Merle Dixon (TV Series)

"She ain't runnin', she's huntin', just like we are."

- Merle talking to Gargulio.

Merle Dixon is a survivor first encountered in "Guts", the second episode of The Walking Dead (TV Series). He is one of the members of the original Atlanta band, along with his younger brother, Daryl. An unruly and quick-tempered Southern redneck, Merle proves to be Daryl's greatest influence. The Dixon brothers are unique to the show in that they do not exist within the continuity of the comic series.

North Georgia
Merle and Daryl lived somewhere in the mountains of North Georgia with their neglectful alcoholic father. Because of the neglect and lack of guidance he was given, Merle chose to act out against society, which led him to frequently be incarcerated in juvenile institutions. He raised Daryl to share the same beliefs and also become tough in the cruel adult world that both of them faced. Despite talking big about taking care of Daryl, Merle, like their father, was often absent from Daryl's life and didn't give him the emotional support that a big brother should. His mother, both an alcoholic and a smoker, died in a house fire that had been caused by her lighting a cigarette when she fell asleep, likely after getting drunk, when Merle and Daryl were young.

In his adult years, Merle was briefly enrolled in the military, as shown by his physical strength and skill with firearms. He once punched a non-commissioned officer (sergeant), which got him dishonorably discharged. He was then sent to prison for sixteen months and most likely court-martialed.

"Guts"
Merle is one of the Atlanta survivors who left the refugee camp to gather supplies in Atlanta with Glenn, Andrea, Jacqui, T-Dog and Morales.

When the department store is besieged by walkers, Dixon fires his rifle at several of them. T-Dog demands that he stops firing as it will draw more walkers. After Merle insults him by calling him a "nigger," T-Dog throws a punch which Merle parries with the rifle and the two begin to brawl. Though Rick, Morales and Glenn attempt to intervene, Merle single-handedly knocks them down and viciously beats T-Dog, establishing his dominance by spitting on the man. After declaring himself leader, he is blind-sided by Rick, who punches him out and handcuffs him to a pipe before Dixon can cause further harm. Rick then confiscates Merle's cocaine and tosses it off the side of the building, infuriating him. He is then put under the watch of T-Dog while the other survivors attempt to find a way out of the city. When the survivors do find a way out, T-Dog attempts to save Dixon but accidentally drops the handcuff keys into a vent, forcing him to abandon Dixon on the rooftop, as he flees after locking the rooftop door shut with chains. He is left behind as the survivors escape Atlanta.

"Tell It to the Frogs"
Left alone, he begins the stages of accepting his fate (praying, bargaining, etc.), until he begins to fight again, this time with the pipe he is cuffed to. As he hallucinates (whether due to his known drug habits or heat stroke, or a combination) that zombies have invaded the building and are reaching the chained door to the rooftop, Merle struggles harder until he notices the spilled tools that the others had left behind. He uses his belt to attempt reaching a hacksaw and succeeds in cutting off his hand to escape. This is the last time Merle is seen in Season 1.

"Vatos"
Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and T-dog follow a trail of blood, and discover that Merle used the hacksaw to sever off his hand, and then proceeded to cauterize it with a Bunsen burner. He then killed two walkers with a wrench before leaving the building. Daryl takes Merle's severed hand with them, and later uses it to scare Miguel into revealing the location of the Vatos hideout. It is unknown if he takes the hand back to camp with him. It is believed that Merle stole the van Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Daryl used to return to Atlanta, and fled the city in it, although the fact he never returned to camp suggests otherwise.

Season 2
Merle's whereabouts are completely unknown throughout Season 2. Almost no one in the group is concerned about where he is, if he is alive or dead, or even finding him, aside from Daryl.

"Chupacabra"
Merle reappears in an injured Daryl's dream, in which he taunts Daryl for giving up, telling him to be tougher. He also tells Daryl to stand up to Rick, even suggesting that Daryl shoot him, and mentioning that Rick handcuffed him and left him to die on the roof of the department store. As a result of this vision, Daryl is able to pull himself up from the gorge he'd fallen into. Daryl also promises Merle in the hallucination that someday he will find him.

"Walk With Me"
Andrea and Michonne see a helicopter crashing into a forest nearby. The pair decide to investigate it, but are forced to hide as a group of strangers in vehicles start to arrive. As the pair observe the group of strangers, Merle catches them off-guard. Michonne was aware of his presence but was too late to act, as Merle already had them at gunpoint. He recognizes Andrea when she turns around, then quickly dispatches a walker that had snuck up on him with a knife. It is revealed that Merle's severed arm is covered by a self-made metal covering, with a bayonet attached to it.

As night falls, Andrea finds herself tied up and able to see through the blindfold on her head. She finds herself in the backseat of a moving vehicle, seeing Merle right next to her. Merle motions her to keep quiet. Eventually, Andrea wakes up feeling much better, after being treated by a doctor. Merle then enters, and starts a more proper conversation with her, one they haven't had since the last time they saw each other. He tells her that before being found by the Governor, he was bled out and starving to death, and was hoping to commit suicide, so that he can "take a nice, long nap" and wait for his brother on the other side. He still remembers what Rick did him, and still despises him for it. Andrea catches him up, telling him that Daryl has earned his place in the group, and that they've lost many people along the way, including Amy. In a rare show of compassion, Merle expresses his condolence for Amy's death.

The Governor enters the room, after whispering something to Merle. He then takes the pair out to show them Woodbury. Merle demonstrates his role by climbing a fortified barricade and taking a rifle. He shows that he can still shoot a machine gun despite losing his hand, taking out three walkers in three shots.

The next day, Merle is found in a makeshift lab, working with Milton, a researcher. As the Governor enters, the two are caught having a disagreement about something; the Governor stops them, comparing their small outburst to a school fight. When the Governor asks about Andrea, Merle reveals that he used to be part of her group in Atlanta. The Governor tells him to interrogate her more, and dismisses him. Meanwhile, while Milton is showing his latest findings, he insists to the Governor that Merle isn't the right man for the job, and that it should be him.

Later on in the day, The Governor is seen driving to a national guard outpost that was revealed by Lieutenant Welles, the only survivor from the helicopter crash. He pretends to be innocent by proposing for them to move to his settlement, then quickly pulls a gun out and shoots Corporal Brad, the first man that approached him. This was a signal for Merle and the rest to open fire at them, quickly dispatching all of the soldiers as they were caught off-guard. After successfully killing all of them, Merle and the rest take their equipment, and return to Woodbury.

"Killer Within"
After receiving a map by Andrea to show Merle where the Greene Family Farm was, Merle decided to make an effort to go and find Daryl and his location, but after asking Andrea if he was still alive, Andrea didn't know and mentioned that the attack on Hershel's farm was eight months ago.

He then decided to converse about himself and Andrea on why they didn't hook up as a couple, but after having the discussion, Merle then goes to talk to the The Governor and tells him that he has made up his mind to go search for his brother in which the Governor rejects his request and tells him that he is needed in Woodbury. The Governor then tells Merle that if he got more solid evidence of Daryl's whereabouts, then the Governor would go and find Daryl along with Merle.

"Say the Word"
Merle is one of many participating in a day of celebration put on by the Governor. He appears with the Governor and Milton as they retrieve more drinks from the Governor's apartment. Although Milton suggests that they postpone the night's party, Merle rejects the offer. The Governor agrees with Merle.

Next, Merle goes to a sandy backlot hidden behind the Governor's apartment, holding a bucket of bloody meat. His intention was to feed captive Walkers kept in a cage. However, he discovers Michonne has let the Walkers out and killed them with her sword.

Merle escorts her back to the Governor, giving her sword back to him, and leaves. After Michonne storms out, Merle asks the Governor what happened. He says that Michonne has quite a personality, but she is no problem.

Later, Merle drives out to the wind generator located outside Woodbury with Milton and a few others. Discovering they have caught two Walkers in a netted trap, Merle kills one Walker while Milton holds her down. He wrestles the other Walker down and begins pulling out its teeth.

During the afternoon, Merle stops Andrea and Michonne from leaving through the gate. He informs them that they will need an escort. When he whispers to the guard, and Andrea tries to interject, he orders her to back up. Michonne decides to leave alone, and they let her go.

That night, Merle is seen as one of two brawlers participating in a twisted wrestling match, surrounded by chained Walkers. All of Woodbury cheers him on as he beats up his opponent, Casear Martinez. What the people don't know is that none of the zombies in the arena have teeth.

"Hounded"
Merle goes off hunting for the escaped Michonne with three other Woodbury men. He locates her and begins to taunt her in order to recieve a reaction. Afterwards, Michonne kills two of his subordinates. Merle chases her down and shoots her in the thigh before losing her trail. Merle regroups with his other companion, Gargulio, who he mocks because of his name. He rushes to leave, for the bullets will attract walkers. Michonne attempts to attack Merle again, but all three become disoriented in the fight. Walkers arrive, causing Merle to ignore Michonne for a moment. A walker attacks him, but forces it back. Gargulio stabs it in the head, saving Merle, as Michonne escapes amungst the commotion. Merle kills the last walker before complimenting Gargulio for "rising up to the occasion". Merle assesses that Michonne is as good as dead and plans to lie to the Governor about the events that had taken place, but Gargulio objects. Gargulio refuses to lie to the Governor, so Merle shoots him in the head while he is distracted by a bird call.

Sometime after, Merle follows Michonne into the "Red-Zone" where he confronts Glenn and Maggie on a food and supply run. Michonne watches from behind a car as Merle questions Glenn about Daryl. When Glenn refuses to take Merle along, because of his knife prosthetic, Merle shoots at them and holds Maggie hostage. Michonne begins to intervene, but stops when Merle orders Glenn to drive them to Woodbury.

Later on, Merle interrupts the Governor and Andrea as they are having sex. The Governor walks out to talk to Merle, who reveals to him that he's captured Glenn and his "pretty little girlfriend". They decide not to reveal this to Andrea, and Merle leaves, stating that he's going to find out where they were held up.

"When the Dead Come Knocking"
Merle will appear in this episode.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Merle has killed:
 * Tim (Before Reanimation)
 * Garguilo
 * U.S Military soldiers.
 * Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people.

Appearances
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Season 3

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Trivia

 * Merle is one of many new characters introduced in the TV series that does not appear in the comic series.
 * Merle is one of the many amputees in The Walking Dead. For other victims, see Amputated Victims.
 * Merle managed to cut off his own hand with a hack saw.
 * Merle has a number of ethnic slurs that he uses against people of different minorities to show his racism.
 * According to his brother, he got the Clap on occasion and had to take some serious antibiotics and drugs.
 * In Daryl's hallucination, Merle had both of his hands.
 * In one episode, Shane referred to Merle saying Rick "went on a suicide mission to save a drug dealer."
 * It is likely that Merle belonged to some white supremacist organization.
 * Despite being a hallucination, that moment in Chupacabra is the first and so far only time Daryl and Merle are seen together.
 * Merle will be featured in the new Walking Dead video game currently under development by Terminal Reality.
 * In the TV series, Merle is the first character to have a substitute appendage on an amputated limb (Dale has a peg leg in the comics to replace his amputated leg).
 * Surprisingly, Michael Rooker has been upgraded from guest star status to a main cast member suggesting that Merle may be back longer than expected.
 * Merle is one of the two characters who has met all of the main characters. The other being Andrea.