‘The Walking Dead:’ Norman Reedus Talks Daryl After Rick’s Departure

The Walking Dead Rick Daryl Dixon Norman Reedus Andrew Lincoln

Daryl Dixon may have started off as a thorn in Rick Grimes’ side when The Walking Dead first started- not helped by the disappearance of his brother, Merle- but since then, the two have formed a tight bond, with Rick even calling Daryl his brother. And that on-screen chemistry is shared off-screen as well between Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln. And for the longest time, Daryl has served as one of Rick’s right hands, being the extra muscle and support when necessary.

Admittedly, with the most recent season of The Walking Dead, there’s been a bit of a growing divide between the two, with Daryl siding with Maggie as far as Rick’s decision to let Negan live in the finale to All Out War. How that divide will play out in the upcoming season remains to be seen, but one idea floating around with Rick’s upcoming departure is that Daryl would step up in his role and take on more of a leadership position. There’s no basis for this as of now, but given Daryl’s rising prominence on The Walking Dead, it’s not a completely unfounded assumption.

But pump the breaks on that one, my friends. Even though many may feel that Rick’s departure means Daryl will occupy his leadership slot on The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus is all but certain that this won’t be the case. While speaking with TV Guide, Reedus stated that no one will step in to take Rick’s place:

“I don’t think anyone’s gonna step up and be Rick. “I think everybody on the show is gonna step up and elevate their game and fill that hole. I don’t think there could be a new Rick. I know the internet’s like, ‘Screw Norman! Who does he think he is?’ I’ve just got to sit there go, ‘Huh, whatever.’ Everybody sort of steps up to the plate.”

In addition, as far as The Walking Dead is concerned, Reedus stated that Daryl isn’t the sort who would want to be a leader, given his ongoing streak as an outsider:

“He’s got that antihero, anti-leader thing going on, you know what I mean.”

What do you make of Reedus’ comments about Daryl’s role in the upcoming season? When Rick departs, how do you want to see Daryl develop on The Walking Dead? Should he step up as a leader or remain as is? Let us know in the comments below.

The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Katelyn Nacon, Tom Payne, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Xander Berkeley, Khary Payton, Pollyanna McIntosh, Callan McAuliffe, Avi Nash, and Samantha Morton.

The series will return for its ninth season on October 7, 2018 on AMC.

Source: TV Guide

Omari Daniels

Omari Daniels

Guy mostly into journalism and interested in geek culture. So...why not write about it? Get the best of both worlds that way.