History Trivia / TheWalkingDead

* TheWikiRule: [[http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_Wiki The Walking Dead Wiki]].

For trivia from the [[Series/TheWalkingDead2010 TV show]], see '''[[Trivia/TheWalkingDead2010 here]]'''.

For trivia from the [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadTelltale video game]], see '''[[Trivia/TheWalkingDeadTelltale here]]'''.

* WordofGod: Kirkman revealed in the Deluxe edition of Issue 36 that Martinez really was going back to bring back the good people from Woodbury, not The Governor as Rick believed.

* FanNickname: Skinwalkers or Walkie Talkies, for the unusual walkers [[spoiler: that are actually survivors who wear the skins of the deceased]].
* ImageSource:
** ZombieApocalypse

For trivia from the [[Series/TheWalkingDead TV show]], see '''[[Trivia/TheWalkingDeadTVShow here]]'''.

For trivia from the [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead video game]], see '''[[Trivia/TheWalkingDeadVideoGame here]]'''.

* LyingCreator: The entire book is because of this. Kirkman thought that Image wouldn't be interested in a straight-up zombie story so he pitched it with the twist that the zombie uprising was all a plot by aliens to weaken humanity in preparation for an invasion. By the time Image figured out Kirkman ''never'' had any intention of turning this into a pure sci-fi story, the book was a huge hit.

* WordOfGay: According to Kirkman, Martinez from the Woodbury arc was gay, but he never found a good moment to reveal it.

** Kirkman admitted his original ending was to show a close-up of a statue for Rick much as in the final issue. [[spoiler:It would then pull back to show it covered with vines as zombies roam about, indicating that all Rick did was to stave off the inevitable end of the last humans.]] Kirkman decided that would be far too dark an ending and make all the struggles of the characters pointless. Had Kirkman gone with this ending, it would have happened at the end of the "No Way Out" story arc.

** Kirkman admitted his original ending was to show a close-up of a statue for Rick much as in the final issue. [[spoiler:It would then pull back to show it covered with vines as zombies roam about, indicating that all Rick did was to stave off the inevitable end of the last humans]]. Kirkman decided that would be far too dark an ending and make all the struggles of the characters pointless. Had Kirkman gone with this ending, it would have happened at the end of the "No Way Out" story arc.

** Kirkman admitted his original ending was [[spoiler: to show a close-up of a statue for Rick much as in the final issue. It would then pull back to show it covered with vines as zombies roam about, indicating that all Rick did was to stave off the inevitable end of the last humans. Kirkman decided that would be far too dark an ending and make all the struggles of the characters pointless.]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally, Negan was only going to be a short-lived ArcVillain, with Rick killing him at the end of ''Something To Fear'' and sending his severed head to Maggie as an apology for not being able to save Glenn. However, Kirkman found he enjoyed writing the character and decided to keep him alive longer, resulting in Negan becoming the default BigBad of the series.

!!Series

* ActorAllusion:
** [[Film/LoveActually This is not the first time]] Creator/AndrewLincoln was in a LoveTriangle involving two childhood best-friends and one of those two's wife.
** Creator/NormanReedus's brothers have [[Film/TheBoondockSaints a propensity for being handcuffed]].
** Shane was a cop in New York [[PostNineElevenTerrorismMovie when 9-11 went down.]]
** In Season 3, Lori adjusted [[Series/PrisonBreak to the prison]] just fine.
** Tyreese has [[VideoGame/Left4Dead2 experience]] as TeamDad of a small group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse.
** Creator/LaurieHolden have a history fighting the "supernatural", which she [[http://twitpic.com/apbb96/full lampshaded]] in Website/{{Twitter}}.
** One of the Vatos gets an arrow in the ass, which is a holiday compared to [[AssShove what happened to his ass]] in ''Film/BruceAlmighty''.
** Tara refers to the group of Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Glenn, Maggie, and herself as a "band of brothers". Michael Cudlitz, who plays Abraham, starred in HBO's ''Series/BandOfBrothers''.
* AdoredByTheNetwork / ScrewedByTheNetwork: A very odd case, given how much ''The Walking Dead'' flip flops between the two. On the one hand, AMC runs marathons of the show much more frequently than [[Series/MadMen their other]] [[Series/TheKilling hit]] [[Series/BreakingBad shows]], has a discussion panel after new episodes air with ''The Talking Dead'', and even aired an altered black and white version of the pilot episode to reflect the comic's visual style, due to popular demand from the fanbase. Given the show's very high ratings for a cable network, none of this is a surprise. On the other hand, as of 2012, [[http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/12/21/walking-dead-showrunner-renewed/ two showrunners have been released from The Walking Dead over behind-the-scenes issues]]. The exit of [Season 3 showrunner] Glen Mazzarra was a head scratcher for fans, given that the show [[GrowingTheBeard drastically improved between Seasons 2 and 3]]. While it is clear that this series is AMC's ratings making baby, the executive decisions look series destroying, which has fans worried. Still, the ratings keep growing, as do the marathons.
* CastingGag: Tyreese is played by Chad Coleman, the voice of Coach in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2''.
* DawsonCasting:
** Maggie is 22-23, while actress Lauren Cohan is 30.
** Beth is 16-18. Emily Kinney is 28.
** Creator/LaurieHolden started playing the 36 year old Andrea when she was 40-41.
* DuelingShows: Despite being very different in tone, the fact that they're both about the ZombieApocalypse makes this inevitable with ZNation. In terms of sheer popularity Walking Dead is the clear winner, but Z Nation has done been getting a push from Netflix. Furthermore, Z Nation has less than one-third the budget per-episode, and was made for a much less prestigous network. Only time will tell how this plays out.
* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/MichaelRooker has been a pretty big guy for years, and was perfect for Merle in Season 1. He then lost twenty pounds to play Merle post-amputation in Season 3.
* EnforcedMethodActing: The Talking Dead recap for the episode Prey revealed that this was used to great effect in the warehouse scene between Andrea and The Governor. Laurie Holden had the general idea of what David Morrisey was going to do in the scene but had no clue WHEN he was going to do it. As a result her surprised reactions when he busted out the glass and his all around creepiness were all real.
* ExecutiveMeddling: [[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/walking-dead-what-happened-fired-221449 Conflicts]] with AMC regarding the second season's budget eventually resulted in the departure of pilot director and first season showrunner Frank Darabont.
* FakeAmerican: English actors Creator/AndrewLincoln, Creator/LennieJames, Creator/DavidMorrissey ,and Creator/LaurenCohan play, respectively, Rick Grimes, Morgan, The Governor, and Maggie Greene.
** Lauren Cohan is technically a subversion: She has a British accent due to living in the U.K. for a while, but she was born in America (and thus isn't a "fake" American).
* FanNickname: Several so far, either from the internet or from tie-in show ''Talking Dead'':
** Hershel's God shotgun from ''Beside The Dying Fire'' -- Hershel fired many more shots from his shotgun than is possible without reloading.
** The walker bomb from ''Home'' -- [[spoiler: the Governor sent a truck full of walkers crashing through the prison's front gate]].
** The sex garage -- Maggie pulled Glenn into a garage and...[[CaptainObvious just guess]].
** Despite only appearing in one episode, [[SanitySlippage Clara]] immediately earned the moniker Creepy Clara.
** Merle is called as [[PeterPan Captain Hook]].
** Tim, the [[TokenMinority Asian]] Woodbury {{Mook}}, is called as "Evil Glenn" or "Anti-Glenn".
** Some fans have taken to calling Oscar from the prison "2-Dog" or "O-Dog" due to his joining Rick's group almost immediately after T-Dog's death. Once Tyreese, [[DecompositeCharacter the character T-Dog is based from in the comics]], finally appeared, there are some fans who called him Ty-Dog or True-Dog.
** The Termites for the group of survivors inhabiting Terminus, who are never given a name in the series proper (though [[spoiler: they do seem to be the show's counterpart to the cannibal group called the Hunters from the comics]]).
* GodCreatedCanonForeigner: Daryl and his brother are original characters created for the show by the creative staff. [[WordOfGod Robert Kirkman]] said that he may try to find a way to make him into a CanonImmigrant to the comic at some point, however [[http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/04/16/the-walking-dead-creator-addresses-those-daryl-dixon-comic-book-rumors-1338087?lt_source=external,manual this may no longer be the case]].
* HeyItsThatGuy:
** How in the world did [[Series/{{Teachers}} Simon Casey]], [[Series/PrisonBreak Sara Tancredi]], [[Series/{{Jericho}} Robert Hawkins]], [[Literature/TheMist Amanda Dunfey, Dan Miller]] and [[Film/HenryPortraitOfASerialKiller Henry Lee Lucas]] all get together to fight zombies?
** Wasn't [[Literature/TheMist Amanda Dunfey]] also [[Film/SilentHill Cybil Bennett]], and [[Series/TheXFiles Marita Covarrubius]]?
** Daryl is a violent brother [[Film/TheBoondockSaints out for vengeance]]. He was also in Creator/{{Marvel}}'s movie about [[Film/BladeII certain vampire hunter]].
** [[Film/TheGreenMile Harry Terwilliger]] is pretty possessive of his RV.
** Maybe they should have offered Merle a [[Film/{{Mallrats}} chocolate covered pretzel]]. Merle also seems to have a habit of [[Film/{{Tombstone}} switching to the side of justice]].
** [[Film/FinalDestination Molly Harper]] did not make it out of Atlanta.
** [[Series/TrueBlood Malcolm]] chose to turn into a zombie rather than have a MercyKill. Also from ''TrueBlood'', Rick shot Renee in the bar at the end of ''Nebraska''.
** [[Literature/TheMist The Woman With Kids at Home]] drilled her dead husband with a pickaxe.
** [[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Elliot Stabler's former partner]] shot his wife -- Test Subject 19.
** [[Series/TheVampireDiaries Rose]] has a pretty wicked swing with a baseball bat.
** Tyreese is a [[VideoGame/Left4Dead2 one-man cheeseburger apocalypse]].
** After Jackson Lake's attempt to be [[Series/DoctorWho The Next Doctor]] didn't work out, he moved to Woodbury and became the Governor.
** Looks like [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Bella Talbot]] escaped the hellhounds and hid Stateside.
** It seems like Morgan is on the run from those who would [[Film/{{Snatch}} feed him to the pigs]].
** Looks like one of the many worlds [[Series/OnceUponATime Baelfire jumped to]] includes a zombie apocalypse.
** Rick meets and helps [[Series/{{Rome}} Octavia]] in the Season 4 premiere.
** The Governor recruits [[Series/{{Fringe}} Charlie Francis]] as his tank operator in Season 4.
** [[Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide Suzie Crabgrass]] is part of [[Series/{{Southland}} Officer John Cooper's]] team.
** Looks like [[Series/{{Oz}} Miguel Alvarez]] got out of Em City with his brother [[Series/{{Dollhouse}} Victor]] just in time for the zombie apocalypse.
** Bob Stookey was the [[{{Film/TheWaterboy}} Mud Dogs kicker]].
** [[Series/TeenWolf Mama McCall]], why are you living in Woodbury and dating Tyreese?
** [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Phineas]] (and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Hope]]) was the first victim of the super flu in Season 4.
** Looks like [[Series/VeronicaMars Beaver]] survived his suicide and began dating Beth Greene.
** [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Tasha Yar]] has taken up cooking and greeting newcomers.
** [[Series/{{Leverage}} Hardison]] used to date Michonne.
** Sam is [[Series/{{Gotham}} The Penguin]].
** Lizzie is [[Series/TrueDetective Woody Harrelson's daughter]] as well as [[Series/OnceUponATime a young snow queen]].
** Lily Chambler is [[Series/{{Arrow}} Diggle's estranged wife]].
** When did [[Series/TeenWolf Dr. Deaton]] become a priest?
** [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Jasper Sitwell]] is Bob Lamson.
** Noah used to be [[Series/EverybodyHatesChris a young Chris Rock]].
** [[Series/OneTreeHill Junk Moretti]] becomes a rapist cop.
** [[Series/FlashForward2009 Janis]] is a self-proclaimed Police Chief in Atlanta.
** [[Series/OneTreeHill Julian Baker]] is the eldest son of Alexandria's leader.
* IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine: Chad Coleman (Tyreese), Bob (Lawrence Guillard Jr.) and Seth Gilliam (Fr. Gabriel Stokes) were formerly cast-mates in ''Series/TheWire''.
* McLeaned:
** [[spoiler: Dale. Jeffrey [=DeMunn=], who was a long-time collaborator and friend with showrunner Frank Darabont, asked to be written out when Darabont was axed. He later had second thoughts, but by then it was too late.]]
** [[spoiler: Tyreese. Chad Coleman is written out of the show because he got a major part in an upcoming TV adaptation of ''Literature/TheExpanse''.]]
* RealitySubtext: As explained in [[http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/61369/walking-dead-qa-sarah-wayne-callies-lori-grimes-another-clip-episode-305-say-word this interview]] (spoilers, obviously), [[spoiler:Sarah Wayne Callies]] was informed of [[spoiler:Lori Grimes']] death while working at a refugee camp in UsefulNotes/{{Thailand}}, [[spoiler:preoccupied with "issues about medical care and gender safety." This makes Lori's DeathByChildbirth -- a fate that modern medical technology has largely eliminated in the Western world, but which is still all too common in places like a Thai refugee camp -- all the more ironic.]]
* ShrugOfGod: What caused the outbreak? Kirkman is on record for saying it will never be stated.
* {{Spoiler}}: The details of the Blu-Ray release of the second season were released before Season 2 was over. The blurb said that the release included [[spoiler: Shane's last episode]]. [[http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/03/01/amc-website-runs-walking-dead-spoiler-by-mistake/?hpt=hp_t3 Non spoiler news story here.]]
* ThrowItIn:
** The barn's collapse in the second season finale was not scripted.
** In ''After'', Michonne slaughters an entire herd of over a dozen walkers on her own. Originally, she was scripted to kill only eight walkers onscreen, but director Greg Nicotero was so impressed by her performance he kept letting the scene run. Since she never heard the word "Cut!", Danai Gurira just rolled with it and kept attacking the walkers.
** Daryl's "You look ridiculous!" comment upon seeing Carol in her step ford wife outfit in ''Remember'' was Norman Reedus' actual reaction to seeing Melissa McBride in the getup for the first time. Nicotero told him to say it when they filmed because it was something Daryl would say too.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Had Frank Darabont not been fired, the second-season premiere (as indicated in preview trailers, leaked information from various sources and deleted scenes in the Season 2 boxset) would have resolved the ''Vatos'' plotline introduced in the first season episode of the same name. After leaving the CDC, Shane almost gets overtaken by a horde of walkers when his car breaks down, and is saved by Dale and Rick in the RV. With limited options, the group goes to the Vatos camp to warn them that things are much worse than they expected. [[spoiler:They find the retirement home overrun (with Guillermo and the rest of the Vatos recently killed), and proceed to take down every walker in the vicinity before having to hide until the morning]]. The encounter with the horde of walkers on the highway is the only major remnant of the original premiere (as most of the footage was, according to AMC, "unusable") -- in total, just 1/3 of the filmed material remained. The Vatos resolution also counts as an AbortedArc.
** In addition to this, [[http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=52265 there was another series of webisodes planned]] which would have explained the story of the soldier walker in the tank; who, as it turns out, was played by SamWitwer. But with Frank Darabont being fired, his plan for this fell through. According to Witwer, there were dozens of other little things like this that Darabont had plans for in the future.
** Creator/JohnHawkes was offered the role of The Governor, but turned it down due to misgivings about taking a part on network TV.
** Axel's actor revealed that Axel was originally written as a serial killer who would kidnap one of the group members after being freed from the prison.
** Morgan was supposed to reappear in Season 2, but it was delayed due to Lennie James having a busy schedule.
** According to [[http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/04/02/the-walking-dead-finale-deleted-scene-show-alternate-death-ending/ various]] [[http://screencrush.com/the-walking-dead-season-3-finale-andrea-alternate-ending/ accounts]], the [[spoiler:deaths of Andrea/Milton]] in ''Welcome to the Tombs'' were intended to be completely different. The episode would have begun with [[spoiler:Milton being unexpectedly shot in the stomach in the torture room by The Governor, and left to bleed out while Andrea is still tied up]]. There would have been more scenes of [[spoiler:Milton]] trying to open the door, along with trying to choke [[spoiler:Andrea]] with a chain in order to spare her from being eaten alive. The subplot was supposed to end with [[spoiler:Milton turning, being shown taking a bite out of Andrea's chest, and Tyreese discovering her and shooting Milton]]. The subplot was eventually reshot for the broadcast version, and the only remnant left of the original plan is Tyreese saying to Sasha that he's going to look around in Woodbury.
** George A. Romero was asked if he wanted to write for ''The Walking Dead'', but declined, as the zombies in the show aren't used for the satire or political criticism that Romero uses them for.
** Kirkman revealed that there were plans to kill off Hershel as early as Season 2.
** Thomas Jane was originally intended to star, when Darabont pitched the show.
* WordOfGod: The ''Talking Dead'' tie-in talk show interviews with series executives and actors provides a good deal of [[AllThereInTheManual information not available within the show itself]]:
** Creator Robert Kirkman stated that in the universe of the TV show, George A. Romero's ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead'' was never created, and there was consequently never a boom of ZombieApocalypse pop culture like in our world. This is why the word "walker" is more commonly used, as none of the characters have any knowledge of the concept of "zombies" in the modern sense of the term.
** He also confirmed that RaisingTheSteaks will be averted.
** According to ''Talking Dead'', [[spoiler: Otis]] was the one who [[spoiler: found and corralled the undead Sophia into Hershel's barn, but Shane killed Otis before Otis knew of a missing girl in the group, meaning that the whole search and Daryl's near death was all for naught]].
** [[http://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/tv/tvguide/article/The-Walking-Dead-Bosses-on-Two-Big-Deaths-It-4007897.php Glen Mazzara has stated that T-Dog is a former football player]], and that a line in which it was mentioned got cut during the first season.
** Kirkman revealed in the comics letter page that [[spoiler: the Hunters did not get infected from eating Bob's "tainted meat", in either the show or comic.]]

!!Game
* ActorAllusion:
** Kenny has a strained relationship with Larry. Much like how both actors' characters (Giles and Franklin) had a strained relationship in Law & Order Legacies.
** [[spoiler: Michael Madsen has a problem with [[Film/ReservoirDogs executing hostages.]]]]
* CelebrityVoiceActor: The fact that William Carver is voiced by [[Film/ReservoirDogs Mr.]] [[PsychoForHire Blonde]] is a good indicator of what sort of person he is.
* TheDanza:
** Brie is based on Brie Rosenholm, the Telltale contest winner.
** Mark's voice actor is Mark Middleton.
* CreatorBacklash: A mild form. The writers admit that they wish that they could have made the choice between saving [[spoiler:Carley or Doug]] far more difficult, attributing the reasoning to people getting to know the former more than the latter.
* DarkHorseVictory: Won the 2012 Spike TV Video Game Awards.
* EnforcedMethodActing: During an episode of "Playing Dead" Bonnie's voice actress, Erin Yvette, said she had no idea Bonnie was scouting the Cabin for Carver when she was recording the scene where Walter gave her food in "A House Divided". Later, in "In Harm's Way", Bonnie said Carver didn't tell her beforehand that he was going to hold up The Cabin group like he did. It's probable [=TellTale=] didn't tell Erin what Bonnie was doing because ''Bonnie didn't know what she was doing''.
* FanNickname: Fans have been calling Molly a female [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Ezio]].
* HeyItsThatVoice:
** Omid is played by [[VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends Twisted Fate/Viktor]].
** [[Franchise/{{Scream}} Ghostface]] is the [[DrJerk Crawford doctor]] in Episode 4.
** Terry [=McGovern=] ([[WesternAnimation/DuckTales Launchpad]] [[WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck McQuack]], [[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Santa]]) is Larry.
** Dave Fennoy ([[WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}} Tetrax]], [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars Pong Krell]], the announcer for {{Creator/Hulu}}) is Lee Everett.
** Gavin Hammon ([[SonicAndTheBlackKnight The Black Knight]]) is Kenny.
** Lilly [[NamesTheSame is]] [[VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}} Lili]].
** Melissa Hutchinson ([[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Girl Stinky]], [[VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight Merlina]], [[VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends Ashe]]) is Clementine.
** In Season 2, Andrew Chaikin/Kid Beyond ([[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice The Narrator, Anton Papierwaite,]] [[VideoGame/BackToTheFuture Biff Tannen]]) is Carlos.
** [[BigBad Carver]] is voiced by [[Film/ReservoirDogs legendary film psychopath]], [[VideoGame/{{Dishonored}} master assassin]], and [[WesternAnimation/AxeCop baby-themed vigilante]] Creator/MichaelMadsen.
** Scott Porter ([[Anime/XMen Cyclops]]) is Luke.
** Christine Lakin, perhaps most known for her role as Alicia Lambert in the 90's comedy series Series/StepByStep, is Jane.
* IKnewIt: Many called [[spoiler: Kenny being alive]] after seeing the previews for the second episode in Season 2. Heck even before then as we [[spoiler: never really see him die at the end of Season 1's fifth episode]].
** Many guessed [[spoiler: Carlos was going to die]] in Epsode 3 after they saw [[spoiler: Sarah screaming]] in the trailer.
* NamesTheSame: The Adam Harrington that plays Andy St. John isn't the same actor who plays Roy Earle in ''[[VideoGame/LANoire L.A. Noire]]'' (that would be Adam John Harrington, who's primarily a stage and screen actor, the other Adam Harrington works almost exclusively as a video game VA).
* PlayingAgainstType: Roger L. Jackson as Chuck, the hobo in Episode 3 who's a clearly benevolent, well-composed character as opposed to the [[LargeHam hammy]] villains Jackson usually plays.
* PropRecycling: Kenny and the Stranger's cars can be seen driving by in the first scene of episode 1.
* RecycledScript: Kenny's life in Season 2 is quite similar to Season One. [[spoiler:The love of his life dies,]] he's obsessed with a goal that some see as non-existant (Wellington rather than the boat), and when he finds it, [[spoiler:it's too good to be true.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** The Video Game has a number of DummiedOut lines still hidden inside the games files;
** Episode 2 includes conversations between Danny and Lee, which state that Danny used to be an insurance salesman and once practiced taxidermy on his Mother's Cat (for a "Mother's Day Gift"). There's also a nightmare sequence where [[spoiler: Doug/Carley (or rather, Lee's Conscience) berates Lee for not saving him/her in the previous episode]].
** The writers were thinking of cutting Clementine before Melissa Hutchinson caught the role due to having difficulties finding an actor for the character and the fact child characters are often disliked in video games.
* Lee is the [[Pantheon/{{Profession}} God]] of [[ZombieApocalypse Apocalyptic]] [[ActionSurvivor Survivors]] in the Pantheon/TropePantheon.

* PropRecycling: The croosbow launcher from the limited edition tables is the Laser Cannon from Creator/SternPinball's ''Pinball/AustinPowers''.

[[spoiler: Tyreese. Chad Coleman is written out of the show because he got a major part in an upcoming TV adaptation of ''Literature/TheExpanse''.]]