The Walking Dead season 10 avoided main character’s dreaded comic book death in finale

It would have been a horrible way to go

The Walking Dead finally returned with its delayed season 10 finale, which set the stages for the show’s final episodes.

In April, the series was hit by the pandemic when effects work was unable to be carried out on the episode.

This meant that fans had to wait for five long months to see how the latest season concluded.

The penultimate episode set up a dreaded comic book death that many fans thought would happen in the finale – but were surprised to see the show avoid when the finale finally aired in the US on Sunday (4 October).

*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*

At this stage in Robert Kirkman’s comic books, it’s Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) who meets his maker after Beta disembowels him and leaves him to be devoured by a horde of walkers.

He’s standing watch when Beta leads an army of Whisperers to the tower the survivors are currently holed up in and – after alerting the others to his presence – he slips and dangles from a ladder as the walkers descend.

“You should have whispered,” Beta – played in the show by Ryan Hurst – says before killing him.

Gabriel does almost die in this episode, but at the hands of two random members of Beta's army. The character is saved in the nick of time by Maggie (Lauren Cohan).

While no main characters die in the episode, the finale does mark the last appearance of Hurst, whose character Beta is killed by  Daryl (Norman Reedus).

Oceanside member Beatrice (Briana Venskus) also perishes while trying to escape from the Whisperers.

During the show's six-month break, it was announced that The Walking Dead's 10th season had been extended by six episodes, which would air in 2021.

An 11th season will conclude the series in 2022. After that, characters Daryl and Carol (Melissa McBride) will return for their own spin-off adventure.