Daryl Dixon. Fans love him, walkers fear him, and every crossbow everywhere wishes it was his.
How could a character on The Walking Dead who wasn’t even in the comics become a breakout hero more intense than Rick’s penetrative stare, and hotter than a prison fire? Because The Dark is afraid of Daryl Dixon. Because Death once had a Near-Daryl Experience.
He’s the Most Interesting Man in the Apocalypse. Need we say more? We do? Okay, here goes:
- Badassery. It may be trite to say that Daryl is a badass, but it’s true. We’ve never seen him cower, hide in fear, or abandon anyone who needs help.
- Overcoming Adversity. TV fans assume Daryl’s upbringing was tough—considering that he’s the nice one compared to his brother Merle. But the dozens of people who played The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct know that Daryl came from the most humble and terrible of beginnings to be where he is now.
- Survival Skills. Daryl can shoot a squirrel in the eye from a great distance, has an awesome sense of direction, and can skin a deer. Since I can’t do any of those things—I’d consider myself lucky to have Daryl on my team.
- He’s Chill. A lot of us would want revenge on someone who shot us. But when Andrea shot Daryl in the ear (after mistaking him for a walker) he took it remarkably well. I wouldn’t have cared if he’d shot her back.
- The Hair. Daryl started out with short hair, but something about not cutting it for years made it grow out beautifully. How is he such a great shot even with hair in his eyes? Awesomeness. Duh.
- Sophia. Nobody looked longer and harder for Sophia Peltier than Daryl. Even her own mother had given up by the time she was found.
- Cherokee Rose. The beautiful story of this flower, and Daryl’s willingness to comfort Carol after Sophia is discovered in the barn endeared fans to him forever. Later, Daryl puts a single Cherokee Rose on what he believes to be Carol’s grave.
- No H8. Merle Dixon is a vehement racist. We know this; it almost got him killed. But we’ve never heard a racist word from Daryl.
- Honor. Merle also planned to rip off all the supplies and equipment from Shane’s group very early on in the series. Daryl wasn’t having it. He has actually stopped Merle from stealing and hurting people on many occasions.
- Loyalty. Despite Daryl and Merle disagreeing on much, and Merle being a pretty enormous asshat, Daryl always takes his brother’s side—even when Merle hooked up with The Governor.
- More Loyalty. When Carol lost her confidence in Rick, she suggested that she and Daryl strike out on their own. Very sneaky Carol… Luckily, Daryl wasn’t having it—saying Rick had “done right by him.”
- Salad. The only way fans could have possibly cared about Merle Dixon’s death was to see the impact it had on Daryl. This heart-wrenching scene became one of the greatest Walking Dead memes ever: Daryl crying with salad.
- Hard Takedowns. Daryl has had to take out some of our favorite characters, even when it was damn difficult to do so. He had to kill his own brother after The Governor set him up to be infected. It was also Daryl who ended Dale’s life after a ridiculous walker attack felled him. (Side note: Screw you, Greg Nicotero—not just for killing Dale, but for doing it badly.)
- The Crossbow. Those of us who have been planning for the zompocalypse for decades have all considered the crossbow as a weapon. The problem? You have to be an utterly amazing shot to make it work for you. Daryl is, and does. It’s said that Norman Reedus takes the crossbow home after filming is done.
- Claimed! Daryl has been with other groups before he met up with Shane and the gang. He has the ability to be a team player to stay alive, and even when he’s lumped together with bad people—he doesn’t turn on them unless he has to.
- Biceps. Speaking of things I’d like to “Claim,” those Daryl Dixon biceps are Weapons of Mass Seduction. Who says Daryl doesn’t carry guns?
- Carol. Daryl’s friendship with Carol is fascinating mainly because we know they’d have never been friends under normal circumstances. But as they’re both abuse survivors, it makes an odd kind of sense. It was also Daryl who discovered Carol alive but hiding after walkers got loose in the prison. Later, his reaction to her banishment broke my ticker.
- Voice of Reason. More and more, Daryl is a calming voice of reason. He doesn’t want unnecessary violence, is not into torture or meanness, and believes in saving everyone he can.
- Volunteering. No matter what horrible, dangerous job needs doing, Daryl is in. He’ll ride ahead, be the lookout, or get into the thick of the fight.
- Sobriety. We know from the video game and a few monologues that Daryl comes from a long line of boozehounds. He’s also a mean, angry drunk. How do we know? We’ve seen him drink—once. It’s much harder for a child of alcoholics to stay sober, and Daryl abstains even when there’s no one around to care. That’s probably why he got so mad at Bob that time.
- Good People. Daryl’s time on the road with Beth was illuminating in several ways. Daryl believes there are still good people in the world because of people like Beth. His determination to protect her is beautiful, and the fury with which he seeks to find her again is downright lionhearted. Never mind what came later.
- Crossbow #2. Rumor has it that Norman Reedus wanted Daryl to get a loyal dog that could follow him around. He didn’t get one, but he did get another crossbow after his was left at Terminus.
- Not Afraid to Cry. As we learned this season, Daryl forms strong attachments with the people he loves. That means if anything bad happens to them, we’re gonna see tears. Unabashed, honest, adorable tears.
- Judith. Yes, Daryl saved the life of Baby Judith—but nearly everyone has at this point. Seeing him holding her during a bottle-feeding though? We never dreamed he was daddy material—now we can’t dream about anything else.
- Lack of Pretension. No matter what badass thing he’s doing, or what incredible thing he’s responsible for—Daryl Dixon does not put on heirs.
- ZOMG Hot! Seriously, Daryl is so hot, it would almost be worth the end of civilization as we know it just to hang out with him. The smile, the eyes, the muscles, penetrating gaze…yeah, I said “penetrating.” Daryl Dixon has it all.