The Walking Dead Characters, Ranked By How Likely It Is That They’ll Survive To The End

Daryl Dixon and Judith Grimes in _The Walking Dead._

Some of the main characters in The Walking Dead.

After the announcement came out that The Walking Dead will finally be ending after its upcoming eleventh season, premiering later on in 2021, fans were disappointed but not surprised. Since the show’s birth back in 2010, The Walking Dead has steadily inched forward towards its end storylines, and it’s only a matter of time before the characters that we have come to love are finally gone from the TV for good.

But that doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop. As a super fan of the show, I try to predict who might die next, so why not do that with the remaining characters?

With the remaining Season 10 episodes ahead and Season 11 on the horizon, that means we can finally make some educated guesses on who is going to make it to the end, and who is sadly more likely to be entering the realm of the walkers themselves soon. So, in honor of the new episodes coming up, these are all the survivors (the main characters right now, at least) in the show, and their chances of meeting a bitter end.

Father Gabriel in The Walking Dead.

15. Father Gabriel

In The Walking Dead, Father Gabriel has been around since Season 5. At first, I’m pretty sure that everyone hated his guts, but over time, he started to grow a shell and prove to the group that he can be a valuable member of the team.

He was willingly ready to give his life in that hospital for this group. That dude was perfectly okay with dying. I have a feeling that he’s going to go out in some heroic way trying to save Rosita or some other close character in the show, but he’s a goner for sure. He’s definitely redeemed himself but redemption can only go so far in a zombie apocalypse.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: There’s a 0% chance of him making it, sorry not sorry.

Magna and Luke in The Walking Dead.

14. Magna/Luke

Two of the many characters introduced in the back-half of Season 9 after Rick’s “death,” Magna and Luke came in with their group of people on The Walking Dead. While Magna is a capable warrior – and clearly has done some time in the past because of it – I don’t see her making it to the end.

Really for one reason – Magna has a temper. She gets very passionate about certain things and it takes time for her to cool down. In this world, in the words of Michonne, being angry makes you stupid, and stupid gets you killed.

Luke, on the other hand, is a sweet guy, but I don’t think that sweetness is going to hold him over that long. He needs to either grow a harder shell, or he’ll be getting bit quite soon.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: Probably a 10% chance. I just have a feeling.

Ezekiel in The Walking Dead.

13. Ezekiel

The moment I saw Ezekiel on The Walking Dead, I was in love with his character. His charisma, charm, and jokes were contagious and I couldn’t help but find myself ruling for this old man, trying to lead this small community sort of like a kingdom – having it literally be called “The Kingdom.” But sadly, I don’t think our favorite king is going to make it out of it.

While in the comics Ezekiel is long dead at this point, another key aspect stands out to me – the fact that the man has a tumor. It’s the zombie apocalypse, so it’s not like he can do much about it, especially with one of their best doctors, Siddiq, now dead. It’s only a matter of time before that lump begins to spread. But hey, going out by natural causes in this world sounds badass.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: Nope. I’d say there’s about a 20-30% chance that maybe they find some sort of cure for him, but I highly doubt it.

Kelly in The Walking Dead.

12. Kelly

Honestly, I don’t know that much about Kelly in The Walking Dead except that she’s an excellent shot with a slingshot, speaks ASL to Connie, and loves her sister very much. But sadly, I do think she won't be on the show that much longer.

Kelly sort of seems like a side-character that could easily go and not affect the main story. While she is a great one, I don’t feel that her arc is necessarily going to fit into the rest of the plot, especially with Connie still missing. Without her sister, she's sort of just... there. I wish they gave her more. Maybe I would think differently then.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 40% chance that she will, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they killed her off.

Eugene Porter in The Walking Dead.

11. Eugene Porter

Ah, Eugene. I genuinely feel that the whole fanbase hated him when he first arrived on The Walking Dead, but he’s another Father Gabriel-type where over time, he started to prove his worth, especially with how he worked against the Saviors from the inside-out, acting as a spy almost.

But what makes him a little higher than Father Gabriel in terms of survival? A combination of two things: Eugene actually survived the whole entire comic-book run (if you can believe it), and he has a solid story set-up in the upcoming season, with the entrance of the Commonwealth, and this new love-interest named Stephanie.

However, there seems to be a curse on the show that as soon as a new story is introduced to certain characters, they tend to die quite quickly, so I’m a bit apprehensive.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 50% chance. I’d like to see him pull through, but the show hasn’t strayed from making changes to who dies before.

Jerry in The Walking Dead.

10. Jerry

Ugh, I love Jerry. I love him so much. We all need a Jerry in our lives, and that’s why he provides such a light to The Walking Dead, as one of Ezekiel’s faithful followers and friends. He even has a whole family now, with a wife and kids. He’s meant to have a good life.

Which is why I think he will die. Anytime any sort of moral compass is every given anything good in this show, they are killed off. Hershel was the moral compass for some time, he was killed. Beth then became that compass, and she was killed. I just have a bad feeling that now that his life is going great, it might not be so soon.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: Another 50% chance. I hope I’m wrong.

Yumiko in The Walking Dead.

9. Yumiko

Another one of the most recent additions to the group in The Walking Dead, Yumiko has a head on her shoulders and knows her way around a bow. Not only that, but it also seems that she was a lawyer before the world ended, so she would be useful in certain instances.

The only reason I put her in the middle is that I’m still unsure if she’ll have much of a story without Magna, and if Magna is killed off then where does that leave Yumiko? Bit of a question there.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 50%, but leaning a bit towards 60%.

Rosita Espinosa and Eugene Porter in The Walking Dead.

8. Rosita Espinosa

Even though her The Walking Dead comic counterpart is long gone, Rosita has still been going strong in the TV series ever since Season 4. She's become a valuable member of the community, the girlfriend to Gabriel, and even has her own daughter named Coco.

While there hasn’t been anything directly related to a certain storyline that will be focused around her, I think that she has a decent chance of surviving – at least more than 50%, because she’s a badass. But one can never be too careful in The Walking Dead world.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 65% chance of living.

Connie in The Walking Dead.

7. Connie

I refuse to believe that Connie got freaking lost for the whole back-half of Season 10 of The Walking Dead just for her to die later on. Connie is an amazing character, having a deaf woman somehow live this long in a world like this, through her sheer skills and wit. She's just astounding to watch and it's a really different take on survival.

Not only that, but she’s literally been one of the few people to crack Daryl, which is practically impossible. She needs to have a bigger role – there has to be something for her. I will not even consider her death until I see her again.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 70% chance of living – because I refuse to believe any different.

Negan in The Walking Dead.

6. Negan

Now we’re getting into the ones that I think have a good chance of surviving the end of The Walking Dead, and believe it or not, Negan is a part of that. Honestly, even after his time with the Saviors, he’s definitely proved himself time and time again, especially working with Carol to take down the Whisperers. He’s more than won the right to live from the safe zone residents.

However, there is one thing that is stopping me from putting him at 100%, and that is that Maggie is back. And that might cause issues.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 75% chance of living. I really do want to see him live though.

Lydia in The Walking Dead.

5. Lydia

I really think this girl has some potential. I know that a lot of fans didn’t particularly like her at first on The Walking Dead (like many other characters on this list) but I genuinely loved the relationships that Lydia developed with people along the way against the Whisperers. One of my favorite parts of Season 10 was seeing her and Daryl interact.

But what makes me think she’ll stick around for the long haul is that there’s no reason to kill her off now. Both Alpha and Beta are dead, so she isn’t in danger anymore. She’s just a normal survivor who actually knows some good skills considering she grew up in this world. I think she’ll stick around. If she gets the ax, I’ll be surprised.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 80% chance.

Aaron in The Walking Dead.

4. Aaron

To be completely honest, Aaron is one of my favorites in The Walking Dead, mainly because I feel he has changed probably the most out of a lot of survivors. He started out in Season 5 as this happy and welcoming guy, and now later on in the series he’s hardened by what has happened to him and has become a seasoned warrior.

I mean, he even got Rick’s comic arc with his arm getting chopped off. Aaron is meant to be a leader, and I believe he’ll make it all the way to the end. I would be absolutely stunned if they killed him off.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 90% chance.

Maggie Rhee in The Walking Dead

3. Maggie Rhee

They can’t bring Maggie back to The Walking Dead to just kill her off. I mean, come on. She has been missing from this show for about a season and a half. Fans have been begging to see her become this amazing ruler we were all given in the comics.

I have a feeling that she has already reached that and we have only scratched the surface. I think we’re going to see a new version of Maggie in this upcoming season, one that will stick it out to the end.

Then again, The Walking Dead has done some crazy stuff before, so if she was killed off in one big final main character blow, I wouldn’t be completely floored. But extremely sad.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 95% chance.

Judith Grimes in The Walking Dead.

2. Judith Grimes (And R.J.)

I mean, do I really need to say why they are going to live? It’s Judith Grimes and R.J. They’re literally just children. I know what you’re thinking. “But they’ve killed kids off on The Walking Dead before.”

Yeah, they have, but they weren’t Rick Grimes kids. And if there’s going to be a Rick Grimes movie, there ain’t no way they’re killing them off. They have to keep them around.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 100% chance.

Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier in The Walking Dead.

1. Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon

Yup, these are two different characters, but I’m putting Daryl and Carol together for one specific reason – the iconic pair from The Walking Dead is going to be getting their own spinoff show together after The Walking Dead comes to an end.

Come on. That’s a tell-tale sign that these two are going to survive. And honestly, it would be fitting. They have been through thick and thin together and have an unbreakable bond of friendship that can’t be broken. Unless The Walking Dead is planning on doing a complete 180 and having this spinoff be a prequel or something and they actually do die, this is an easy guess for me. Both are coming out unscathed.

Will They Survive To The End Of The Series?: 100% chance.

Again, these are all just my idea on what might happen in the future as a fan who's been watching this show since the beginning. All I know is that some people are going to die, sooner rather than later. And with 24 episodes to spare, there might be more death than we ever could have imagined.

Alexandra Ramos
Content Producer

A self-proclaimed nerd and lover of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, Alexandra Ramos is a Content Producer at CinemaBlend. She first started off working in December 2020 as a Freelance Writer after graduating from the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in English. She primarily works in features for movies, TV, and sometimes video games. (Please don't debate her on The Last of Us 2, it was amazing!) She is also the main person who runs both our daily newsletter, The CinemaBlend Daily, and our ReelBlend newsletter.