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This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for his appearance in Dead Reckoning, or his Social Game, No Man's Land, Comic Series, Assault, The Escapists, or Road to Survival counterparts. For other pages with the same name, see: Shane

What happened, Rick? I thought you weren't the good guy anymore. Ain't that what you said? Even right here, right now, you ain't gonna fight for 'em? I'm a better father than you, Rick. I'm better for Lori than you, man. It's 'cause I'm a better man than you, Rick. 'Cause I can be here and I'll fight for it. You come back here and you just destroy everything! You got a broken woman. You got a weak boy. You ain't got the first clue on how to fix it. Raise your gun.
―Shane's last words to Rick during their final confrontation.[src]

Shane Walsh is the former deuteragonist and later an antagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He was a deputy for the King County Sheriff's Department alongside his best friend since high school, Rick Grimes. After the initial outbreak, believing Rick to be dead, Shane travels to Atlanta, Georgia with Carl and Lori Grimes. He begins to harbor feelings and grows an obsession for Lori, eventually beginning a sexual relationship with her and conceiving a child.

Shane became one of the leaders of the Atlanta survivor camp and later the head of gun training at the Greene family farm. He served as the primary antagonist for all of Season 2.

Overview[]

Shane is a single minded, fearless, cunning, hotheaded, rash, unpredictable and at times, brutal man who is a determined survivor and also a strong leader to those in his group.

During the first season, Shane acted as the leader to the Atlanta group survivors, a position he clearly enjoyed and carried out strongly until Rick's arrival; he then became the second-in-command through out the rest of the first and second seasons, much to his apparent dismay. During his incursions with Lori, he developed a strong obsession with her and was never able to get his head around the fact that Lori left him for Rick, who was thought to be dead when he and Lori had their sexual encounters. He believed himself to be a more deserving man for Lori than Rick, and was determined to fight to keep her and Carl safe at all costs. Shane also showed his potential as a father during Rick's absence and developed an admiration for Carl and treated him as his own son. Shane also viewed himself as being a better father than Rick towards Carl.

Despite his strong leadership abilities, combat proficiency, skills with firearms and protective instincts, he largely became a morally unstable man. This was apparent after being forced to sacrifice Otis to walkers in order to save himself and Carl, and by the second season, he had only one motive: to keep himself, Lori, her unborn child (who he believed to be his) and Carl safe. He believed himself to have the most pragmatic view of the apocalyptic world, and the most qualified to lead the group in the post-apocalyptic hell. This was in contrast to Rick, whom Shane believed was too blinded by good intentions that did nothing but cause disaster and interference and were likely to cause the entire group to be killed or worse.

Shane showed signs of suffering from denial of guilt following Otis's death. He was subsequently one of the earliest members of the Survivors to devolve into a hardened survivor and fully adapt to the horrors of the post-apocalyptic world, a world in which Dale Horvath claimed Shane truly belonged in due to his increasingly darkening nature. Shane was more than willing to commit brutality to keep his group safe from anything he viewed as danger, and was shown to be very capable of committing cold blooded murder. This was illustrated when he brutally murdered Randall in order to protect the group from the threat Shane claimed he possessed.

Shane was also a great liar and good at concocting false stories as he was able to convince almost the entire group that Otis sacrificed himself to save Carl during a supply run and later fooling Randall into believing that he wasn't going to kill him but instead, wanted to join his group. He was later able to fool the entire group into believing Randall was loose in the woods as part of his plan to assassinate Rick and during their final confrontation revealed he already had a plan in place to fool the group once he murdered Rick in cold blood, exemplifying his strong cunning.

During the second season, Shane devolved from a good friend and caring person into a cold, cunning and murderous antagonist. He completely shed the concepts of guilt, remorse, and moral correctness in favor of survival for himself and those he cares about by any means necessary. He begins by murdering his own allies, going against the beliefs of the group, and betraying his former best-friend, leading to his eventual demise.

Ironically, the traits and mindset illustrated by Shane in the second season would not have been out of place later in the apocalypse as many of his fellow group members would also devolve into hardened, ruthless survivors themselves. Shane simply adapted to the violent world of murder and deceit much faster than his fellow survivors, paving the way for others who would become just like himself.

Pre-Apocalypse[]

King County, Georgia[]

Shane was born in 1973 and during his childhood, he grew up alongside his best friend Rick Grimes in Georgia, where the two developed a strong bond together to the point where the pair came to regard each other as 'brothers'. Shane was an avid football enthusiast, playing on his school's team as number 22 (reminisce of by the necklace he wears). Throughout his high school years he was a known prankster, once stealing the principal's car. He had many casual relationships with girls and even once having sex with the high school women's athletics teacher.

Later on, Shane and Rick studied at college together for police administration where they eventually graduated and became employed as deputies stationed at the King County Sheriff's Department, with Rick assigned as his partner. He became acquainted with several other colleagues including Lambert Kendal and Leon Basset. He also became friends with Linda and Diane from dispatch. The two patrolled and responded to emergencies as well as criminal altercations and incursions, thus they became effectively affiliated with the local residents of the neighborhood. Shane also served as a gun instructor, teaching several young kids how to shoot.

He was very close to Rick's family and helped them out on numerous occasions such as repairing the Grimes' family basement sink after Rick had previously broken it. Throughout his adult life, Shane never married, and instead stayed a womanizer. He did however have several true relationships in his life enough to trust these women with a key to his house, but they never worked out. Shane also had a grandmother named Jean.

Post-Apocalypse[]

Dead Reckoning[]

Content
Main article: Shane Walsh (Dead Reckoning)

During the onset of the outbreak, Shane attempts to retrieve a comatose Rick from the hospital, but is unable to as the hospital is full of soldiers indiscriminately shooting the alive and undead. After avoiding the soldiers, Shane abandons trying to retrieve Rick, but he jams the door with a nearby gurney to prevent the approaching walkers from finding Rick.

After that, Shane convinced Lori and Carl that Rick was dead, and they traveled towards a supposedly safe-zone in Atlanta. On the way, they got caught in a traffic jam and befriended Carol Peletier and her family. While stopped outside the city, Shane and Lori watched in horror as the city was napalmed by the military. Sometime later, Shane and the rest formed a campsite outside the outskirts of Atlanta, along with other survivors. He became the group's leader, entered into a sexual relationship with Lori, and began to act as a surrogate father to Carl.

TV Series[]

Season 1[]

Content
"Days Gone Bye"

En route to Atlanta on Highway 85, Rick sends out a broadcast on his cruiser's CB radio and the group at the Atlanta Camp receives it. Amy runs to the CB, but can't get a reply and Shane tries to establish contact with the person (unaware that it is Rick) but by the time Shane takes over the CB controls and introduces himself, Rick has left the emergency broadcast channel.

Lori voices that she's been saying for a week that they should put signs up on the highway warning people to stay away from the city, and volunteers to go on her own, but Dale and Shane argue that venturing out is too risky. Lori walks off and Shane goes after her. "You can be pissed at me all you want, it's not gonna change anything," he tells her. Inside her tent, Shane tells Lori that she needs to keep it together for Carl, who has lost so much already. Lori agrees and they kiss passionately, before Carl interrupts them, not seeing them kissing.

"Guts"

Shane and Lori had a sexual interaction in the woods while they were away of the rest of the group. Shane noticed Lori's wedding ring and was reminded of her husband Rick, but she continued to believe that he was dead as Shane told her and continued her relationship with Shane. Later, Shane was seen sitting around the campfire, teaching Carl how to tie knots and rope. They received a radio message from people of their group that went on a supply run in Atlanta, but they couldn't understand exactly what they are saying. Shane believed that they were trapped there and that there was nothing they could do about it, Amy called Shane a "son of a bitch" since he refuses to go to Atlanta and rescue her sister.

"Tell It to the Frogs"

Shane was seen once again sitting in around the campfire cleaning his shotgun. He told Carl how they were going to feed and protect the group like son and father. Much for everybody's surprise, the rest of the group that was trapped in Atlanta returned. Morales explained how a "new guy" helped them escape. Shane was shocked when Rick showed up, revealing himself to be the "new guy". At night, Rick was explaining how he woke up in the hospital and managed to get to Atlanta, where he met Morales and the others. Shane told him that he tried to get Rick out of the hospital, but he thought Rick was dead when he arrived there. Lori, hugging her husband, glared at him. Shane was seen again watching the camp at night, as he realized that Rick and Lori were having sex inside their tent. By the morning, Daryl Dixon arrived at the camp after spending some time hunting in the forest. When he looked for his brother, Merle, Shane and Rick informed Daryl that Merle was left behind in Atlanta, as he became a problem to the group that was scavenging supplies.

Daryl said that he was going after his brother. Rick, T-Dog and Glenn Rhee also offered to go with him. Shane told Rick how this was a bad idea, since Merle would never risk his life for someone. Rick revealed that he had also dropped a bag full of guns, and that they needed these weapons. Shane said that they needed people to protect the camp, but Rick and the others departed anyway. After this, Shane and Carl were trying to catch frogs at the lake. Lori approached them and discreetly ordered Carl to stay away from Shane. After Carl left, Lori seethed at Shane and warned him to stay away from her family. "You think I'm not happy Rick's alive?" Shane asked. "Why would you be?" she responded. "You are the one that told me that he died." Lori stormed off, leaving a broken Shane alone. Angered by Lori's comments, when he saw Ed Peletier hit his wife and threaten the other women, Shane savagely battered him, and threatened that if he ever touches anyone else at the camp, he will beat him to death. He delivers a final blow to Ed and walks off furiously.

"Vatos"

With Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and T-Dog still out looking for Merle and the bag of guns Rick left in Atlanta, Shane continued on as the de-facto leader of the group. Jim had been digging for some reason constantly a bit away from camp, concerning the group. Shane went to talk to him, but Jim appeared paranoid and was acting strange. Shane subdued him until he calmed down. Later on, after asking Jim why he was digging the graves, Jim said that he had a dream about it, but he didn't remember what it was. Amy and Andrea were able to catch some fish so that the group could have dinner. At night, everyone was united around the campfire as they listened to Dale's stories. This was short-lived, however, as walkers invaded the camp and killed several of the survivors. Shane took up the defense, guarding Lori and Carl specifically. Rick and the others then returned well armed just in time from Atlanta and aided in successfully saving the camp, though the damage had already been done.

"Wildfire"

Following the attack on the Atlanta camp, the group had begun to dig holes for their deceased group members. While digging the holes, Rick, Lori and Shane discussed how to deal with Andrea over the issue of Amy's death and reanimation. Shane stated that she was infected, and needed to be treated like any other walker. Rick attempted to approach Andrea, however, she pulled a gun on him stating that she knew how the safety works, forcing Rick to back off. Shane and Rick had an argument over whose fault the attack on the camp truly was. Shane blamed Rick for taking people to a failed rescue mission in Atlanta. Rick defended himself saying that without the guns they brought back, they would've lost many others. During this argument, Jacqui revealed to the group that Jim had been bitten.

Shane and Rick headed into the nearby woods to scout out the area. Shane told Rick that they needed to head to Fort Benning, since it was a secure military base. Rick however, believed the group needs to head to the CDC in Atlanta, so they could find a cure for Jim. After a heated argument between the two, Shane watched as Rick wandered off to search alone further off. In a state of impaired judgment, Shane raised his shotgun and took aim at Rick's unsuspecting back. Shane held his aim for several seconds then lowered his weapon as he comes back to his senses. This indiscretion was witnessed by Dale, who had been watching out of a mistrust of Shane. Shane played it off as nothing, stating that "they should start wearing reflective vests such as the kind used by forklift drivers". Dale, however, did not believe him, but kept it to himself. They all returned to camp. Strangely enough, Shane started to agree with Rick (despite some minor objections), which surprised both Rick and Lori. They all decided to leave camp to head for the CDC.

On the way, they were forced to leave Jim by the road, as he was not able to survive the infection and told the group that he wanted to be left behind so he would cause no trouble for the others. The group finally arrived at the CDC. The place seemed abandoned, and when the sun set, walkers began to approach the group, Shane tried to convince Rick that they need to go back to the cars, but the entrance of the CDC opened just in time.

"TS-19"

Shane and the rest of the group were received into the CDC by Dr. Edwin Jenner. Everybody was shocked to learn that Dr. Jenner was the only survivor in the entire facility, and there is no cure for the virus. However, the group decided to celebrate their first real safe night by drinking and eating around a table in the facility's kitchen. Shane broke the mood when he asked Dr. Jenner what happened there, prompting Jenner to reveal that most of the scientists committed suicide and others left to be with their families. After drinking too much, Shane drunkenly professed his love to Lori and tried to kiss her, which caused her to push him away. As this event turned into a struggle, Shane attempted fondling her between the legs to satisfy her only to have his neck and ear clawed by her nail. Angry and hurting, he returns to his senses as he leaves for the night. By the next day during breakfast, when T-Dog and Rick questioned Shane about the injuries, Shane said he probably did it to himself in his sleep. When Rick says that he's never done that before, Shane replies "Not like me at all," while eyeing Lori.

Dr. Jenner decided to reveal to the group everything that he learned about the infection and the events of reanimation, Dale noticed that there was a clock running down. Jenner said that when it strikes zero, the facility would be out of fuel and would self-destruct. Shane, Rick, T-Dog and Glenn investigated the fuel tanks under the building, noticing that there is basically nothing left and returned to the main room. Dr. Jenner eventually locked the survivors in the facility during the final hour of a self-destruct count down. Some of them listened to the man's reasoning, while others decided to take more drastic action. Shane, in the latter category along with Daryl Dixon, attempted threatening Jenner. In a moment of blind rage, fear and frustration, Shane aimed his shotgun at the doctors head before demanding him to let them go. As the doctor refused to comply, Shane began to lose it, even at the protests of Rick and Lori who know that they all would definitely die if he shot Jenner. Before the delusional man could pull the trigger, Rick attempted to stop him and the two friends fought for the shotgun. Rick manipulated the shotgun into hitting Shane before taking him down with a punch.

With Jenner's life momentarily spared, Rick was able to talk him out of deciding when they should die and allow them to escape. As a result, Jenner released the doors before warning them that the main floor had sealed shut upon their arrival and they would be facing indestructible glass. Everybody ran to leave the building, except for Jacqui and Andrea. With minutes to escape, Shane remained vigilant in their escaping. He wanted as far as to shoot out the glass, but that had no effect. Carol mentioned that she may have something that could help to which Shane says would probably be useless. Once again, the leader of the Atlanta survivors is wrong as Carol presented a grenade that Rick had left in his pocket the day he arrived at camp. Rick pulled the pin and dropped the explosive by the window, destroying an entire window, thus allowing them to escape to their vehicles. Andrea, after being convinced by Dale, also left the facility, leaving only Jacqui and Dr. Jenner inside. After the explosion, a stunned Shane drove the Jeep along with the convoy into an unknown and dangerous future.

Season 2[]

Content
"What Lies Ahead"

Shane was still envious of Rick and Lori's relationship, and was still willing to go to extreme measures to protect Lori. Rick assumed the post of leader of the group. They decided to take Shane's idea to leave Atlanta and head to Fort Benning, 125 miles away from the city. During the travel, Shane was teaching Andrea how to clean her gun when the group was forced to stop as the highway was blocked with several parked and crashed vehicles. Dale, who was driving the RV, decided to try to find a way through, but the radiator was blown, forcing them to stop. They decided to scavenge supplies from the vehicles so that they could find something to fix the RV. A herd of more than thirty walkers approached their location, forcing everyone to hide under the cars as the herd passes by. Sophia was suddenly attacked by two walkers and ran into the forest, with Rick going after her. Shane and the rest stayed put until Rick returned a few minutes later. He asks if Sophia is back, but nobody had seen her: Sophia was lost in the woods.

As Shane, Rick, Daryl and Glenn investigated the last place where Sophia was seen, Daryl was able to find her trail. Rick ordered Shane and Glenn to get back to the highway and distract the group with simple tasks, like moving the cars out of the way so that the RV could pass. While doing so, Carl approached Shane, showing that he found a Gerber Gear inside one of the cars, Shane angrily told Carl to take it to Dale. Lori approached, telling Shane not to be rude with Carl because of what happened between them. Shane revealed that he had decided to split away from the group at the first chance he gets. Rick and Daryl returned as the night falls. They decided that they would continue the search for Sophia by the morning, taking more people with them. The following day, Shane accompanied the group as they continued to track Sophia deeper into the woods. They found a tent in the middle of the forest, but no signs of Sophia anywhere near it. A bell began to ring nearby. The group decided to follow the sound, and they soon found a church. Yet again, no signs of Sophia. The sound of the bell was actually on a timer.

While Rick and the others were praying inside the church, Lori tried to convince Shane not to leave the group. Andrea overheard the conversation and told Shane that if he left, he needed to take her with him. Shane stayed with Rick and Carl to continue the search a little longer as the others went back to the highway. The three find a deer and Rick tells Carl to go touch it. As Carl approached it, they all heard a loud gun shot, and saw a bullet going through the deer and hitting Carl's chest.

"Bloodletting"

Rick ran with a unconscious Carl in his arms. Shane dragged Otis (the man who accidentally shot Carl) along as they reached the Greene family farm to get Carl medical help. While Hershel Greene and his daughters attended to Carl's wound, Shane comforted Rick over his distraught. They learned that Hershel needed medical supplies so that he could remove the bullet fragments and close the bleeding, or Carl would soon die from blood loss. Rick volunteered to find the necessary supplies, but was replaced by Shane, who told Rick that he needs to stay put for Carl. Otis also volunteered to go with Shane, trying to redeem himself to Rick and Carl. The two got in Otis' truck and departed. As the night fell, Otis and Shane found the FEMA shelter in the entrance of a local high school overrun with walkers. They created a distraction to retrieve supplies from a nearby trailer, but are discovered by the walkers as they exit, and were forced to seek refuge inside the high school as walkers storm their location.

"Save the Last One"

Shane and Otis sprinted through the hallways with numerous walkers in hot pursuit, and were forced to seek refuge on top of a set of retracted bleachers in the gymnasium. With not enough ammo to deal with the walkers outright, Otis devised an escape plan, saying that he would run back into the halls to attract the walkers while Shane made his way out through a small window. When Shane called Otis crazy, Otis told him that he is just trying to do what's right for Carl. The two split up. Shane ended up spraining his ankle when he dropped from the window of the gymnasium.

Outside and limping, Shane grew desperate as walkers begin to corner him, but got help from Otis, who managed to survive the halls full of walkers, despite Shane objections and telling Otis to leave him behind to save Carl. They ran back to the truck. With Shane limping and Otis exhausted, Shane noticed that they were not going to make it, as the walkers were closing in on them. Flashing forward, a solemn Shane returned to the farm just in time with the medical supplies and without Otis. He mentioned that Otis acted heroically, letting the walkers get him so that Shane could escape alive. Everyone praises him, including Lori. Hershel was able to save Carl's life thanks to the medical supplies.

Inside the house, Shane watched as Hershel and Rick comforted Patricia over the loss of her husband, Otis. Shane checked in on Carl, as Lori told him not to leave the group. Maggie Greene approached Shane, giving him clean clothes, saying that they were Otis'. In the bathroom, Shane stands naked in front of a mirror, he sees a bloody cut on his scalp, evidence of some kind of struggle. Staring in the mirror, Shane flashed back to the moment when he and Otis were running for their lives.

Shane noticed that the walkers would eventually overtake them both, which effectively would doom Carl's fate. He stops running and shoots Otis with his last bullet to cover his escape. As Otis drops to the pavement, a brutal fight ensues as Shane tries to strip Otis of his weapons and supplies. During the struggle, Otis managed to rip off some of Shane's hair, explaining the cut on his scalp. Walkers close in and Shane limps away as Otis screams in terror and pain while the walkers rip him apart. Back to the present, Shane shaves his head to disguise the evidence of his betrayal and struggle with Otis. He stares darkly at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"Cherokee Rose"

Shane soon finds himself in an awkward position when he is asked to speak on behalf of Otis at his funeral, as he was the last one to see him alive. With Patricia's sorrowful, tear-filled eyes fixated on him, Shane conjures up a heroic tale of Otis saying "We gotta save the boy," and intentionally putting himself in harm's way for the greater good. Shane's tale, of course, contrasts with the fact that Otis had not willingly given himself up, but instead was betrayed and left for dead. The group is allowed to stay in the farm as Carl heals from the gunshot and they still need to find the missing Sophia. Later, Shane participates in the operation to retrieve a walker from the bottom of a well, which goes awry when the walker disintegrates under its own weight, contaminating the well. Shane is also seen continuing tutoring Andrea on firearms, as the two start to form a bond.

"Chupacabra"

The survivors continue the search for Sophia, and Shane participates despite his still-ailing ankle and internal conflicts. While him and Rick search through the forest, he begins to display signs of his deteriorating moral values to fellow survivors when he disagrees with Rick about continuing the search for Sophia, arguing that Rick lacks the ability to make the right decisions when those decisions are also difficult. After returning from the search, Shane opens a similar discussion with Lori, but receives little support as Lori is in support of her husband, saying that she and Carl are not his problem, nor his 'excuse.'

Later on, Andrea spots a walker approaching the farm, everyone is alerted and prepared to go kill it, when in fact they discover it was Daryl, covered in mud and blood after an accident with Hershel's horse. Andrea didn't notice it was him though, and shoots him anyway, grazing Daryl with a bullet. Rick and Shane helps Daryl back to the house and get him medical attention from Hershel. Daryl reveals that he found Sophia's doll by the river, giving Rick even more hope of finding Sophia, but Shane tells Lori that he believes that Rick is going to get someone killed with this search. Shane and the others are later seen at the awkward dinner at Hershel's house. The Atlanta group and Hershel's family don't seem to be forming a good relationship with each other.

"Secrets"

Shane gets Hershel's permission to do some gun practice with the group and some members of the Greene Family. Carl approaches Shane and asks him to teach him how to shoot too. At first Lori is opposed but Rick convinces her to let Shane teach Carl. At the training, most of the group does fairly well, and Andrea seems to excel. Shane gives her some private tutoring after the rest of the group head back to the farmhouse. Shane is an expert instructor, but while trying to distract Andrea as part of the lesson, he mentions Amy's death and upsets her. They make up as part of an agreement that Shane is to take Andrea with him on a mission to investigate a lead on Sophia, she accepts and they go on to search some houses in a small neighborhood called Wiltshire Estates.

The lead is a dead end, but turns out to be an opportunity for Shane to administer one final shooting lesson - a live exercise with walkers. Andrea struggles to find a groove at first, but transforms her fear into sheer determination, and the pair of them make the heads of all nearby walkers splatter their crimson contents onto the pavement. Exhilarated, Andrea makes a move on Shane on the ride back and the two have sex in the car. Back at camp, the secret of Shane and Lori is revealed to Rick, though it is not clear at this point if Shane or Rick is the father of Lori's baby. On returning, Dale notices the strange behavior of Andrea as she talks to Shane. Feeling worried for Andrea, Dale confronts Shane by saying "I know the kind of man you are." He furthermore tells Shane to leave the group for good, bringing up the suspicious nature of Otis' death, as well as Shane's attempted "assassination" of Rick that Dale witnessed back in the Atlanta camp. This results in Shane threatening Dale's life.

"Pretty Much Dead Already"

During breakfast, Shane and the group finds out from Glenn that there are walkers locked in the barn. Rick is concerned about their safety, he wants to talk to Hershel about this, but Shane suggests that they open the barn and kill every single walker. After calming everyone down, Rick convinces the group to wait for him to negotiate with Hershel. Shane insists having a guard watching the barn at all times until Rick can find a diplomatic solution, but his patience for diplomacy is quickly depleted. After a failed attempt to convince Hershel to let them stay, Rick and Shane argue at the barn and Shane has lost almost all confidence in Rick's decision-making abilities. Rick tells Shane that simply leaving the farm isn't an option, and that Lori is pregnant.

After Rick leaves, Shane confronts Lori saying that he is the father of the baby, but she says that the baby will never be his, even if it is his biologically. Shane tells her that only he can protect her and Carl because Rick isn't cut out for this world, he blames Rick for the death of Amy, Jim and many others back at the Atlanta Camp while Rick was risking his life trying to save a drug dealer. Shane walks away and is stopped by Carl. Carl tells him that they have to go after Sophia and that they have to stay at the farm. Shane agrees, but tells Carl they may have to fight for it. Lori calls to Carl to get him away from Shane. Immediately, Shane goes to the RV to get the bag of guns, only to find them missing, Glenn tells Shane that Dale asked him to get some water, but when he came back, Dale wasn't there anymore. Shane deduces that Dale is responsible for the disappearance of the guns, he tracks Dale down into the forest and finds him hiding the bag under a tree. Shane once again threatens Dale's life, ordering him to give the bag of guns back, Dale asks if Shane is going to do to him the same thing he did to Otis, Shane says that they don't need that, since Dale is "pretty much dead already". Dale tells Shane that he belongs to this world as it is and gives him the bag.

Shane returns to the farm with weapons and begins rallying the troops in opposition of Hershel's harboring walkers. In the distance, Hershel and Rick are returning with two captured walkers. The sight is enough to send the already seething Shane over the edge. To Hershel's horror, Shane repeatedly shoots one of the captured walkers to illustrate that it is not human. Spurred by Rick, Shane finishes the walker off with a bullet in the head point-blank. He then says that if they want to survive, they have to 'fight for it,' and furiously opens the barn doors. Rick can't do anything about it, since he is holding another walker. Shane and the other survivors massacre the walkers as they file out of the barn, Shane also shoots down the walker Rick is holding. As the Greene Family watches in horror, a last walker leaves the barn, and it's the reanimated Sophia. Everyone is shocked and saddened, including Shane himself. Rick realizes what has to be done, so he gets his gun, points it at Sophia's head and pulls the trigger.

"Nebraska"

As the Greene Family and friends walk back to the house, Shane accuses Hershel of knowing about Sophia's whereabouts, but Hershel denies knowing that she was in the barn, speculating that Otis had put her there before he died, and angrily orders the Survivors to leave the farm. Rick ridicules Shane for his actions, but Shane mocks Rick's failed diplomacy with Hershel, and criticizes his decision to continue the search for Sophia. Tensions worsen between Shane and Dale as Shane asks what Dale does to protect the camp but Dale doesn't reply, then Shane mocks Dale, saying that next time he needs a radiator hose he will go to him. Everyone, except Carol, attends to the funeral of Sophia, Annette Greene and Shawn Greene. Shane is washing up at a water pump when Carol emerges from the forest, muddy and scratched. Shane cleans her cuts and apologizes for what happened to Sophia. He also states that if he knew Sophia was in there he would have never opened it and he was only thinking about the safety of his fellow survivors. After Beth Greene goes into shock. The group discovers that Hershel is gone and finding his flask in his bedroom, Maggie suggests that he is at a local bar in town. Rick and Glenn decide to look for him. Shane once again criticizes Rick's action with Lori, saying that they are wasting time going after Hershel. As the night falls, Shane and T-Dog burn down the corpses of the walkers from the barn.

"Triggerfinger"

While having dinner at the house, the group finds out that Lori is missing. Daryl tells the group that she must've gone to look for Rick herself at the town, in which Shane immediately goes to find Lori. He arrives at a crash site, and all he finds is two walkers Lori had killed. He eventually drives further on and finds Lori still heading into town despite her accident. Shane lies to Lori and says that Rick has already returned to get her to return to the farm. When they return, Lori finds out that Shane lied. She confronts him but he defends himself to the group, saying he was only protecting the baby, revealing to everyone, including Carl, that Lori is pregnant. After Lori is patched up, Shane has a calm conversation with her, saying that what they had before Rick came back was real, and that he knows that the baby is his. The group also starts to notice that Shane is becoming severely unhinged.

By the morning, Rick still hadn't returned. Shane, Andrea, and Daryl are preparing to go search for them when they arrive back at the farm, bringing a captive, Randall. The group argues on what to do with Randall. Rick says they will fix him up and than drop him off to defend himself, but Shane thinks that he will tell his group where the farm is and this will start a war. Hershel reminds Shane that it is his farm and while he is there he needs to keep his mouth shut. Outside, Shane and Andrea discuss what the group should do about Randall. Shane tells her that they are the only people that notice how Rick and Hershel's actions are going to get the whole group killed, and they can't stand there watching and let this happen.

"18 Miles Out"

One week after the events of the previous episode, Rick and Shane drive down a country road. Rick stops the car short of their destination — 18 miles away from the farm — to confront Shane: Rick knows what happened with Otis, and he knows about Shane's affair with Lori. Rick then confides in Shane that when he first figured out about Shane's affair with Lori that he was extremely angry with Shane and wanted to break Shane's jaw and let him "Choke on his teeth". Rick asks Shane if he believes Rick is unable to keep his family safe. "You can't just be the good guy and expect to live," Shane replies, "That is my wife, that is my son, that is my unborn child," Rick says. He would do anything for them. Rick opens the SUV to check on Randall, who's bound, gagged and blindfolded in the trunk.

Back on the road, Rick makes plans for the coming winter, explaining that they have to conserve ammunition and stockpile food. Shane listens passively, staring out the window at a lone walker ambling through a field. Rick drives past the 18-mile mark, looking to leave Randall somewhere he'll have a chance. He pulls up to a public works station surrounded by a fence. A walker in a police uniform approaches. Shane draws his gun but Rick stops him. Rick cuts his finger and wipes blood on the fence. When the walker presses his face against it, Rick stabs it in the head. "Gun's quick, easy," Rick says, "but there are other ways to do this." A second walker in uniform approaches, and Shane follows suit.

After checking if the place is secure, Rick siphons gas as Shane examines the policeman's bodies, noticing they haven't been bitten. Rick points to scratches that likely caused their transformation. Shane and Rick drag Randall to the pavement. Rick drops a knife on the ground as he and Shane walk away, Randall begs them not to abandon him, trying to explain he's a normal guy. "I went to school with Maggie for God's sake!" he screams. Shane and Rick freeze. "He knows where the farm is," Shane speculates, drawing his gun. Rick tackles Shane as he pulls the trigger, forcing Shane to miss Randall. Rick argues he needs time to think about what to do. Shane counters that Randall could lead his people to the farm and accuses Rick of putting Lori and Carl in danger by sparing him. "I don't think you can keep them safe," Shane concludes. The two best friends begin brawling. Shane topples a motorcycle onto Rick, briefly trapping him. He goes to Randall and aims his gun, but Rick tackles Shane before he can fire. Rick and Shane tussle and then Rick punches Shane several times in the face, beating him into submission. Rick yells at Shane telling him that he won't make any decisions for the group anymore. Frustrated, Shane grabs a wrench and hurls it at Rick. Rick dodges the wrench but it goes through a building window which causes dozens of walkers to begin pouring out through the broken window. Rick hides under a corpse as Shane flees the onslaught.

Without his gun that he lost while fighting Rick, Shane barricades himself in a school bus against the walkers. As Shane looks through the window, he notices Rick and Randall abandoning him, leaving him for the dead. Shane decides to use Rick's strategy from earlier, he cuts his hand and wipes the blood on the side of the door, as walkers press their faces against the blood, Shane stabs them in the head.

He eventually loses his knife, losing ground to the walkers, when the SUV bursts through a nearby gate. As Randall drives, Rick leans out the window telling Shane to run to the back of the bus as he shoots the walkers. Shane does so and dives into the SUV, the three finally escape the public station. Back on the road, Shane and Rick restrain Randall and toss him in the trunk once again. Alone, Rick admits he'll likely kill Randall — but he's still going to think it over. "That is my wife, that is my son, that is my child," Rick repeats. "You wanna be with us, you gotta follow my lead." Rick returns Shane's gun to him. "It's time for you to come back," Rick says. While driving back to the farm, Shane watches as the same walker seen previously is still ambling through a field.

"Judge, Jury, Executioner"

Daryl reports to the rest of the group that Randall's group is well armed and in large number. Rick declares Randall a threat, and that he must be killed. From inside the slaughter shed, Randall overhears Shane approaching with Carl. Carl is curious about the prisoner, but Shane insists he let the grown-ups handle it. Shane asks Andrea, who's standing guard outside, if she would stop him if he were to try to shoot Randall. She insists she would. Shane shares his suspicion that Rick won't be able to go through with the execution. "Every time we have a problem around here," he says, "who do you think is behind it?". Meanwhile, Carl watches Randall from the rafters of the slaughter shed. Randall notices him. "I didn't do nothin", Randall tells Carl, begging to be set free. Carl slowly starts walking toward Randall, but is halted when Shane enters. Shane shoves a gun in Randall's face and drags Carl out of the shed. "Quit trying to get yourself killed," Shane scolds. Later on, Dale approaches Shane and tries to convince him to spare Randall. Shane gives Dale credit for the effort, and says that if Dale convinces the others, he'll go along with it. "But I'm telling you now," Shane warns Dale that he is wrong.

By the sunset, the group is united inside the house to decide if killing Randall is their final decision. Shane says he believes they need to kill him, but he won't have a problem if they decide to let him live. However, only Dale and Andrea are against the idea of executing Randall. A disgusted Dale says that the group is broken and leaves the house. As the night falls, Rick, Shane and Daryl bring Randall to the barn and put him on his knees. Rick asks if he has any final words. Randall cries, begging for his life. As Rick raises his gun, Carl enters the barn. "Do it, Dad," he says. Shocked, Rick lowers his gun and orders that Randall be taken away. Shane storms out of the barn. While reuniting at the camp, the group hears screams coming from the field and everybody runs to investigate what it is. Daryl gets to the scene first, where a walker is on top of Dale, tearing into his stomach. Daryl stabs the walker in the head, then shouts for help. Dale's intestines are spilling out of his body. He goes into shock. When Hershel arrives, Rick asks for him to save Dale, but he reports that Dale can't be saved. Shane encourages Rick to shoot Dale and put him out of his misery, but Rick can't go through with it, so Daryl is the one that shoots Dale out of mercy.

"Better Angels"

Shane attends Dale's funeral. He later goes into the fields with Daryl, Andrea and T-Dog as they viciously beat walkers to death. Rick then later tells Shane to watch over everyone at the farm while he and Daryl leave to cut Randall loose. Shane doesn't fully agree with Ricks plan of letting Randall go. Rick then tells Shane, "This is what's happening. Swallow it." Rick, not fully trusting Shane, tells Andrea to watch over (babysit) Shane. Later, while loading lumber, Shane is visited by Carl. He gives Shane Daryl's gun confessing that he took it. He also tells Shane that Dale's death was his fault. He saw the walker that killed him stuck in the mud. He stated that he could have killed it. Instead he threw rocks at it until it got free and attacked him. Shane tells Carl not to worry about it.

While building a lookout spot, Shane is approached by Lori. She thanks him for everything he did for her and Carl since the start of the outbreak, but he needs to understand that they will never be together again. Infuriated by this, Shane approaches Rick and tells him he needs to talk to Carl instead of worrying about Randall. While Rick talks to his son, Shane approaches Randall in the shed. He leads Randall out into the woods, and behind a tree where he snaps his neck. Shane hits his face against a tree to make it look as if a struggle ensued between he and Randall. He runs back to the group and says Randall got the jump on him and is now free. Daryl, Glenn, Rick and Shane leave to hunt for him at nightfall.

While in the woods, Rick and Daryl notice that Shane is strangely agitated. Shane insists that they need to split into teams and search through the forest for Randall. Rick and Shane end up splitting from Daryl and Glenn. Rick soon realizes that it's Shane's plan to shoot and kill him. Rick turns around and tells Shane that nobody will believe him if he goes back to the farm without him and without Randall. Shane explains that he killed Randall earlier and had everything planned to fool the rest of the group into believing that Randall actually killed Rick. He tells Rick he is a better father than he is and that him returning only messed things up. He also boasts that he is better because Rick isn't fighting for his family. Shane orders Rick to raise his gun so they can end this once for all.

Rick refuses to defend himself, telling Shane that he's going have to kill an unarmed man. Rick makes it seem as though he's handing Shane his weapon, once his gun is in Shane's hand, Rick pulls out his knife and stabs Shane in his heart, "This is on you, not me! You did this to us, not me!" Rick screams. Shane then dies in his arms. As Rick tries to cope with what just happened, Carl appears, shocked to see Shane dead. He aims his gun at what is first assumed to be Rick, but is actually a now zombified Shane. Carl pulls the trigger, killing the reanimated Shane. Rick looks back confused. The shot alerts a nearby large herd of walkers. Rick and Carl bend over to check the corpse of Shane while not noticing the wave of zombies approaching in the horizon.

Season 3[]

Content
"Made to Suffer"

During the prison group's attack on Woodbury to save Maggie and Glenn, Rick hallucinates Shane coming out of the smoke with his shotgun. "Shane" then shoots and kills Oscar, and is then killed by Rick. Afterward, Rick walks over to the body to see that it was just a soldier from Woodbury.

Season 9[]

Content
"What Comes After"

In a hallucination, Rick rides on horse back to Atlanta and finds Shane in their old police car. Suddenly he's inside and they're back at the field on the day he was shot, eating burgers. Rick tells Shane he's looking for his family, and Shane jokes that it's technically his family and asks if he is taking care of his daughter. Rick jokingly calls him an asshole. Shane compliments him for killing him in that field, biting Joe's throat out, killing Gareth, but then questions why he let Negan live. He encourages him to find his rage and "get it done."

Rick apologizes to Shane for what he did to him. Shane forgives him and furiously tells him to wake up, waking Rick back into reality long enough to avoid several walkers on the shack.

Death[]

Killed By

As Rick realizes that Shane has lured him into the middle of a field in the forest with the intention of killing him, Shane aims his gun at him. Rick makes it seem as though he's handing Shane his weapon, as he refuses to be armed, telling him that they can forget everything and move on.

As Shane grabs the gun and appears to believe in Rick's words, Rick pulls out his knife and stabs Shane in the chest, saying that he had brought this on himself.

As Rick tries to cope with what just happened, Carl appears, shocked to see Shane dead. He aims his gun at what at first its assumed to be Rick, but is actually a now-zombified Shane. Before he can get closer to Rick, Carl pulls the trigger, shooting Shane in the head and putting him down.

Killed Victims[]

This list shows the victims Shane has killed:

Relationships[]

For a more in-depth look at Shane's relationships, read here; Shane Walsh (TV Series)/Relationships

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Appearances[]

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Torn Apart
Cold Storage 🖼
The Oath
Flight 462
Passage
Red Machete
The Althea Tapes
Dead in the Water
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Gallery[]

For more images of Shane Walsh, please visit Shane Walsh (TV Series)/Gallery.

Trivia[]

  • Shane is the first major recurring primary antagonist in the TV Series, the second being Philip Blake, the third being Gareth, the fourth being Negan Smith, the fifth being Alpha, the sixth being Lance Hornsby, and the seventh being Pamela Milton.
    • Shane has the second most appearances in the TV Series, appearing in a total of 18 episodes alive (and as a hallucination in "Made to Suffer" and "What Comes After"), behind Negan with more than 40 episodes.
    • Shane is the first main character to be part of Rick's Group and become an antagonist, the second being Eugene Porter.
    • Shane is the first major primary antagonist to become a walker, the second being Alpha and the third being Lance Hornsby.
    • Shane is one of two major recurring primary antagonists confirmed to have a living relative (his daughter Judith Grimes), the second being Dee who also has a living relative.
    • Shane is the first deuteragonist to become an antagonist.
  • In both the TV series and the comics, Shane turning confirms for Rick that everyone is infected and will turn no matter what after having previously learned of the possibility in another manner.
    • In the comics, Rick learns of the possibility after witnessing Julie and Chris turn after being shot and strangled respectively.
    • In the TV Series, Rick learns of it from Dr. Edwin Jenner, but he later admits that he didn't really believe it until Shane turned in front of him due to how insane Jenner had become.
  • While not officially proven on the show, it was revealed by Andrew Lincoln in a 2018 interview that Shane is indeed the biological father of Judith.
  • Shane's most used weapons were a Mossberg 590 shotgun and a Glock 17 pistol which he used until his death.
  • Shane's most noted line throughout the series is 'Let me tell you something'.
  • Shane is the first main character to appear in every episode before his death. The second being Gareth.
  • Shane is the first main character to become a walker, the second being Merle Dixon, the third being Hershel Greene, the fourth being Deanna Monroe, the fifth being Spencer Monroe, the sixth being Sasha Williams, the seventh being Simon, the eighth being Enid, the ninth being Tara Chambler, the tenth being Siddiq, the eleventh being Alpha, the twelfth being Alden, and the thirteenth being Lance Hornsby.
  • Shane's surname is only said once in the show, which was in the pilot "Days Gone Bye". His surname is never mentioned in the comics.
  • Shane is the first person in the TV Series to cause the death of a living character; Otis.
  • Shane is the first walker that Carl Grimes kills.
  • Jon Bernthal had tried to convince executive producer Greg Nicotero to allow him to be the only walker with a speaking line, “Riiiiiick," but Nicotero declined.
  • Shane's death was accidentally leaked by the AMC TV store on March 1, 2012 in promotional materials for the Season 2 Blu-Ray set.[2] Photos of Shane as a walker were similarly leaked and posted on many websites, including The Walking Dead Wiki.
  • Robert Kirkman said Shane's death was planned for the TV Series adaptation "before the first episode of season 1 was shot." "Frank Darabont had actually planned to do it at the end of the first season before he knew that the first season was going to be six episodes. Once the show was given a six-episode order it was decided that we would hold Shane's death for the second season. But from the very first day of planning the second season it was mapped out that Shane would be kicking the bucket at the end of this season."
  • Glen Mazzara explained why Shane became a walker in "Better Angels" much faster than Amy, and why he still turned despite not getting bit: "We worked hard to make sure that revelation landed. We knew what we were doing there. We knew it would land a punch. We've never had a main character become a walker to this extent. Those [rapid flashes of walker mayhem] represent the storm in Shane’s brain to some extent … Amy was a weaker character. Shane is in a murderous rage … he’s going to reanimate quicker. There’s just more life in that walker, believe it or not. We do have internal rules for that."[3]
    • Glen Mazzara also confirmed that the producers considered not killing off Shane in the second season, but eventually scrapped it out because, “...what’s important about this season is, Rick has to step forward. He has to assume leadership of the group and he has to confront Shane.”
  • Shane is one of the few characters to have appeared in almost every form of Walking Dead media, having appeared in the Comic Series, TV Series, Dead Reckoning, Assault, and Social Game: Chronicles.
  • At the 2012 Emerald City Comic-Con featuring a panel with Jon Bernthal and Laurie Holden, Bernthal revealed what his version of Shane's death would have been. The ending would have been the same up until the point when Shane and Rick walk into the clearing while searching for Randall. Rick would have asked why they are stopping in the field as they need to find their prisoner, to which Shane would have confessed that he had killed Randall, which is a job Rick should have done himself. Shane then would have pulled his gun on Rick leading to similar dialogue between the two men as in the penultimate episode, with the second change being that Shane would have admitted he was there to kill Rick. Rick would then have had similar dialogue as in the episode asking why he was doing this, as he thought they settled their issues "earlier." Rick would have then thrown his gun away, instead of holding it in a non-confrontational position, insisting that Shane would have to kill an unarmed man. Shane would have then charged Rick and putting his gun into Rick's face using the same insults as in the penultimate episode about Carl and Lori, but adding a new insult such as "I tasted your wife." Rick would have then stabbed Shane to death as in the penultimate episode, having the same dialogue as in the episode telling Shane it was Shane's fault that he was being killed, not his own. When Shane would have came back as a walker, Rick (having thrown his gun away), would have picked up Shane's gun to shoot him. When attempting to pull the trigger, Rick would come to the realization that Shane never put any ammo into his gun, and must've brought Rick out there to have him kill him, forcing Rick to finally be more like Shane. Carl would have then had shown up and killed zombified Shane, similarly again to the penultimate episode. [4]
  • Although the two of them never met, there were a number of similarities between Shane and Spencer Monroe. Both of them started out as allies to Rick Grimes who eventually became antagonists when they turned on him and decided they wanted him dead. Both of them believed themselves to be better potential leaders of their group than Rick, believing that Rick only ever got other people killed. And both of them were killed with a knife in retaliation for their attempt to have Rick killed, Spencer by Negan and Shane by Rick himself, with both of them ironically trying to kill Rick again after reanimating. Spencer was also put down after reanimation by Rick himself, while Shane was put down by Rick's son Carl after reanimation.
  • Shane is the first main character to outlive his comic book counterpart, with the second being Carol Peletier, the third being Tyreese Williams, the fourth being Beth Greene, the fifth being Judith Grimes, the sixth being Morgan Jones, the seventh being Abraham Ford, the eight being Rosita Espinosa, the ninth being Ezekiel Sutton, the tenth being Alpha and the eleventh being Gabriel Stokes.
  • Shane's killers are the opposite of the comic series: in the TV show, Rick killed him as a human and Carl killed him as a zombie, but in the comic, Carl killed him as a human and Rick killed him as a zombie.
  • Rick and Shane make a cameo appearance in Issue 81 of Invincible, another comic series created by Robert Kirkman.[5]
  • Shane is the first main character to later become an antagonist. The second being Dwight, the third being Spencer Monroe, the fourth being Eugene Porter, the fifth being Anne, the sixth being Gregory, the seventh being Leah Shaw, the eighth being Lance Hornsby, and the ninth being Pamela Milton.
  • Shane is the second main character to be killed by another main character, the first being Dale Horvath, the third being Merle Dixon, the fourth being Hershel Greene, the fifth being Gareth, the sixth being Abraham Ford, the seventh being Glenn Rhee, the eighth being Spencer Monroe, the ninth being Simon, the tenth being Gregory, the eleventh being Enid, the twelfth being Tara Chambler, the thirteenth being Alpha, the fourteenth being Leah Shaw, and the fifteenth being Lance Hornsby.
  • Shane appears in the archival footage shown at the beginning of "Lockdown" as Judith narrates past events of the show to the audience before the episode's story begins.
  • Shane appears in the final flashbacks of the last episode, "Rest in Peace".
  • Due to Shane's aggressiveness as a walker, as well as him heading straight towards Rick, it's possible he was one of the variant walkers.
  • Shane is the one of the two major primary antagonists who have not killed a main character. The other being Lance Hornsby.

International Dubbers[]

Language Dubber Other Characters Voiced
Czech Jan Kolařík N/A
French Jérôme Pauwels N/A
German Tobias Kluckert Joe
Hungarian Varga Gábor N/A
Italian Giorgio Borghetti (1-2)
Simone D'Andrea (9)
N/A
Japanese Takayuki Sakazume N/A
Portuguese Luiz Laffey (1)
Nestor Chiesse (2)
Luiz Laffey:
Tyreese Williams
Jacob Kessner
Spanish (Latin America) Pedro Ruiz (1-2)
Juan Balvín (9)
Pedro Ruiz:
Rick Grimes ("Sick"-3B)
Negan Smith
Juan Balvín:
Eric Raleigh
Rodney
Lance Hornsby
Spanish (Spain) Guillermo Romero Steven Edwards
Barnes

References[]

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