Carl having to shoot his own mother, on screen at least, and crowned it simply as "mercy killing".
 * "You were in a room with the Governor, and you let him go, and then he killed Merle...."
 * —Carl talking to Rick about his decisions and Merle's death.[src]

It appears that Carl was severely angered about Merle's death as after being killed by the Governor, Merle was one of the people that was mentioned by Carl that died due to the fact that Rick was making questionable calls as a leader. It is unknown if Carl was just simply using Merle as an example, but it is more likely that Carl grew to respect Merle after he killed many of the Governor's men and almost killed the Governor himself alone, and may have accepted him as a member of the group.

Carol Peletier
Carol and Merle didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite. Carol was shocked when she learnt that Merle was still alive and that he left with Daryl. When Merle joins the prison group, Carol is distrustful of him and tells Daryl that Merle isn't good for him.
 * "He gave us a chance."
 * —Carol to Daryl regarding Merle.[src]

As Merle is walking around the upper level of the Prison, Carol calls to him from the common room downstairs. She asks if he is with them. When Merle says yes, Carol believes he doesn't understand what she is asking of him; she adds that she does not mean if he is living in the same place with them, but if he is on their side, and tells him he needs to choose whose side he is on. Merle replies that he's on Daryl's side, and Carol says that Daryl's with them. Merle goes on to say that Carol is no longer who she was back at the Atlanta camp: A mouse afraid of her own shadow. Carol replies that that was her husband's shadow she was living in, not hers. He complimented her for stepping up since the apocalypse first started.

Carol appears saddened to learn of Merle's death, and praises him for giving the group a fighting chance against the Governor and Woodbury.

Dale Horvath
Dale and Merle were never shown onscreen with each other, but it is likely Dale didn't like Merle much. When Merle was left behind in Atlanta, Dale showed little regret or remorse, but stated that they need to tell the truth about Merle to Daryl. On a mission to save Merle, Dale reluctantly gives some tools for Rick to help free Merle, and states that he wants one of Rick's guns for doing so.
 * "I never like lending tools. The last time I did-- and yes, I am talking about you-- let's just say your bag of guns wasn't the only bag that was dropped. My tools got left behind with Merle."
 * —Dale to Rick and T-Dog.[src]

Shane Walsh
Shane and Merle didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite. Shane showed absolutely no concern for Merle after he was left behind in Atlanta, and even went as far as to attempt and convince Rick not to go back for Merle and the bag of guns. While discussing Rick with Lori, Shane recounts how Rick left the Atlanta Group Camp to return to the city on "a suicide mission to save a drug dealer" and that the deaths that occurred the same night were Rick's fault. It is unknown how Merle responded to Shane's death.
 * "Why would you risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?"
 * —Shane to Rick about going back for Merle.[src]

The Governor
Merle and The Governor were close allies. The Governor rescued Merle from certain death after he amputated his hand and escaped Atlanta and in turn Merle became the Governor's right hand man, and accompanied him when they went out gain supplies. Merle seemed to be in The Governor's inner circle, along with Milton. Although Merle is Philip's right hand man, some tension can be seen between the two. This can be seen in the episode "Killer Within", when Philip denies Merle permission to look for his brother unless he gets more solid evidence. It is also worth noting that Merle seems to fear Philip to some degree. In "Hounded", Merle decides to lie to him about Michonne's fate, rather than have Philip think of him as a failure. His relationship with Merle quickly sours in "Made to Suffer" after being attacked by Michonne, realizing that Merle lied about killing her, which in effect cost him his eye and zombified daughter. At the end of the episode, he declares that Merle was a spy for the "terrorists" that attacked the town, and cites his relationship with Daryl, who was captured, as proof. With both brothers standing in the arena with the crowd calling for their deaths, The Governor tells Merle "You wanted your brother, now you have him," effectively ending their positive relationship. At the prison, Merle assures that everyone should be scared of him like he is, as an attack from his part is undeniably coming.
 * "You lied, betrayed us all!"
 * —The Governor about Merle's false betrayal[src]

During the meeting between Rick and the Governor, Merle showed a strong desire to go and kill him but was stopped by Glenn. He also attempted to get Michonne to aid him but she to refused. Merle eventually planned to go through with Rick's plan to deliver Michonne to the Governor but eventually let her go and decided to kill The Governor on his own but failed and was discovered, which lead to a final and brutal confrontation between them, which resulted in The Governor overpowering Merle by biting off two of his fingers and breaking his bad arm. Merle declares that he is not afraid of him anymore and that he isn't going to beg him for his life. The Governor agrees and then shoots him in the chest, finally ending his life and their conflict.

Milton Mamet
Merle and Milton often disagreed on certain topics from time to time, including on how Merle was unable to work with Milton on researching the walkers. Merle did complement him on his duct tape armor, leaving Milton satisfied. Milton often questioned Merle's actions on how to handle certain situations, but Milton was able to work with Merle despite their differences. Milton appears to care for Merle, as he did not seek his death at the arena.
 * "Oh! Oh, man! I tell you what, I take back anything I said about that jacket."
 * —Merle to Milton.[src]

Caesar Martinez
Merle and Martinez spent many months surviving the apocalypse together and have became close allies. Merle even gave him the nickname "Brownie", because of his skin color). The two also poke jabs at each other like brothers, as seen when Martinez called Merle as ugly as the walkers and Merle just laughed. When Merle was accused of being a traitor, Martinez followed through with orders and held a gun to his back but hung his head in shame. Although when Merle was captured after attacking Woodbury, Martinez participated in beating him while he was down. Martinez played a role in Merle's death, having been one of the people to beat him, which made him unable to put up a fight against The Governor. It can be assumed that by this time, he had come to harbor a hatred for Merle for killing eight of his allies.
 * "Merle, check this one out. He's as almost as ugly as you."
 * —Martinez to Merle about a walker.[src]

Tim
Merle and Tim became friends because of there frequent trips with and for The Governor. After Michonne stabbed Tim in the chest and escaped, Merle didn't seem very upset by Tim's death, but he did stop him from reanimating by stabbing him through the head with his bayonet.

Crowley
Merle and Crowley worked together a lot to get supplies while on Supply runs with The Governor. While on an assignment to kill Michonne, Crowley was killed by Michonne and escaped in the process. Merle didn't seem to care much for Crowley but told Gargulio to stab Crowley's head with his knife to prevent Crowley from turning into a zombie.

Gargulio
Merle and The Governor trained Gargulio as part of Woodbury's army. Due to Merle's inaccurate pronunciation of Gargulio's name, Merle just called him, "Neil". While hunting down Michonne after she departed Woodbury, Gargulio was starting to get nervous about the mission, but Merle told him to snap out of it. When Michonne came out of the blue and killed Tim and Crowley, Merle and Neil were chasing down Michonne before walkers showed up and attacked Merle and Neil, allowing Michonne to escape. Neil saved Merle's life by killing one of the walkers that was fighting Merle. Afterwards, Merle wanted to go back to Woodbury because he assumed that Michonne was surely dead. Neil, however, wanted to chase down Michonne because he thought they were close to killing her and still believed that they would have a chance of killing her. Merle had another idea, wanting to lie to The Governor about Michonne, but Neil still wanted to go on and track Michonne down. Merle then killed Gargulio shortly after the argument.
 * "I'm gonna keep calling ya 'Neil'."
 * —Merle to Gargulio.[src]

Michonne
The two first meet when he caught her and Andrea looking over the helicopter crash site. Initially showing a racist attitude toward African-Americans, Merle does not insult her, showing his change as a person after The Governor saves him. After she leaves Woodbury, Merle is instructed to take a group to hunt her down and kill her. He is unable to accomplish his task and lies to The Governor by saying she is dead.
 * "You talk about the weight of what you have to do, how you can handle it... A bad man, someone truly evil, they're light as a feather. They don't feel a thing."
 * —Michonne to Merle.[src]

Michonne's view of The Governor contrasts Merle's view of him. She believes him to be dangerous while he says he's a good man, though this view ultimately changes following The Governor accusing Merle of betrayal. After Rick and Maggie rescue Daryl and Glenn from the Governor, Michonne is visibly not pleased to see Merle and tries to attack him though she is stopped by Rick. Later on, while in the Prison, Merle apologizes for trying to kill Michonne, stating that he was simply following orders and that he has done things that he has regretted, before and after. It is unclear whether Michonne forgave Merle or not.

It seems that Merle had faith in Michonne's combat skill as he tried to convince her to accompany him to kill the Governor though she refused. Merle later tricked Michonne into the tombs and knocked her unconscious to bind her for The Governor. Later, Merle walks Michonne down an abandoned road and explains the Governor's proposition. He says Rick would never have gone through with it and he's doing it to save Daryl and the others. Michonne notes that Merle has a conscience after all, but Merle disagrees. At the motel, Merle saves Michonne from a walker, which seems to visibly shock her. As the two continue their journey to the feed store in the vehicle, she talks to him about the kind of man the Governor has turned him into, and calls him an outsider to the group in contrast to his brother who is well respected. She also claims that nobody in the group will mourn him once he is dead, not even Daryl as he now has a new family. Merle threatens her and counters that she is just as much of an outsider as he is, and the two fall silent as they realize that they are not that different. Michonne attempts to convince him to turn around, saying that they could "just go back", but Merle angrily states that he can't, knowing full well that the Prison group despises him. After realizing that she was right about him, he sets her free, having had a change of heart.

Given the change of heart she witnessed in Merle, it can be assumed that Michonne felt somewhat saddened over Merle's death and how he died trying to kill the Governor.

Hershel Greene
Merle and Hershel first met after the latter joins the group and have established a quick friendship. Hershel surprisingly did not seem angry at Merle for kidnapping his daughter and giving her to the Governor who terrorized, threatened, and humiliated her. While the rest of the group besides Daryl distrusted Merle, Hershel was friendly towards him and has bonded with him through a discussion of their loss of limbs and the Bible. Merle warns Hershel about the upcoming battle with the Governor, and tells him that he is dangerous. Hershel values Merle's military experience, and states that he should be acknowledged as part of the group. It is unknown how Hershel responds to Merle's death.
 * "Merle has military experience! He may be erratic but don't underestimate his loyalty to his brother."
 * —Hershel discussing Merle with Glenn[src]

Maggie Rhee
Maggie and Merle had a poor relationship. Merle captured Maggie and Glenn while they were on a supply run for Judith Grimes. While at Woodbury, Maggie overheard Merle unleashing punishment on Glenn in the next room while trying to find out where Rick and the group were located. Despite being captured and being humiliated by Merle and The Governor, Maggie saved Merle along with Daryl in the Walker Pit from The Governor and his men, although it was most likely her attempting to save Daryl, not Merle. Maggie was in agreement with Rick and Glenn about not letting Merle come to stay at the prison, and seemed angry that Daryl chose to leave with him.
 * "This is all you. You started this!"
 * —Maggie blaming Merle for starting the war between her group and Woodbury.[src]

Maggie had a hard time dealing with Merle after he was reluctantly accepted into Rick's group, and clearly did not agree with the decision to let Merle live in the Prison, even going as far as saying it was Merle's fault for starting the war between The Prison Group and Woodbury. Things got more heated when Merle wanted to go after The Governor who at the time was in a meeting with Rick and Merle wanted to kill Phillip on sight but Glenn stopped Merle and even went as far as Merle and Glenn getting into a fight which lead to Maggie and everyone else trying to break up the fight until Beth shot her gun in the air to stop the fight. It's unknown how Maggie felt about Merle after he was killed by Phillip trying to end the war between Woodbury and the Prison group, but most likely, similar to Glenn, she showed little or no remorse at all.

Beth Greene
Beth and Merle rarely interacted but at first, Beth was not thrilled being around with Merle in the prison. When Daryl left with Merle after Rick refused to let him come to the prison, Beth was clearly not impressed and claimed that Merle sounded like a jerk. When Merle wanted to go after The Governor while Rick was at the meeting with him and Glenn refused, Merle started a fight with Glenn and everyone had to jump in to try to break up the fight before Beth had no choice but to fire her gun in the air to stop the fight. She did this just to stop the fight that Merle started and was possibly angry at Merle for starting the fight with Glenn. Despite this, Beth doesn't seem to complain about Merle and still acts kind around him, like she usually does. It is unknown how Beth responds to Merle's death.
 * "What's difference whose fault it is? What do we do?"
 * —Beth stopping Maggie from lashing out at Merle.[src]

During a personal conversation with Daryl, Beth questions him if he misses Merle, showing that she is aware of how much Daryl cared for him.
 * }
 * }

AppearancesEdit
{|

Season 1

 * "Guts"
 * "Tell It to the Frogs"

Season 2

 * "Chupacabra" (Hallucination)

Season 3

 * "Walk With Me"
 * "Killer Within"
 * "Say the Word"
 * "Hounded"
 * "When the Dead Come Knocking"
 * "Made to Suffer"
 * "The Suicide King"
 * "Home"
 * "I Ain't a Judas"
 * "Arrow on the Doorpost"
 * "This Sorrowful Life"
 * }
 * }

Trivia

 * Merle's words in "Tell It to the Frogs", when he is screaming, are almost identical to his last words to the Governor; in the sense that both times he would not beg for his life against greater odds.
 * Also, Merle's final lines "I ain't gonna beg, I'm not begging you!" were not directed towards the Governor but rather God as revealed by Michael Rooker.


 * Daryl Dixon's motorcycle was previously owned by Merle, but Merle is never seen riding it.
 * The codename "Stoney" was used for Merle by the writing staff as seen on the call sheet for "This Sorrowful Life".
 * Merle was 'The Suicide King', that inspired the episode's title.
 * According to Shane Walsh, Merle was a drug dealer before the apocalypse.
 * In Merle's bag of drugs, Blue Sky Meth can be seen, a specific nod to another AMC television series, Breaking Bad.
 * The scene where Merle starts shooting off his gun on the roof top in Season 1 caused a little bit of real-life chaos; some people did not know they were filming and thought that the actor, Michael Rooker, was a sniper and called the police. A real SWAT team actually showed up. Fortunately, no one was arrested and filming continued as usual.
 * Norman Reedus, Daryl's actor originally auditioned for the role of Merle. He was turned down but the creators liked his acting so much that they decided to write in the character of Daryl specifically for him.
 * Merle is one of the many amputees in the series, having been forced to amputate his own right hand, and later having two of his fingers bitten off by the Governor.
 * Merle has a number of ethnic slurs that he uses against people of different minorities to show his racism.
 * Merle also has a tendency to call others with the names he makes up himself:
 * Daryl Dixon (Baby Brother, Darlina (in Daryl's hallucination), Little Brother)
 * Andrea (Blondie, Sugar Tits, Rug-Muncher, Whore)
 * Morales (Taco Bender)
 * T-Dog (Spear-Chucker, Mr. Yo)
 * Caesar Martinez (Brownie)
 * Gargulio (Neil)
 * Mexican Man (Beaner)
 * Mexican Baby (Cinderella)
 * Michonne (Mute, Black Bitch, Nubian Queen, Sweetheart, Darling)
 * Milton Mamet (Miltie)
 * Maggie Greene (The Farmer's Daughter, Honey, Bo-Peep, Love-Birds)
 * Rick Grimes (The Sheriff, Sheriff Rick)
 * Glenn Rhee (Chinese Kid, Love-Birds)
 * Michael Rooker lost 28 pounds in order to prepare for Merle's return in Season 3.[2]
 * In the TV Series, Merle is the first character to have a substitute appendage on an amputated limb.
 * He is also the first main character in the TV Series to have an amputation, the second being Hershel Greene, the third being The Governor, the fourth being Bob Stookey, the fifth being Gareth, the sixth being Tyreese Williams, the seventh being Jessie Anderson, the eighth being Carl Grimes and the ninth being Aaron.
 * Out of all these characters however, Merle is the only one to actually amputate his own limb himself and without the assistance of another; in this case he used a hacksaw to amputate his right hand to escape from a rooftop in Atlanta after being left behind by the group.
 * Merle is the first original main character in the TV Series to die, the second being Beth Greene, the third being Sasha Williams and the fourth being Simon. Coincidentally, Merle and Beth were both very close to Daryl and their deaths made a huge impact on him. Also, they both appeared in the second episode of a season (the Season 1 episode "Guts" for Merle, and the Season 2 episode "Bloodletting" for Beth), and they both indirectly caused their own deaths and were shot dead by their arch-enemies (The Governor for Merle, and Dawn Lerner for Beth).
 * "Made to Suffer" is the first episode where Merle and Daryl are physically seen together.
 * Prior to his final shootout, he stated that he had killed 16 people since the apocalypse began. All of these were during his time in the Governor's inner circle.
 * Merle has killed the eleventh largest amount of living characters on the TV show with a total of at least 25 victims (including himself indirectly in Merle's case), Rosita Espinosa has the tenth largest with at least 27, Michonne and Aaron are tied as having the ninth largest with at least 29, Ezekiel has the eighth largest with at least 39, Dwight has seventh largest with at least 42, Morgan Jones has the sixth largest with at least 45, The Governor has the fifth largest with at least 62, Rick Grimes and Daryl are tied as having the fourth largest with at least 68, Carol Peletier has the third largest with at least 93, Simon has the second largest with at least 172, and Negan has the largest with at least 225.
 * Although Merle was usually unafraid of anyone that he was shown interacting with in the TV series, the Governor was the first and only character in the TV Series whom Merle was afraid of.
 * As said by Greg Nicotero during his, and Laurie Holden's Q&A Panel at Walker Stalker Con Chicago 2014, Merle's death was not planned during the initial writing for the third season, his death came up on the last minutes before the shooting for "This Sorrowful Life" begun. Merle was supposed to be a recurring character in Season 4.
 * Merle's outfit is available for purchase on the Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace for 240 Microsoft Points.
 * Merle is one of three characters in the series to appear in a program outside of The Walking Dead; the others are Carol Peletier and his brother Daryl.
 * Melissa McBride and Michael Rooker went into a 2013 episode of Conan O'Brien's talk show Conan, as Carol and Merle, in which the pair disrupts O'Brien's live studio audience under the guise of "hiding from walkers". Norman Reedus went into a 2015 episode of Saturday Night Live as Daryl, and shot Pete Davidson in the chest with a crossbow bolt during "Weekend update".
 * In Season 1, Daryl is quoted as saying "Nobody can kill Merle but Merle". This would prove true as Merle's death is caused by him going on a suicide mission to kill the Governor.
 * In an interview with Michael Rooker on comicbook.com, he was asked how Merle would react to Negan and what he has done to Daryl and the group as of Season 7. Michael responded by saying "I don't know if Merle would actually enjoy seeing his friends being abused." On Talking Dead Michael was asked if Merle would have sided with Negan, to which he replied "If Negan had something for Merle; Merle would have gone with Negan, yeah. But he wouldn't have completely stayed with Negan especially if his brother is in the prison there. That would have turned it really quickly."
 * Merle is the second main character to be part of Rick's group and become an antagonist, the first being Shane Walsh, the third being Spencer Monroe and the fourth being Eugene Porter.
 * Merle is also the first character on the show to have an antagonistic role for over a season and join Rick's Group. The second being Eugene.