How come noone noticed this about Daryl?

I simply can't understand why everyone sees Daryl as the most badass character and that's all about him.Yes,ok,he is a redneck tough son of a bitch,but heven't you ever noticed that he misses having an older brother?I think his character evolves around this point more than we notice.He misses having an old brother who takes care of him,someone to look up to,and someone who will be proud of him.All his life he tried to make Merle be that brother,but he failed. Now i think he looks to Rick as an older brother.Have you noticed how he never defies him,like in season 2 finale when everyone did?Or like he tries to be his right hand and develop a brotherly bond?I would like to see how this develops now that Merle is back.I believe Daryl will turn his back on Merle,saying that he was never a brother to him and that the group is his family now.Unfortunately after this I can see Daryl dying in season 4,propably in the end.What do you guys think?