“I’m supposed to be delivering pizzas, man.”

A long time coming memorial post for Glenn. I never got around to properly talking about Glenn after his death, which did some damage.

From Pizzas to Pistols

It’s easy to say Glenn is most of us in the apocalypse. Someone with an ordinary job getting thrown into a world of the dead, just trying to survive. Over time he gets stronger, becomes a fighter, and is one of the key members of the group.

At first Glenn used his skills to get supplies in the city. He’s quick, smart in stressful situations, and knows his way around. If not for Glenn, we wouldn’t have Rick. Even after rescuing him the first time, Glenn stuck up for Rick during situations most questioned him in.

Family

In the second season Glenn found a reason to keep going: Maggie. There’s something about their relationship that’s so easy to root for even from the beginning. In the comic Glenn and Maggie start out as sex-buddies, and don’t do it nearly as much in the show, but over time they grow to care about one another. And in a world where you can die at any moment it’s best not to take advantage of finding someone you mesh with so well.

As well as Maggie, Glenn considers the group to be his family. He does what he needs to do to save them. Friendships form. A good example being the beginning with Daryl to the point where Merle dies. Daryl couldn’t care less what Glenn is and calls him Chinese, only for Glenn to say he’s Korean. Later, Merle calls Glenn Chinese and Daryl says he’s Korean. Character and relationship development amongst friends. Always great.

Even to the end Glenn fought for his family. Despite getting picked randomly to die by Negan, Glenn takes it. He takes it so no one else has to.

Fan Favorite

In the comic and show, Glenn is loved by all. Although I’m not caught up to the point where Glenn dies in the book, it didn’t take long for me to like the comic version. The depiction on-screen is pretty similar, but as far as torture goes, Glenn’s been through it all.

An uproar ensued after his death. Many threatened to stop watching the show. The most unexpected death. Did it feel a bit like a cheat because earlier in the season they pretended to kill him? Even though I never fell for that, many felt they already went through the grieving process and for it to happen again is toying with their emotions.

In the end it didn’t matter because we all cried. We grieved over Glenn, some twice. He made his legacy going from someone put to the side for dangerous missions to completely changing the game of the entire series. Because of him, the group continued on fighting. Glenn saw a future where they could live without fear of outside threats. And they’re going to see that future through.

An Inspiration

Even if you aren’t a Glenn fan, his character development is one of the best. Like I said, Glenn went from a scared pizza boy to putting himself out there to help the group survive. Time is all it took as he began to care about these people and see them as family.

Who did Lori go to when she thought she may be pregnant? She put enough trust in Glenn to hold that information. Of course he went on runs and is the only one to find what she needed, but still, an overlooked relationship.

Glenn continued to fight even death after death of his friends. Even threatened to die from a sickness in the prison, Glenn never stopped fighting. After Hershel, he never stopped believing Maggie survived.

Glenn became an inspiration to all. He became wiser through Hershel and his own experiences. He convinced Tara to fight. He convinced Enid to fight. He convinced Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene to see a future despite Eugene’s lies. He proved no matter how low the odds are, to never stop trying.

Life After Glenn

For a good while the show didn’t seem the same without Glenn. His name out of the credits. The presence he brought no doubt made an impact. For many, season seven started out slow, but I appreciated it all. We went through the grieving process with the characters. We got stuck, just like them, in the Negan situation.

It wasn’t until Rick saw the light, they rose up and fought. All because of Maggie and all because of Glenn. He wouldn’t want her to stop fighting. Even to the end Glenn fought for his family.