Few deaths in the history of comic books were as tragic as Glenn Rhee’s murder in The Walking Dead, but the fate of his son Hershel in the comic’s last issue makes this loss all the more heart-breaking. The tragedy was not only born from its depiction in gut-wrenching detail but also in the fact that it killed off one of the most helpful, kind-hearted, and thoughtful characters in the comic. Years later, the tragedy of Glenn’s death is felt even deeper by the fact that he wasn’t available to help raise his son Hershel.
In Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s The Walking Dead #100 Glenn is killed by Negan, the leader of the Saviors, as retaliation for the killing of his men by Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. Glenn’s pregnant wife Maggie is also part of the group that gets captured by Negan’s men, and she is forced to witness her husband’s brutal death. Some time afterward she gives birth to Hershel. Always bold and strong, Maggie goes on to become one of the toughest, most capable leaders of any survivor group in the zombie outbreak, eventually becoming the President of her own survivor community. Naturally, her focus on leading her community and eliminating zombies makes it difficult to give the fullest attention to the care and development of her and Glenn’s child.
Intuitively, it is easy to think that the tough-as-nails Maggie would have made sure that her son could “kick some butt” when necessary. However, as a result of Glenn’s untimely death and Maggie’s increasing leadership responsibilities, Hershel grows up quite different from his parents. The Walking Dead #193, the final issue of the series, flashes forward years in the future and shows Hershel as an adult who coasts on his mother’s power and reputation. The son of Glenn and Maggie is now a traveling showman with a collection of captive zombies. When one of these zombies gets loose and is killed by Carl, Hershel is not upset about the potential danger the zombie could have posed, but rather at the loss of an expensive zombie. He goes running to the sheriff and takes Carl to court. He’s upset that people revere the memory of Rick Grimes, but seem to have forgotten his own father. It’s clear that if Glenn has survived to raise his child, then his more thoughtful personality and involved presence in his son’s life would have led to a better-trained youth, and ultimately a more competent and considerate adult.
As Earl says in the issue, Hershel “was not raised right” and “has always been trouble.” But this would not have been the case if he grew up with Glenn in his life. The chances are that even if Glenn was not killed by Negan, Maggie would have still become the leader of Hilltop or one of the survivor communities in some capacity. Glenn’s easygoing, supportive personality would more than likely have allowed him to be Hershel’s primary caregiver, freeing up Maggie to be all she can be. Maggie tries to make up for Glenn’s killing and absence by giving Hershel whatever he needs. It’s her way of trying to save him the hurt and chaos she’s experienced.
However, as pointed out in The Walking Dead #193, Hershel develops into an arrogant and self-centered member of the community. He does not seem to have an issue with flaunting his social status as the son of the President or expecting everyone, even the son of the man whose existence made a post-zombie world possible, to treat him with respect. Although there are no guarantees in parenting, Glenn’s personality suggests that he would have raised his son to be a caring individual who is sensitive to the complexities of a post-apocalypse world and the people who live in it. Glenn Rhee’s death is shocking, but his absence from his child Hershel’s life is one of The Walking Dead‘s greatest tragedies.