Tyreese Williams (TV Series)

"You both do things your own way but you both get it done."

- Tyreese to Mika.

Tyreese is a survivor of the zombie apocalypse and used to lead a small group of survivors in AMC's The Walking Dead.

Jacksonville, Florida
Very little is known about Tyreese's life before or as the outbreak began besides that he had a younger sister named Sasha and a neighbor named Jerry. He may have lived somewhere in Jacksonville, Florida.

Post-Apocalypse
As the outbreak began, he and his younger sister Sasha stayed in a bunker in their neighbor Jerry's backyard for about 7 months until they ran out of supplies. After that, they met up with Allen, Donna and Ben and joined a larger group, which had about 25 survivors at one point. The camp was eventually overrun, and many were killed. For about 6 weeks they wandered until they arrived at the prison.

"Made to Suffer"
Tyreese makes his debut appearance in this episode. He is seen with a group of survivors in the woods. One survivor from his group, Donna, is bitten on the arm by a walker, while escaping from a small herd. While they run away, Tyreese discovers a destroyed wall, which ends up being the back of The Prison. Tyreese leads them through the broken part of the fence and into the facility. Tyreese's group is attacked by walkers again, this time, inside the boiler room. His sister, Sasha, screams as she and her friends are being attacked, and she is heard from the other side of the prison, where Rick's group is. Carl heads to the room, and after helping Tyreese by killing some of the walkers, he takes the group safely into the other side of the Prison. Tyreese attempts to kill Donna with his hammer to avoid reanimation, but as he's about to, Carl locks his group out. Sasha argues with Carl over locking them out and demands that he and Hershel let them inside, but Tyreese calms the situation down by telling his sister that they had never been in a better place for weeks, and she should leave Carl alone.

"The Suicide King"
Tyreese is at the common room telling Hershel how he managed to survive through the past months. Later, when Tyreese and his group go outside to bury Donna, he starts arguing with Ben and Allen over them planning to take over The Prison. Tyreese disagrees with them, stating that Rick's group are good people, and that they don't want any trouble, unaware there are more survivors that make up The Prison group. When Rick decides their fate, he has a vision of Lori, which causes him to lash out and order her to leave, which causes Tyreese's group to flee in fear (believing Rick was yelling at them).

"Home"
Tyreese does not appear in this episode but, he and his group are briefly mentioned when Glenn is trying to figure out how they arrived at the prison. He and his group left the prison.

"I Ain't a Judas"
Tyreese and his group run into Andrea and Milton during their journey from the prison. Milton and Andrea tell them about Woodbury, and Milton offers to take them there. He and the group arrive in Woodbury, where they are greeted by The Governor. Tyreese mentions the Prison to Philip, and says that he can provide some details about the layout of the prison and offers to help defend Woodbury from the Prison Group.

"Clear"
Tyreese does not appear in this episode.

"Arrow on the Doorpost"
Tyreese does not appear in this episode.

"Prey"
Tyreese and Sasha are seen guarding the wall and Sasha makes fun of how a poor shot Tyreese is when Andrea tries to lure them away to another part of the wall. When they refuse, she confesses that she's leaving Woodbury. "The Governor is not what he seems to be," she warns before fleeing. They inform The Governor about Andrea's escape and Tyreese asks "This isn't a prison camp, is it?" The Governor reassures them no and that he's merely concerned for Andrea's safety.

Back in Woodbury, Tyreese is yelled at by Allen for jeopardizing their standing with The Governor. Allen then blames Tyreese for a prior encounter where he saved Donna in front of his family, emasculating Allen (in his eyes) in front of his family. They are brought by Martinez to a walker pit and are asked for help rounding up the dead. Tyreese realizes that the Walkers will be used to tear the Prison survivors apart and refuses to participate in the plan. He offers to leave Woodbury; Allen steps in and the two fight, nearly resulting in Tyreese dropping Allen into the Walker pit, but he relents at the last second. The Governor tells Tyreese and Sasha that the pit Walkers are just a scare tactic and were never intended to kill people. Not fully convinced, Tyreese nevertheless apologizes for being difficult.

"This Sorrowful Life"
Tyreese does not appear in this episode.

"Welcome to the Tombs"
Tyreese is seen being told to gear up and head out to the Prison, but he and Sasha both decline, offering to guard the children and elderly. That night, they encounter Karen along with Rick's group and demand to know what's going on. Tyreese is told that The Governor went mad and killed the soldiers who were trying to retreat and is horrified when he sees the room where Andrea is held hostage in. Both he and Sasha commandeer a bus and use it to transport the other survivors from Woodbury to the Prison and they formally join Rick's group.

"30 Days Without An Accident"
Tyreese is seen paying Karen a visit and kisses her. He talks about the supply run with her and offers to help her kill the walkers so they could spend time together.

Sasha is seen readying a vehicle with Tyreese to go on a supply run to Big Spot. Bob asks her if he can go. She is initially reluctant to let him come along, saying he has only been with them a week. "You were out on your own when Daryl found you. I just want to make sure you know how to play on a team," she tells him, but ultimately decides to let him come.

At Big Spot, Sasha lays out the group's plan to get in and get out. Things go awry when Bob accidentally breaks a shelf, which lands on him. Walkers suddenly begin falling in from holes in the ceiling. Zach is bitten by one while saving Bob. A helicopter makes the roof cave in, crushing Zach and the walkers while Tyreese and the others escape.

Later that night, Tyreese and Karen are seen in their cell talking to one another before going to sleep.

"Infected"
Tyreese is seen with Karen, he starts to singing about her until she leaves for her cell block. Later on, Tyreese saves Karen during the walker attack on Cell Block D. She then is seen coughing and being brought to Tyreese's cell. However, the Council decides to take her away from the healthy people as they discovered there is a disease that kills people. When Tyreese goes to visit her, he finds a blood trail that leads outside. He finds two burned corpses, one of them being Karen as it has her bracelet and the other being David.

"Isolation"
Carol, Rick, and Daryl meet Tyreese in the courtyard. Tyreese explains that he came to see Karen, but instead found a blood trail leading to the sight of her and David murdered in cold blood. Tyreese then approaches Rick, demanding him to use his cop-skills to find out who did it. When Tyreese starts to become physical with Daryl, Rick tries to conciliate Tyreese, but he pummels Rick twice. Rick fights back, and repeatedly pummels Tyreese in the face, both breaking his own hand and giving Tyreese a wounded eye. Daryl restrains Rick, preventing the latter from doing anymore harm. Tyreese is later seen digging two graves for Karen and David. Bob Stookey finds him doing this, and tries to convince him to get his eye looked at. Tyreese declines and says that he won't do so until the bodies are buried. Bob decides to lend a hand, and starts to help him dig a second grave.

Daryl later finds him and asks if he wants to help the group's supply team, whose aim is to retrieve medical supplies from a far off college. He, however, turns down the offer, but later joins them after seeing Sasha's condition. During the drive to the college with Daryl, Bob and Michonne, a radio transmission can be heard. Daryl attempts to tune the radio in, however, he crashes into a walker and almost drives into a walker herd. The supply group is quickly surrounded by the herd and decide to make a run for it. Everyone but Tyreese manages to make it out of herd's range. Tyreese gets converged by walkers when he exits the car. He starts to fight them off with his hammer. The group decides to leave him behind, believing that there is no way that he can survive. Moments later, however, when the supply group have managed to escape into a forest clearing, they hear the bushes behind them rustle. Two walkers burst out, however, Tyreese follows through seconds later and smashes one in the head. He falls to the ground, exhausted, and is helped up by Daryl before more walkers catch up.

"Indifference"
Tyreese and his supply-group continue to walk to find another vehicle, as they were forced to ditch their former one, due to a massive herd. They find an auto-shop, and after clearing some ivy, find a minivan, which just needs a battery. A few walkers are inside and the group proceeds to clean them out. As the group chops away at the overgrowth, Tyreese, still unhappy with Karen's death, cuts too fast and pulls at a door, releasing the auto-shop's walkers. The group kills them after a struggle, but Tyreese refuses to let go of his walker, still trapped in the ivy. He eventually pulls it out and they struggle before the others kill it. While scavenging the veterinary college for medical supplies, Daryl and his supply-group are ambushed by walkers who have seemingly died from the same flu-like disease present in the Prison. Tyreese helps the group escape by throwing a fire extinguisher through the window and they all jump onto the roof of an outside walkway. Bob almost loses his bag but manages to retrieve it. Daryl finds there is nothing in his bag but a bottle of liquor, which he attempts to throw away. Bob puts his hand on his holster, pleading with Daryl to give him the bottle back. Daryl, un-intimidated, disarms Bob and grabs him until Tyreese breaks them up, saying that Bob has already made his choice. Daryl says that they should have never allowed Bob into the prison group, and that he will beat him into the ground if he drinks even a sip of liquor before the sick prisoners take the medicine.

"Internment"
Tyreese and the group arrive after Rick and Carl kill the horde. Tyreese asks Rick if Sasha is okay, which Rick replies he doesn't know. Later, Tyreese is shown with Sasha, comforting her.

"Live Bait"
Tyreese does not appear in this episode.

"Dead Weight"
Tyreese does not appear in this episode.

"Too Far Gone"
When Tyreese is approached by Rick and Daryl, both of whom want to talk about the killings of Karen and David, he persuades Rick to see what he found: a tortured and mutilated rat. After stating that the one who killed Karen and David and fed the walkers through the fence with rats is the same person and a psychopath, Rick tells him that it is impossible. Before Rick gets the chance to tell him why, The Governor's tank shot a shell, blowing up a guard tower and making a lot of noise. After negotiation with The Governor failed and Hershel is killed, Tyreese is seen holding a gun and participated in the prison defense with other survivors. After The Governor broke down the fence with his men, Tyreese, who is known for his bad aptitude with a gun, was being pushed back while fighting Alisha and another unnamed soldier. After being pushed back behind flower pots, he is saved by Lizzie and Mika Samuels, who kill Alisha and the unnamed soldier. After he tells them they need to leave, he yells at the two, telling them that they are going the wrong way.

"After"
Tyreese does not appear in this episode.

"Inmates"
Tyreese is seen walking through the woods with Mika and Lizzie, with baby Judith, whom they managed to take with them while fleeing the prison, strapped to his chest. Tyreese does his best to cope with a crying Judith, a grim, determined Lizzie, and a terrified Mika. When Mika becomes so frightened that she runs off further into the forest, Tyreese finds her and calms her down. During this encounter, Tyreese gets a scratch on his arm, which worries Lizzie.

Tyreese hears screams from the railroad tracks, and leaves Judith with the girls to try to see if it's someone from their group. Tyreese helps the group kill the various walkers who have attacked them, but is ultimately the only survivor of the conflict. As he prepares to go back to the girls, he turns around to see them standing near him, along with Carol, who is holding Judith. Tyreese, who knows nothing of the reason why Carol wasn't at the prison during the fall, greets her warmly.

Before turning, the last remaining survivor tells them of a safe haven known as Terminus. They decide to try to find it.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Tyreese has killed:
 * Donna (Before Reanimation)
 * At least 1 member of The Governor's Militia.
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Sasha
"Was there ever a time, you weren't the boss of me?"

- Tyreese to Sasha.

Sasha is Tyreese's younger sister. Surviving together, they have made a good team with Allen and his family. She seems to have different viewpoints on crucial decisions Tyreese makes. However, she and Tyreese both disapprove of Allen and Ben's plan to overtake the prison in "The Suicide King". In "Prey" Sasha pokes fun at Tyreese's poor shooting skills, showing that the pair like joking around with each other. Later in the same episode, Tyreese starts to fight with Allen and almost kills him, but as soon as Sasha tells Tyreese not to, he stops. This shows that the two have a loving and caring relationship.

When Tyreese finds out that The Governor killed his own men, both he and Sasha decide to leave Woodbury with Rick to go back to the prison in order to keep each other safe from The Governor for when, or if, he returns.

When Tyreese found out that Sasha was sick in "Isolation" he became extremely saddened and decided to go on the supply run with the priority to find her a cure. He left her on a touching goodbye, and told her to get some rest. This, coupled with Karen's death, later caused him to fight the massive walker herd in a suicidal rage.

By the end of "Internment", Tyreese and the group return with a cure, and Tyreese happily reunites with his sister.

Tyreese and Sasha are separated during the fall of the prison. Although he is busy trying to help keep Lizzie, Mika, and Judith safe, he's clearly concerned about Sasha's safety when Lizzie says in "Inmates" that Sasha is likely dead.

Allen
"Like you looked out for Donna?"

- Tyreese instigating Allen into a fight.

Allen is Tyreese's friend and he and his family are the first people Tyreese and Sasha met after running out of supplies in their neighbors bunker. Tyreese and Allen seem to get along and work well as a team. When Donna was bit, Sasha informed the group they need to kill her before Donna kills them, but Tyreese and Allen told Sasha that Allen and Ben should not have to do this and do it somewhere private, safe, and away from Donna's family. When Allen mentions taking over the prison, Tyreese and Sasha both disapprove and Tyreese manages to convince Allen that it would be more beneficial for them to convince the prison group to allow them to join, rather than overtake them. This shows that Allen trusts Tyreese's judgement to some degree. Though it was originally shown that they were good friends, in "Prey" it is revealed that Allen harbors a grudge on Tyreese. According to Allen, at some point Tyreese saved Donna from a walker when Allen could have, and the way Donna revered Tyreese cause bitterness between the two men. Allen also states that Tyreese "showed him up" in front of Ben. In "Prey", the two argue, as Allen attempts to talk Tyreese out of causing trouble with The Governor. The two engage in a physical fight after Tyreese and Sasha refuse to help collect walkers from the "biter pit". Tyreese gets infuriated to the point that he almost shoves Allen into the pit, but decides against it. The two seem to be on unsteady ground after this altercation, and it seems that their apparent friendship has been severed.

Donna
"...and from that moment she was glued to you like a lost puppy; her... knight in shining armor."

- Allen to Tyreese.

It is mentioned in "Prey" that after Tyreese saved Donna from a walker, she revered Tyreese as her "knight in shining armor", much to the dismay of Allen.

Rick Grimes
"Today? Right now? 'Cause I'm not feeling the urgency. All I see you doing is pumping water. In fact, what I'm picking up is... murder is okay in this place now."

- Tyreese to Rick.

When Rick returns from Woodbury, Tyreese introduces himself and says he'll do anything to help. When Hershel tells Rick that he needs to give people a chance, Rick begins to hallucinate and sees a vision of Lori. He yells and Tyreese believes he was yelling at him. At Woodbury, while Allen says that Rick is a "whack job" to The Governor, Tyreese seemed to understand why Rick was a little unhinged. Later on, he encounters Rick again at Woodbury and is told by both him and Karen what The Governor did to the other soldiers that attacked the Prison. He then travels with Sasha to the Prison and is now a member of Rick's group.

Several months later, Tyreese and Rick seem to have a regular relationship. When Karen is murdered in cold blood, Tyreese is unhinged, just like Rick was months before. He angrily punches Rick, who retaliates, brutally beating Tyreese. Later, he accuses Rick of letting the murder go unpunished. Their relationship is pretty negative as of now.

Carl Grimes
"Come on!"

- Carl helping Tyreese and his group.

After hearing the screaming of Tyreese's group being attacked inside the prison, Carl goes to investigate. Carl helps the group and brings them to safety. He then locks them inside a room, as the group was unsure what to do with them. While Sasha is upset and yells at him for locking them up, Tyreese is understanding and respects Carl for saving him and his group. However when Rick brings Tyreese, Sasha and the rest of the Woodbury survivors back to the prison Carl seems to disapprove and appears to consider them outcasts and unworthy of being in their group.

Hershel Greene
Although their interaction was brief, they seemed to form a friendship. This is evident when Hershel tries to, and almost succeeds to convince Rick into letting Tyreese and his group stay in the prison and to give them a chance at earning their place in "The Suicide King". It is also shown in "Welcome to the Tombs", when Tyreese arrives at the prison, Hershel puts his hand on Tyreese's shoulder showing some friendly affection. Tyreese along with the rest of the group is devastated when Hershel is killed at the hands of the Governor and joined the fight.

The Governor
Tyreese and his group meet The Governor and ask to stay in Woodbury in "I Ain't a Judas". The group explains to The Governor that they were kicked out of the prison and offer information about The Prison and the group. Tyreese wants to help defend against Woodbury's enemies, but The Governor rejects their offer. Tyreese later finds out how deranged and evil The Governor really is and he resolves to take as many survivors as possible and flee Woodbury, severing any type of friendship between the two.

Karen
"You find out who did this and you bring them to me!"

- Tyreese regarding Karen's death.

After becoming the sole survivor of the Governor's assault on his own militia, Karen is rescued by Rick's group and she in turn takes them to Woodbury. Tyreese is initially hesitant in allowing the group inside until Karen reveals herself to be alive, detailing that the Governor fired on his own people and that Rick's people saved her. In Season 4, it is revealed that Tyreese and Karen have formed an intimate relationship and Tyreese volunteered to kill the walkers on the fence so he could get to know her better. Upon Karen's death, Tyreese breaks down on the ground and starts to cry. As seen in Isolation and Too Far Gone, he seeks revenge on someone who killed Karen.

Bob Stookey
"Just let it go, Daryl. Man's made his choice. Nothing you can do about it, you just gotta let it go."

- Tyreese to Daryl about Bob.

Bob comes to Tyreese at the prison asking if he can do his part to help out. It is possible Bob looks to Tyreese as a leader, for he goes to him to ask about how he can do his part. Bob also shows horrified concern when Tyreese is swarmed by a large group of walkers. He also showed concern after Tyreese and Rick had a fight, and told him to check on his wounds. When Daryl finds out that Bob took the wine, he stops him from killing Bob, saying he made his choice and to let it go.

Michonne
"Why the hell didn't you let go?"

- Michonne to Tyreese

Tyreese and Michonne talk about the former's suicidal rage, where Michonne shows to care about Tyreese's well being, implying a stable relationship.

Judith Grimes
Tyreese seems to be the only babysitter of Judith after he saved Judith and evacuated the prison with Lizzie and Mika and before Carol's return.

Appearances
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Season 4

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Trivia

 * Robert Kirkman hinted that a fan-favorite Comic Series character's first appearance in this season would be in Episode 8 of Season 3, "Made to Suffer".
 * Tyreese is shown to have terrible accuracy with firearms, much like his comic book counterpart.
 * This was emphasised in "Too Far Gone" where despite the many people he shot at, he hit only one person, killing them.
 * In the list of action figures expected to be released, Tyreese's last name is mentioned to be "Williams".
 * Tyreese is shown to be a capable fighter, as seen when he easily defeats Allen during their altercation and pushed Ben in "Prey" and in "Isolation", where he pushes Daryl aside and attacks Rick, only for Rick to end up wounding him. Also in "Isolation", Tyreese manages to fight his way through a large herd of walkers unscathed and without being bitten.
 * Tyreese may be left handed as he is shown shooting left handed throughout the series.
 * It is confirmed Tyreese saved Judith Grimes in Too Far Gone.

Comparison to Comic Counterpart

 * In the Comic Series, Tyreese was killed in the volume "Made To Suffer", whereas in the TV Series he is introduced in the episode of the same name.
 * In the Comic Series, Tyreese was first seen traveling with his daughter Julie and her boyfriend Chris. Allen, Donna, and Ben (including the TV Series-omitted Billy) were a part of Rick's group prior to them meeting.
 * In the Comic Series, Tyreese is introduced much earlier, being introduced after the group left Atlanta, but in the TV Series he was introduced after they arrived at the prison.
 * In the Comic Series, Tyreese was always a member of Rick's group, but in the TV Series he initially joined them, then travels to Woodbury, and later rejoins the survivors at the Prison.
 * Tyreese does not have a sister in the comics, just like he doesn't have a daughter in the show.
 * In the Comic Series, Tyreese is killed in the final Prison Assasult, while in the TV Series, he manages to survive and escape the Prison as Hershel is killed in his place.
 * He has outlived many characters his comic counterpart did not.
 * In both the Comic and TV Series, Tyreese is shown to have an intimate relationship with a Caucasian female in the prison who dies, both of whom are killed by Carol (Karen in the TV Series and Carol herself committed suicide in the Comic Series.)