Heath (Comic Series)

"We've been fighting so much lately, and I can't stop thinking about that. In a way... It's kind of like this war, y'know? There's so much out there, so much bad stuff... Why are we fighting? I feel so fucking stupid. I'm sorry, Denise. I'm sorry for everything. Whatever it was we were fighting over... I wish we could have ignored it and been happy for just a little while longer. That would have been... Denise?"

- Heath to Denise, mere seconds after her death.

Heath is a major protagonist first encountered in Issue 69 of Image Comics' The Walking Dead and is a supply runner and resident living in the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Location Unknown
Nothing is known about Heath's life before or as the outbreak began. It is possible that he lived in Alexandria before the outbreak started.

Life Among Them
Heath is first seen in the Washington, D.C. ruins, trying to help his fellow supply runner, and best friend, Scott, get away from zombies after he fell and consequently broke his leg. Rick, Abraham, and Aaron come to his and Scott's aid and help fight off the zombies. Soon, Tobin and the Alexandria Safe-Zone construction crew arrive and rescue Heath, and the others, and take them back to the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Heath is later seen discussing Scott's injuries with Douglas Monroe, however, they are soon interrupted by Douglas' wife, Regina, who demands to know why Douglas has let Rick's group enter Alexandria. Heath interjects and says that he thinks all of them are good people, but, Rick is making him somewhat suspicious. Douglas tells him that they need Rick more than anyone and he will be Alexandria's salvation. However, Heath yet again interjects, saying that Rick might just turn out to be another Alexander Davidson, causing Regina to panic and Douglas to grab him and throw him to the floor in a fury. Douglas apologizes to Heath and tells him that he just never like to hear Davidson's name and that he never wants to hear Heath using it again.

Heath is then seen talking with a sick Scott in Alexandria Safe-Zone's clinic, discussing the arrival of Rick's group in the community. Scott starts to tell Heath that the group's arrival makes him a little uneasy, but, they are interrupted by one of Alexandria's doctors, Denise Cloyd, who greets Heath when she sees him and begins to start attending to Scott's wounds again.

Heath is later seen attending Douglas Monroe's house warming party for Rick's group, running into Denise again while he is there, who informs him of Scott's condition, saying his fever is getting worse.

Too Far Gone
Heath is seen visiting Denise in the Alexandria Safe-Zone's clinic, and he retrieves a list of medicines needed for Scott's continued survival. He also pays a visit to Scott while he is there and reassures him that he will pull-through, telling him that he is going out to fetch medicine for him.

Later that day, Heath, and Glenn, who has been assigned as Heath's new supply-run partner after Scott's injury, make a trip to the Safe-Zone's armory. There, they gather two pistols and a couple of ammo packs for their supply journey. Glenn tries to bring a rifle, thinking one of them could stay in a stationary position while the other makes the trip for supplies, but, Heath tells him it would be too heavy to carry and that both of them are not good enough shots. They then head back outside and leave the Safe-Zone on a pair of motorcycles, heading to the nearby D.C. ruins.

Heath, and Glenn, later stop on a D.C. highway, and Heath informs Glenn that they are in the right stop to proceed towards a nearby pharmacy on foot. Heath uses a nearby rope to swing over to an adjacent building's fire escape. He manages to make the jump, and throws the rope back over to Glenn, who also attempts to make the jump. However, Glenn miss-times the swing, and barely manages to grab hold of the fire escape's railing. Heath quickly rushes to his aid and helps to lift him over the railing, and they both continue to carry on to the pharmacy.

Later that day, Heath, and Glenn, reach the alley near where the pharmacy is located. However, to Heath's surprise, he finds the alley filled with zombies and they both decide to hold-out on the rooftop for the night, hoping the herd of zombies moves away by the time they wake-up.

The next day, Heath is woken up by Glenn, who tells him that he knows why the zombies are grouped up in the area, showing him the D.C. Scavenger group, who are trapped in a store on the street below. Heath tells Glenn that they should use this as an opportunity to escape the area, but, Glenn tells him that they can't risk the Scavengers spotting them, saying they could be dangerous. Heath agrees with him, saying that he has heard Aaron tell him stories of some of the groups he has encountered, but, he is interrupted when the leader of the Scavengers, Derek, throws one of his own men to the zombie herd, providing a distraction for them to escape. Heath looks in disbelief, but, Glenn tells him they need to go, or they will not be able to reach the pharmacy in time.

Heath, and Glenn, eventually reach the pharmacy and gather the medicines needed. However, Glenn is almost bitten by a zombie which sneaked up on him, but, Heath manages to shoot, and kill it at the last second. Heath quickly realizes that the gunshot must have alerted the nearby herd, and the pair quickly rush back to their motorcycles and drive back to the Safe-Zone. However, this action alerts the Scavengers to their presence, and it later helps the Scavengers track their location back to the Safe-Zone.

Heath is later seen back at the Safe-Zone clinic, sitting next to Scott on his deathbed, the medicine Heath recovered not having worked on Scott. Heath starts to blame himself for Scott's death, but, Scott reassures him that it wasn't in his final moments before passing away, leaving a tearful Heath alone.

Later that day, Heath is seen attending Scott's funeral. He asks Rick, and the other people carrying Scott's body to be careful, and not drop Scott's body. He soon watches Michonne put a stake through Scott's head, also inquiring about the community's intentions to bury Scott in the ground, saying they just can't dump Scott in a hole, and that he had earned the right to a proper funeral service. Douglas agrees, and says that he will arrange for it to happen. However, they are interrupted by Peter Anderson who quickly snaps at Rick for separating him from his family, accidentally killing Regina in a fury. Heath also watches Rick kill Peter afterwards, and then helps prepare the funeral service for the Scott, Regina, and Peter.

Heath is later seen giving a speech at Scott's funeral, saying that he was a selfless friend, and that he was the sole reason the supply runs went as smoothly as they did, leading him to break down, and as such, apologize to his fallen friend.

No Way Out
After Aaron brings Eric back to the Safe-Zone injured (having been stabbed by a woman while they were recruiting), he demands entry to the Safe-Zone's clinic. However, they find an almost fully naked Heath, and Denise inside, having been involved in a secret relationship after Scott's death.

Heath is later seen assisting in a zombie clean-up operation outside the Safe-Zone walls, hoping to cut-down the number of zombies building-up on the walls. After killing a few zombies, Heath remarks that he hates having to kill them, saying it is unnerving. However, soon after, Andrea fires a warning shot from a nearby bell tower, telling Heath, and the others, to retreat back to the front gate. The group does so, but, are met by a gigantic herd, heading straight for the Safe-Zone. Heath, and the others, quickly scramble to open the gate, managing to do so at the last possible second, but, not before losing Bruce.

Heath later joins Glenn, and Spencer Monroe, in an attempt to cross out of the Safe-Zone (Which is now surrounded by the herd) to save Andrea, who is stuck in the nearby bell tower. Heath uses a rope to allow the trio to cross between a building in the Safe-Zone, and one surrounding the bell tower. However, while crossing the rope, it starts to giveaway under Heath, and Glenn's weights. This causes Glenn to almost be grabbed by the herd, but, he manages to make it to the other side, along with Heath. Spencer then starts to cross, but, the rope snaps, trapping him outside the Safe-Zone with zombies approaching. Heath, and Glenn, then quickly spring to action, trying to lift Spencer up on the broken part of the rope. However, when all hope seems lost, Andrea ties the rope to herself, and they manage to pull Spencer up from certain death. However, in doing so, they trap themselves on the roofs opposite the Safe-Zone, unable to help those still confined inside by the herd.

After witnessing the herd break into the Safe-Zone, Heath, Glenn, Andrea, and Spencer, desperately look for a way to help. Eventually, after most of the herd disperse from around them, and into the Safe-Zone, the four of them manage to make it back to the Safe-Zone. After arriving back there, Heath assists the surviving members of the Safe-Zone in clearing out the herd, saving the Safe-Zone from destruction.

We Find Ourselves
After the clean-up of the zombie bodies, and the fallen residents, Heath is seen attending a funeral for those who died in the zombie attack. After this, he is seen assisting Denise with treatment for Carl at the Safe-Zone's clinic, asking Rick if he is feeling okay.

The next day, Heath is seen attending a target-practice session Andrea has set-up, helping refine his, and a few other people's skills before they head-out to dig trenches around the Safe-Zone walls. While doing so, Heath is approached by Nicholas, who inquires about Rick's leadership, telling Heath that he has taken over "their" Safe-Zone, and that they practically handed him the "keys to the kingdom". Heath berates him for think this, saying Rick's group saved their lives from the scavenger group, and the herd attack. Abraham soon hears the two arguing, asking if anything is wrong. Both of them say nothing about Nicholas' thoughts, resuming the digging.

Heath is later seen rushing to a disturbance caused by Nicholas inside the Safe-Zone. When he, and many other residents arrive, they find Nicholas outside Glenn's house, who is demanding Glenn come outside, and face him. Heath quickly steps-in, telling Nicholas to stand down. However, this causes Nicholas to aim his gun at Heath, telling him that he is a traitor to the Safe-Zone community, and will be exiled along with Rick's group. However, Rick arrives soon after, managing to defuse the situation, convincing Nicholas to stand down, and join him in helping rebuild the Safe-Zone. After this, Heath, and the other residents, decide to go home.

A Larger World
Heath is seen on a supply run alongside, Glenn, Maggie, Eugene, Rosita, Aaron, and Eric. While searching a neighborhood for food, Aaron, and Eric, are almost killed by zombies. However, Glenn manages to save them both. Heath soon comes to the scene, asking if everyone has gathered enough supplies. Everyone says they have, and they all climb into the transport van to leave the area. A few hours later, they arrive back at Alexandria.

Something To Fear
Heath is seen on watch at the Safe-Zone's gate, looking out for Rick, and the others, on their return from the Hilltop Colony, after being brought there a few days ago by Paul Monroe. Abraham approaches him, asking for any updates. Heath tells him that everything has been quite, saying only a few zombies have got themselves stuck in the trenches. Heath then accompanies Abraham, and Holly, outside the Safe-Zone walls to clear the trenches. While doing so, Heath finds a zombie that has turned black, having rotted away over time. Soon after, Heath, and the other two, let a returning Rick, and others, into the Safe-Zone. He is later seen attending a town meeting where Rick informs him of their deal with the Hilltop, which means they must clear out The Saviors group terrorizing the settlement.

The next day, after Abraham's death at the hands of the Savior known as Dwight, Heath accompanies Glenn, and Nicholas, clearing out the zombies that have been drawn to the Safe-Zone by the gunfire from yesterday. He later attends Abraham's funeral with Denise.

The next morning, Heath is woken-up by Denise, who offers him coffee. She tells him that she wanted more time with him before he goes to Hilltop, to take Glenn, Maggie, and Sophia to live there. He reassures her, saying he will be fine, telling her not to worry for him. Denise tells him not to worry, saying that she knows he will be safe, otherwise, she would not be in a relationship with him in the first place.

As Glenn, Maggie, and Sophia wish to join the Hilltop Colony, Heath, along with Rick, Carl, and Michonne, go on the trip to the Colony. Heath is functional as a driver. As they are captured and held hostage by The Saviors, Negan, The Saviors' leader, states that he doesn't want to kill Heath because of his skin color. Negan then leaves it up to chance on who should be beaten. Heath was close to being chosen, but, instead, Glenn got the short straw, and is subsequently selected by Negan. Heath watches as Glenn's skull is beaten-in by Negan's baseball bat, "Lucille". When The Saviors leave, Heath is seen crying over his friend's death.

After Glenn's brutal death, Heath, and the others, continue on to the Hilltop, Maggie still wanting to go there with Sophia, also wanting Glenn to be buried there. After dropping Maggie, and Sophia there, Heath, and the others, head back to Alexandria, Paul Monroe joining them on their way back.

When they arrive back at the Safe-Zone, they find it has been attacked by The Saviors. The group quickly rushes to the front gates, but, find that the Alexandrians have managed to repel the attack. Heath is later seen showing Paul Monroe his house in Alexandria, asking him why he wants to come to Alexandria, saying that he preferred the look of the Hilltop. Paul tells him that he prefers Alexandria's houses to Hilltop's trailers any day, also offering Heath condolences over Glenn's death. Heath then asks him if he has come to help them against Negan, and Paul tells him that he will try his best to help.

Heath is later seen attending a town meeting held by Rick, who tell him, and the other Alexandria residents that they will now be working for Negan, giving him half their supplies in exchange for protection against zombies.

What Comes After
Heath is present during Negan's first supply-trip to the Safe-Zone. During this, he nervously asks Rick to come with somewhere, taking him to the clinic, where Denise is holding s Savior taking medical supplies at gunpoint. However, Rick tells her to let the Savior take the supplies, telling her that they work for Negan now.

A few days later, Heath is approached by Michonne while he is one watch at the Safe-Zone wall. Confused as to why Michonne is here, telling her his shift is not over yet. However, she grabs Heath's trousers, hoping to seduce him, but, Heath tells her that he knows what happened between her, and Tyreese, saying he does not want that. He goes on to say that his relationship with Denise is still in working stages, saying he does not want to do anything that will mess that up, telling Michonne she needs to be less confrontational, and that they need to work together properly. He tries to say more, but, Michonne tells him to stop, apologizing while leaving him on watch.

March To War
Heath, alongside Rick, Nicholas, and Holly, attempt to kill Negan as he is leaving Alexandria after he stopped by to collect supplies from them. They manage to kill the Saviors guarding Negan with help from Andrea, however before Negan is killed their guns are shot out of their hands by a group of hidden Saviors. Negan is outraged at the attempt on his life and says that one of them will die. Carl attempts to shoot Negan, but, misses and hits Lucille. This angers Negan even further, resulting in him lining Heath and the others up and threatening to kill them all, unless the remaining citizens of Alexandria throw Carl over the wall. The citizens refuse these demands and Negan begins his execution process. Midway through Nicholas interrupts and begs for his life, this angers Negan who says that if Rick, Holly, or Heath tell him to kill Nicholas he will do so, sparing them. Heath tells him no, and says that Nicholas is just scared.

Negan is about to finish selecting his victim, until Paul Monroe shows up, who saves Heath, and the others, fighting The Saviors off until Ezekiel's forces show up.

All Out War - Part One
Heath is seen sitting in Gabriel Stokes' church as Rick, Paul Monroe, Ezekiel, and a group of others are discussing battle plans for the upcoming battle of Sanctuary. He is later seen alongside a group of one hundred people from The Kingdom, Hilltop Colony and Alexandria marching upon The Sanctuary.

After successfully flooding The Sanctuary's courtyard with zombies, Heath is confronted by Aaron and Eric, who start to talk about Holly's capture by The Saviors. Heath tells them both that he prepares that think about it and goes back to eating.

After the capture of one of The Savior outposts, Heath and the rest of The Army return to Alexandria. After arriving back at the Safe-Zone, Heath finds Aaron standing alone in his house. He quickly steps in and comforts Aaron over Eric's death, telling him he knows what he is feeling, and then hug each other. When Denise is bitten on the arm by a reanimated Holly, Heath comes rushing over to her aid, only to have his leg blown off by a grenade thrown by Negan. Denise runs over to Heath, and tells Rick she needs to get him to the infirmary before he bleeds to death. Rick warns her about her bite, saying they need to amputate it, but she declines, as she needs both of her arms to help Heath. Heath is later seen in the infirmary, being cared for by Denise.

All Out War - Part Two
In the aftermath of the battle, Denise slowly succumbs to her bite wound. Heath remains by her side in her last moments, apologizing to her for their fighting and saying that he wishes they could have just been happy. Denise dies of her wounds. Heath is so devastated that he falls out of his chair (having not yet adjusted to having one leg) and Michonne assures him that she'll put Denise down for him. Heath later attends the funeral for Denise, and the other fallen Alexandrians. He later leaves the battered Safe-Zone to travel to the Hilltop Colony, alongside every other surviving Alexandria resident.

After arriving at the Hilltop, Heath is brought to the Hilltop's doctor, Harlan Carson, for treatment for his leg-wound. Harlan comments on Denise's leg surgery, saying that the procedure she performed was almost flawless, better than anything he could do. He asks Heath if he knew Denise, Heath responding by saying she was his girlfriend, leading Harlan to sorrowfully apologize for Heath's loss.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Heath has killed:
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Denise Cloyd
"We've been fighting so much lately, and I can't stop thinking about that. In a way... It's kind of like this war, y'know? There's so much out there, so much bad stuff... Why are we fighting? I feel so fucking stupid. I'm sorry, Denise. I'm sorry for everything. Whatever it was we were fighting over... I wish we could have ignored it and been happy for just a little while longer. That would have been... Denise?"

- Heath to Denise, mere seconds after her death.

Heath's romantic relationship with Denise started when Scott was healing from their scouting mishap. During this time, Heath would show his inner turmoil during his visits to an open-eared Denise. As time went on, Scott died despite all of Denise's care-giving and Heath would go on to dwell within his loneliness. Denise, also alone within the confines of the Alexandria Safe-Zone, gave Heath someone to connect with as she had seen him the most during his darkest times. As Eric and Aaron returned from a doomed recruiting mission, Andrea lead the injured Eric to Denise's where the survivors would find her and Heath in the throws of passion, much to everyone's initial shock. However, Heath confided in the relationship stating that it just happened that way and as time moved forward, Denise would show concern for his safety during his continued scouting missions. Heath is horrified when he sees Denise's bite mark on her shoulder, proving that he has feelings for her. Denise also sacrifices her own life to save Heath as instead of amputating her own arm before her infection spread, she chose to help Heath with his now missing leg.

Scott
Scott was Heath's best friend. Heath was ready to pick him up some antibiotics, which Scott needed. Heath is seen crying after his death, and demands that they have a funeral so that Scott's heroic nature would be remembered. After Douglas agrees to this due to the death of his wife, the group holds the funeral to which Heath highlights his best friend's importance to himself and the community. During the burial, he asks those carrying Scott to be careful with the body. Scott is put down by Michonne.

Glenn
Glenn replaced Scott, and these two are seen to be good friends. Heath also saved Glenn's life on a supply run, Glenn was almost grabbed by a roamer but Heath killed it. When Negan killed Glenn, Heath was seen crying. After Glenn's death, Heath called Glenn his friend.

Rick Grimes
At first, Heath shows a slight dislike towards him claiming he could turn out to be like Alexander Davidson. However, after Rick takes lead of the Alexandria Safe-Zone from Douglas, he defends Rick and his group against Nicholas when Nicholas shows signs of an uprising. Heath has seemed to integrate into Rick's inner circle. Participating in most meetings and being picked to go to The Kingdom. Overall, Heath has proven to be a loyal member of Rick's group.

Michonne
"I don't know what it is--Something where you need to show you're better than other women by getting who's unavailable... it's just not... necessary. You're beautiful... if things go south with Denise, sure. But... have some self-respect."

- Heath to Michonne.

Heath and Michonne seem to have a stable relationship. They haven't been seen to converse very much; however, in Issue 107, Michonne makes a move on Heath while he's on guard duty, under the impression that he and Denise were not on good terms. Heath tells her that if things don't work out between Denise and him, he'd go out with her. Heath politely rejects Michonne, trying not to hurt her feelings. Michonne also puts Denise down before reanimation as Heath couldn't.

Nicholas
Heath challenged Nicholas' planned uprising against Rick. Although they've rarely been seen interacting since, it can be assumed that Nicholas and Heath have stabilized their relationship, as Heath justifies Nicholas' selfish attempt to get his life spared while being lined up together with him by Negan in Issue 114.

Aaron
Heath and Aaron appear to share a good relationship often working and getting along with each other. Their friendship was shown in Issue 119 when Heath checked on Aaron to see how he was taking Eric's death, he gave him a hug and expressed that he was sorry for his loss.

Appearances
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Trivia

 * Heath has the highest number of appearances of all the Alexandria Safe-Zone citizens.
 * Kirkman mentioned in an interview that, "there's gonna be a lot done with Heath" in the "All Out War" story arc, as well as with Holly and Maggie. This proved to be true, since Heath lost one of his legs during Negan's attack on Alexandria.

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