Merle Dixon (TV Series)

"I don't know why I do the things I do. Never did. I'm a damn mystery to me."

- Merle to Rick about the things he has done.

Merle Dixon is a survivor of the zombie apocalypse and brother to Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead. He makes his debut appearance in "Guts." After displaying racist and aggressive behavior to other survivors, Merle is cuffed to a pipe on a rooftop in Atlanta by Rick. He is forced to amputate his own hand when Walkers are approaching the roof through a door, since T-Dog had accidentally dropped the key to the handcuffs. Merle cauterized his own wounds and survived. Eventually he was found by a man named Philip and is taken to Woodbury. However, after Rick's group attacked the town, Merle was considered a traitor and fled Woodbury with Daryl.

Appearance and Personality
Merle is a tall, Caucasian male with a rugged build. He has short grey hair and commonly is seen with light facial stubble. His amputated hand is later replaced by a metal sleeve with an attachment for a hunting knife.

A stereotypical rowdy Southern redneck, Merle is extremely ill-tempered, racist, violent, volatile and quick to express his beliefs. Much like his younger brother, Merle is an expert tracker and hunter. He is deadly with firearms, and in the third season, his hand-blade attachment proves to be one of his deadliest weapons. He is an experienced bruiser, showcased in the first season when he dominated T-Dog in a fist-fight, and at the same time was able to fend off Rick, Morales, and Glenn simultaneously. He also shows his fighting abilities when he took down Caesar in the brutal battle-royal event in Woodbury, and was able to fend off Michonne's sword attacks with his hand-blade. Merle was The Governor's right-hand man, all the while striving to find his brother and take vengeance on Rick and T-Dog, who left him for dead on the roof. However, he later comes across Glenn and Maggie and takes them back to Woodbury as prisoners, going as far as to brutally beat Glenn into revealing information about the prison.

After the prison group comes to the rescue of Glenn and Maggie, Merle was then branded as a traitor and a terrorist by The Governor, and became an enemy of Woodbury.

While he was staying in Woodbury, Merle has read many books including the Bible and even memorized verses of the Bible showing that he is intelligent and also possibly religious. He has also claimed that he liked Woodbury's Library and it is one of the few things he missed about Woodbury.

While in a heated argument with his younger brother, Daryl, he knocks him down and, in the process, rips his shirt, revealing Daryl's scars, revealing that their father beat and abused them both to a somewhat high degree.

After joining the prison group, his personality began to slightly change, appearing to lose some of his violent and racial tendencies. He is even shown to be searching for some forgiveness from those of the group who he had once wronged. He later attempts to fulfill the potential deal made by The Governor and Rick, which was an exchange of Michonne for peace between the two groups. However, he has a change of heart and releases her, instead opting to take on the group of Woodbury soldiers who had been planning an ambush. This would be his biggest and final act of redemption, as after taking down eight Woodbury soldiers, he is killed by The Governor, reanimates and is finally put down by his own brother.

North Georgia
Merle and Daryl lived somewhere in the mountains of North Georgia with their neglectful parents; their father being an alcoholic and their mother being both that and a chain-smoker. When they were both little, they lost their mother to a house fire that had been caused by her cigarette while she was asleep. Because of the lack of love and 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 proudly 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. It is revealed near the end of Season 3 that Merle was once a crystal meth user and that his abuse of the substance played part in "ruining" his life.

Merle presumably abandoned the family during his teenage years, leaving Daryl with their father (seemingly oblivious to the abuse his brother was facing). He then enrolled in the military, as shown by his physical strength, tactical abilities and skill with firearms. At one point, he punched a sergeant, which got him dishonorably discharged. He was then court-martialed and sent to prison for sixteen months.

Survival Instinct

 * Main Article: Merle Dixon (Survival Instinct)

"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 roof drain, forcing him to abandon Dixon on the rooftop, as he flees after locking the rooftop door shut with chains. Merle 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 walkers 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 reach a hacksaw and succeeds in cutting off his hand to escape. This is the last time Merle is seen for the rest of 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.

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 hallucinations, 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 sneaked 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. Andrea, who was already sick at the moment, passes out.

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 bleeding out and starving to death, and was hoping to commit suicide so that he could "take a nice, long nap" and wait for his brother on the other side. He still remembers what Rick did to him, and still despises him for it. Andrea catches him up, telling him that Daryl has earned his place in the group. She explains that the group left Atlanta and went to a farm, but the farm was overrun and this was the last time she saw everybody before being split up from the rest; 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, a town secured by barricades. 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 Mamet, 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 a soldier, the first man that approached him. This was a signal for Merle and other Woodbury guards, who were hiding in the woods nearby, 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. After The Governor makes a speech to the townsfolk saying that the soldiers were already dead when they got there, he talks privately with Merle and Milton.

"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. After Michonne kills the captive walkers locked behind Milton's lab, 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 a bunch of 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 as they were trying to leave through the gate. He informs them that they will need an escort. When he whispers something to the Martinez, and Andrea tries to interject, he orders her to back up. Eventually, Merle decides to open the gate for them, but Andrea refuses to leave and Michonne exits Woodbury by herself.

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, Martinez. What the people don't know is that the fight between Merle and Martinez is choreographed, and that none of the walkers in the arena have teeth.

"Hounded"
The Governor orders Merle to hunt down and kill Michonne, as she is considered dangerous. Merle, Crowley, Tim, and Gargulio go off in the woods, following her trail and searching for her. They locate her and Merle begins to taunt her in order to receive a reaction. Afterwards, Michonne sneaks them from behind, she uses her katana to decapitate Crowley and stab Tim in the stomach before running away. Merle chases her down and shoots her in the thigh before losing her trail again. Merle regroups with his other companion, Gargulio, who is in shock for the death of Crowley and Tim. Merle tells Gargulio to rise to the occasion, "There's some serious shit going down, son." He then stabs Tim's brain to prevent him from reanimating, and forces Gargulio to do the same with Crowley's head. Merle rushes to leave the area, as the shots fired would attract walkers. Michonne sneaks on them once again and attempts to attack Merle, but all three become disoriented in the fight. Walkers arrive, causing Merle to ignore Michonne for a moment. A walker attacks him and Gargulio stabs it in the head, saving Merle, as Michonne escapes amid the commotion. Merle kills the last walker. He assesses that Michonne is as good as dead, since she escaped right into the "Red-Zone", and he plans to lie to The Governor about the events that had taken place, but Gargulio objects. Gargulio refuses to lie to The Governor, he remembers what Merle said earlier about how serious the situation was, Merle at first agrees, but then he shoots Gargulio in the head while he is distracted by a bird call.

Some time after, Merle follows Michonne into the "Red-Zone" and, much to his surprise, he stumble upon Glenn and Maggie while they were on a food and supply run. Merle questions Glenn about Daryl, Glenn says that Daryl is still alive, but refuses to take Merle along because of his knife prosthetic. Merle tries to be friendly at first, but then he shoots at them and holds Maggie hostage. He then orders Glenn to get in the car and drive them to Woodbury, but, without their knowledge, Michonne was watching everything from behind a car. Later on, Merle interrupts The Governor and Andrea as they are having sex. The Governor walks out of his apartment to talk to Merle, who lies to him saying that he killed Michonne, but she managed to kill all the other guys. The Governor is saddened for the lost of his men, Merle then tells 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 holed up.

"When the Dead Come Knocking"
Merle brutally interrogates Glenn to find out the location of the Atlanta survivors' current camp. Despite the brutality, Glenn still does not reveal anything, saying that Rick will eventually find and save them. Merle reinforces that nobody's going to find them. Glenn tries to scare Merle by mentioning several strong survivors still being in the group, but he commits the mistake of mentioning Andrea, so Merle instantly knew that he was lying. Merle eventually becomes frustrated and leaves a walker in the room with Glenn, hoping that it would kill him. However, Glenn ends up killing the walker in a matter of minutes with a piece of the broken chair he was duct-taped to. Eventually, Merle, Martinez and The Governor talk about the situation, Merle says that he wasn't able to get any information from Glenn, but he's going to interrogate Maggie next. The Governor says no and tells him that he is going to talk to her himself. After a while, The Governor gets tired of games, he, along with Merle and Martinez, takes Maggie to the shack where Glenn is and threatens to kill one in front of the other. Maggie eventually reveals that the Atlanta group is camped in a prison inside the "Red-Zone".

Later on, at The Governor's apartment, The Governor says that now that they know that Daryl is still alive, this may count when the time comes to Merle to choose a side, he questions where Merle's loyalty lies, and Merle assures him that his loyalty is no longer to the Atlanta group or his brother, but to Woodbury and The Governor.

"Made to Suffer"
Merle converses with The Governor, who is interested in ambushing the prison and enlisting Daryl as an, "inside man". Merle requests that nothing happen to Daryl, and The Governor complies. He then orders Merle to take Glenn and Maggie to the "screamer pits" and execute them. Merle and Warren are going to collect the two when they are ambushed by Glenn and Maggie, and Warren is killed when Maggie stabs him in the throat. Shots are accidentally fired during the confusion, attracting the attention of the entire town. Maggie holds Merle at gunpoint but is stopped when Martinez arrives. Glenn and Maggie are restrained and ready to be executed, but Merle and the other Woodbury men are ambushed by Rick's group, who throw several flash grenades inside the shack and successfully rescue Glenn and Maggie. When The Governor and the others are in Milton's lab talking about what is happening, Merle arrives saying that they were attacked and that Warren is dead. The Governor immediately orders every guard to check every corner of Woodbury in search of the "terrorists". Shortly after, smoke dominates the streets of Woodbury and another shootout ensues. Merle participates in the shootout between the Woodbury soldiers and Rick's group, though the smoke affects their vision, so they are not able to recognize each other.

After the shootout where Rick's group manage to escape, Merle visits The Governor at the infirmary after he was stabbed in the eye. Merle asks what happened, but The Governor only tells Merle that he was attacked and doesn't say who it was (Michonne, who Merle told that was dead, is the one who attacked The Governor). The Woodbury citizens are all called into the arena, where The Governor makes a speech about the attack to calm down his people. He then accuses Merle of participating in the attack and betraying them all. Merle is shocked when the Woodbury soldiers bring in a restrained Daryl, who was captured during the shootout. The Governor asks the residents what should be done with the terrorists. The Dixon brothers are finally reunited after nearly a year apart as the crowd cheers for their deaths.

"The Suicide King"
In the arena, The Governor orders Merle and Daryl to fight to the death, with the winner walking away free. Merle says that he will do whatever he can to prove his loyalty to Woodbury before punching and kicking Daryl. On the ground, Merle orders Daryl to follow his lead, proving he has no intentions on killing him. Rick and Maggie attack the Woodbury citizens by shooting the lamps and throwing in a smoke grenade, Merle knocks down Shumpert and escapes with Daryl, Rick and Maggie. After reuniting with the others far away from Woodbury, Glenn and Michonne are not happy to see Merle and attempt to attack him. After Daryl tells Merle to shut up multiple times, Merle begins insulting the group, but Rick pistol whips him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Daryl later decides to depart with Merle, refusing to abandon him again.

"Home"
Merle is in the woods with Daryl, and it appears the two haven't had much luck with scavenging food. Daryl hears the cries of a baby at the bridge over Yellow Jacket Creek, where Merle jokingly suggests that the noise is just two raccoons mating. They notice a Hispanic family being surrounded by walkers, and Merle reluctantly assists Daryl in saving the family. After the walkers have been killed, Merle holds the family at gunpoint and attempts to retrieve their supplies, until Daryl holds his crossbow at Merle and orders him to allow the family to depart. Back in the woods, Merle and Daryl argue over the events that had just transpired, Merle is jealous that Daryl changed so much after spending almost a year with Rick and mentions their original plans to rob the Atlanta group back at the original camp. Daryl says that Merle was the one who left him, as he always did in the past. Merle gets frustrated and rips Daryl's shirt, revealing scars on the younger brother's back from childhood abuse. Merle reveals that he was unaware of his father's abuse of Daryl. Daryl decides to depart back to the prison, and Merle tearfully informs Daryl that he can't accompany him because he attempted to kill Michonne and brutally attacked Glenn. Daryl accuses Merle of once again leaving him and departs. However, both Merle and Daryl come back to the prison in time to save Rick from being killed by three walkers, who had him pinned against the chain-link fence.

"I Ain't a Judas"
Merle is locked inside the common room of the prison as the group discuss what to do about The Governor's recent attack. Merle informs the group that The Governor probably has scouts on the outside to trap them in, and that they had a window of opportunity to retaliate last night, but didn't. Merle appears to be right when Rick notices movement near the trees from afar when he looks out with his binoculars. While fastening his bayonet back to his metal covering, Hershel visits him in the cell, where they bond over their amputations saving their lives and a Bible verse. Merle also informs Hershel of The Governor's planned pecking order if he attacks again, with Merle being the first death and Rick being the last because The Governor wants Rick to watch all his family and friends die around him.

Later on, Merle apologizes to Michonne for trying to kill her, saying that he was simply following orders and that he has done a lot of things he regretted, before and after. When Andrea shows up at the prison, Merle assists Rick into scouting her in. He, along with the rest of the group, listens to Andrea's plan of making peace with The Governor and Woodbury, Merle chuckles when she says that there is room for all of them at Woodbury. After Andrea leaves, by the evening, Merle is seen in the door of the common room, listening to Beth singing. Rick privately tells Daryl that if Merle causes any trouble, he is to blame.

"Clear"
Merle does not appear in this episode, but is mentioned by Rick during his conversation with Carl regarding Michonne. One of the reasons that Rick gives to Carl for bringing Michonne on the weapons run is that he did not want to leave her at the prison with Merle.

"Arrow on the Doorpost"
Whilst Rick, Daryl and Hershel have departed to rendezvous with The Governor so they can talk, Merle is seen with the rest of the survivors back at the prison where it looks like they are gearing up for war and lookout. Also, whilst Rick and The Governor are discussing their need to fulfill the protection of their people, Merle is mentioned by The Governor, whom he blames for the capture and torture of Glenn and Maggie, but it doesn't convince Rick.

Back at the Prison, Merle is seen suggesting to Glenn in front of the rest of the group that they have to kill The Governor before he kills them, which puts a scared look in Glenn's eyes; he is worried that Merle is actually scared of someone for once. But as the de facto leader whilst Rick, Daryl and Hershel are gone, he decides that it's a bad idea and that keeping Merle at the prison and fighting is the best chance they've got, which puts a disappointed yet worried look on Merle's eye, showing his desperation to kill The Governor.

Later, Merle is seen packing guns into the duffel bag, in which he tells the group he is going to assassinate The Governor. Glenn becomes infuriated due to Merle not heaving his warning about putting Rick, Daryl and Hershel into a cross fire which could potentially kill them. Merle tries to leave but Glenn blocks the door, wanting Merle to stay put within the Prison. This infuriates Merle and his temper begins to ignite, so after a few warnings and Glenn repetitively saying for him to stay, a fight ensues. Merle grabs Glenn and pushes him away, but before he can open the door, Glenn tackles him and they fall down a small set of stairs. Merle is strangling Glenn until Maggie begins to choke him and Michonne holds his bayonet arm. Beth, with a annoyed look on her face, shoots the ceiling, which stops the confusion. Merle is left angrily telling Maggie and Michonne to let him go, in which they do. After this, he meets Michonne alone, telling her that she is attractive and seductive, and they can end this by assassinating The Governor. She denies the offer, saying that, "killing him will result in more people getting killed, I ain't getting involved in that."

When Rick arrives back with the others, Merle asks if Rick was all alone with The Governor, he answers that he was. Merle walks by Glenn saying that they should've done it when they got the chance. He listens as Rick explains to the group that they are going to a war against The Governor and Woodbury.

"Prey"
Merle did not appear in this episode; Andrea mentions him while talking to Milton.

"This Sorrowful Life"
Merle is at Cell Block B, ripping apart mattresses and looking for drugs. Rick approaches him and reveals that The Governor promised to leave the group alone as long as they give him Michonne. He wants Merle to do the dirty work, "You're cold as ice, Officer Friendly," Merle says before giving instructions of which kind of wire they will need to use to keep Michonne captive. He also doubts that The Governor will leave them alone, and mocks Rick for asking him to do this since he is ashamed of giving up Michonne's life like this, knowing that The Governor will slowly torture her. Merle is then seen watching the group from outside, he laughs at Rick's reaction next to Michonne, which draws Carol's attention. She questions if Merle is with the group or not, and he says that he is with the group because of his brother. She tells him to pick a side, he is with the group, or he is not. Merle reminds Carol that she used to be a scared and innocent woman back at the Atlanta camp.

Merle goes to the generator room to gather supplies to capture Michonne, when Daryl arrives and Merle says that he was only searching for crystal meth. Daryl asks him if Merle is going to do "it," and Merle says that he is, since nobody else has courage to do it. He also questions what happened to Daryl, because he isn't the same since he became friends with Rick, and laughs at him for always taking Rick's orders. Daryl says that he just wants his brother back. "Get outta here," Merle replies. Daryl walks off as Merle puts the supplies in a bag. He then takes Michonne to "the tombs" with an excuse that Rick told them to search for the breach Tyreese and his group used to get in, while she is distracted killing walkers, Merle knocks her unconscious and drags her into a room where he binds her wrists and covers her head with a bag. Later, Merle and a captive Michonne are walking down a road on their way to the meeting, he explains the deal Rick made with The Governor and how he didn't want to take any risks. Michonne tries to irritate Merle, but he ignores her and uses her katana to kill a walker that was approaching, he says that she could have escaped while he was doing this, but she says that she wouldn't leave without her sword, and they both strangely laugh. Further on, Merle stops to check if there is a car available to them, he tells Michonne not to take it personal because this is the only way he will be able to save his brother at the prison. Michonne notes that Merle has a conscience after all, but Merle disagrees, saying "I've killed 16 men since all this went down."

They come upon an abandoned motel, Merle tethers Michonne to a post while he hotwires a car. He accidentally triggers the alarm, attracting all the nearby walkers. Michonne is forced to fight the walkers with no weapons while Merle turns off the car alarm, he then frees Michonne from the post, they get in the car and drive off. In the car, she tells him how the group would welcome him with open arms, but instead he chooses to be an outsider. He also calls her an outsider, but she adds: "once the Governor's done with me, at least I won't have to live with myself." She wonders why Merle wants to deal with The Governor since he was the one who turned Merle into a killer, and Merle says that there is no way back from this path but Michonne says that they can go back to the prison. Merle stops the car, cuts the wire that were tied to her wrists and opens the door for her, he tells her to go back and gives her sword, "I got something I gotta do," he says, and drives off alone.

Merle is next seen outside a bar playing loud music inside the car while drinking alcohol. Walkers surround his car and he smiles. He slowly drives to the meeting, prompting the walkers to follow him along the way, when he arrives at the farm store, he bails out of the car allowing it to crash into the meeting area, still playing loud music, and the walkers who were following the car continue after it into the area. This forces the Woodbury soldiers waiting for Rick's arrival to defend themselves from the herd. Merle finds a hiding spot and grabs his assault rifle and starts shooting the Woodbury soldiers one by one. Due to the loud music and shots being fired against the walkers, the soldiers don't notice that it is an ambush. Merle finally spots The Governor helping his men to kill the walkers, Merle has dead aim at The Governor, but Ben unintentionally walks in the way and gets shot instead, saving The Governor's life. Immediately after the missed shot, a walker in the farm store almost got Merle from the side which he manage to kill after a struggle. The struggle revealed his location and the Woodbury soldiers attack and kick him to the ground. The Governor orders them to back off, saying that he is going to take care of Merle himself. The Governor drags Merle back into the farm store where he was hiding and starts kicking and punching him, an already severely weakened Merle fights back, but to no avail. The Governor chokes him and bites off two of Merle's fingers before breaking his bayonet arm and finally stunning Merle. "I ain't gonna beg you," says Merle weakly, The Governor pulls out his gun and shoots Merle in the chest, killing and dooming him to become a walker.

After the Governor and the Woodbury faction left, abandoning many of their dead, Merle reanimated and started feeding on Ben's corpse. Daryl, on a mission to rescue Merle, arrives and sees his brother as a walker. Daryl starts crying in sadness. As Merle tries to attack him, Daryl pushes his undead brother back three times before finally dropping Merle to the ground and stabbing him in the face multiple times. Daryl then falls to the ground crying next to his dead brother.

"Welcome to the Tombs"
Merle is mentioned by Daryl when he talks to Carol, and she praises him for improving their odds against The Governor. Later, he is mentioned by Carl when he talks to Rick. Carl mentions that Rick's decisions to not kill bad people, such as Andrew and The Governor, resulted in the deaths of Lori and Merle respectively.

Killed By
After Merle is captured by the Woodbury soldiers during the shootout, The Governor grabs him and takes him back inside the building that Merle was shooting from. The Governor beats him then bites off two of Merle's fingers on his left hand and breaks his right arm before fatally shooting him in the chest.
 * The Governor (Alive)

Daryl comes across the undead Merle feeding on Ben, at the meeting place. Daryl pushes him back 3 times, before stabbing Merle in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. He finishes the undead Merle by stabbing him multiple times in the face.
 * Daryl Dixon (Zombified)

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Merle has killed:
 * Tim (Before Reanimation).
 * Gargulio
 * Ben
 * Five U.S Military soldiers.
 * Wilson (alongside his fellow soldier survivors).
 * Seven Woodbury Soldiers. (Either directly or caused)
 * Numerous counts of zombies and at least 9 other unnamed people.

Daryl Dixon
"Do you even posses the pair of balls little brother? Are they even attached?"

- Merle to Daryl about Daryl's strength.

Daryl was raised by his brother to share his beliefs. Merle was Daryl's biggest influence growing up, and was also apparently the only member of their family that paid any attention to him growing up. When the apocalypse broke out, Merle and Daryl worked together and easily survived. When Daryl found out in "Tell It to the Frogs" that Merle had been left for dead by the group, he became furious. After discovering Merle had escaped Daryl had no doubts his brother was still alive. Daryl was the only person during Season 2 who was interested in looking for his brother, and even had an hallucination about Merle in "Chupacabra". In the hallucination, however, Daryl expressed his own dislike of his brother and how Merle was never really there for him and how he lived in Merle's shadow. Although it did seem to be implied that the image of his brother tormenting him was the only thing to help him survive in such a broken down state, possibly a testament to tough love that Merle gave him, and his understanding of this is why he still cares for his brother.

In Season 3, after being captured, Daryl finally reunites with his brother for the first time since the Atlanta camp. When faced with leaving his Merle behind at the end of "The Suicide King", Daryl chooses to go with his brother out on their own instead of returning to the prison without him. During the rescue of a family trapped by walkers, Merle sees that the time his brother spent with the Atlanta group has changed him; when Merle goes to raid the family's supplies, Daryl threatens to kill him. Later as they argue, the two fight each other and Merle is seen to be horrified when he notices scars on Daryl's back from beatings that he received as a child from their father.

In "This Sorrowful Life" Daryl is seen attempting to talk Glenn into forgiving Merle, because he knows Merle is too proud to apologize. Later on he finds Merle in the generator room and the two talk about the plan to hand Michonne over. Merle says that the group needs someone to do their dirty work- a bad guy, and that the group, without Daryl, looks at him like the Devil. Daryl tries to convince Merle that he can't do things without people anymore. Merle comments on the way Daryl has changed, stating that he would've have called people acting as he does "sheep" before the apocalypse. Daryl then expresses his concern of his brother's own change, mentioning that he just wants his brother back. Daryl later goes to track down his brother when Merle leaves with Michonne. Upon finding him reanimated as a walker, he breaks into tears. After shoving his brother back three times, all the while trying not to break down, he tackles Merle to the ground and stabs his head multiple times in rage. Daryl then breaks down crying over the loss of his older brother, showing just how much he cared for him.

The Governor
"I ain't gonna beg...I ain't begging you!"

- Merle's last words to the Governor.

Merle and The Governor seemed to be close allies. Merle was Philip's right hand man, and Merle accompanied Philip when they go out to gain supplies. Merle seemed to be in The Governor's inner circle, along with Milton Mamet. Although Merle is Philip's right hand man, some tension can be seen between the two. This can be seen in the episode, "Killer Within", when Philip denies Merle permission to look for his brother unless he gets more solid evidence. It is also worth noting that Merle seems to fear Philip to some degree. In "Hounded", Merle decides to lie to him about Michonne's fate, rather than have Philip think of him as a failure. The Governor also keeps Merle under control through intimidation, as seen in "Walk With Me", where he tells Merle that he hasn't changed at all and reminds him how grateful he should be to the Governor. Merle is betrayed by The Governor in "Made to Suffer", as he blames him for allowing the Prison group into Woodbury, effectively ending their positive relationship. The true reason behind this is that Merle lied to him about killing Michonne, which cost him his eye and the life of his zombified daughter.

After his escape from Woodbury, Merle later admits that The Governor is a 'smooth talker.' Whether this is due to the Governor betraying him or not remains unknown.

Andrea
"Now, how's about a big hug for your old pal Merle, huh?"

- Merle to Andrea, seeing her for the first time since Atlanta.

Merle and Andrea's relationship was, in the beginning, poor. In Atlanta, he beat T-Dog and made racist comments towards Morales. He also declared himself in charge, which angered Andrea and the rest of the group. In "Walk With Me", after bringing Andrea and Michonne to Woodbury, he discovers the Atlanta group members' deaths from Andrea, being sympathetic about Amy and asking about Daryl. In "Killer Within", Merle is given information on the farm from Andrea so he can look for Daryl and asks why they never, "hooked up". Andrea answers that he called her a "whore" and a "rug-muncher". Merle smiles, saying that he has a way with words, and the conversation ends with the two appearing to have buried the hatchet. In "The Suicide King", Andrea stands up for Daryl, calling him a friend, yet doesn't stand up for Merle despite their recent friendship.

Amy
"She was a good kid."

- Merle to Andrea about Amy.

Amy and Merle were never shown together onscreen, but when Andrea was reunited with Merle in the Season 3 episode, "Walk With Me", after telling him that Amy was dead (among others from the group), Merle apologizes for her loss, saying that, "she was a good kid". Whether or not this meant that the two interacted, Merle was most likely being sympathetic.

T-Dog
"T-Dog, big ol' spirit chucker..."

- Merle to Glenn discussing his fate.

T-Dog and Merle had a poor relationship from the beginning due to Merle's racism: calling T-Dog a "nigger" and beating him. It worsened when T-Dog refused to release him and accidentally dropped the keys to Merle's cuffs down a drain, forcing Merle to amputate his own hand. When Merle learns of T-Dog's death, he comments, "Well, I hope he went slow."

Rick Grimes
"You're as cold as ice, Officer Friendly."

- Merle to Rick about handing over Michonne to The Governor.

Rick handcuffed Merle to the roof, causing him to be abandoned and forcing him to amputate his own hand in order to escape. As revealed in, "Walk with Me", Merle expresses to Andrea that he has not forgotten Rick's involvement in his amputation, and severely despises him. Merle is no doubt seeking vengeance on Rick, and wants him dead. Then after Rick saved him and Daryl, Merle still harbored a grudge against Rick, leading the latter to pistol-whip him unconscious after continually taunting him and being told to shut up. After reuniting with Daryl and leaving Woodbury, the brothers go back to the prison during an attack from the Governor, where Merle saves Rick from a walker, possibly in an effort to regain his trust and a spot in the group. In "I Ain't a Judas", Merle is not locked up away from the group, is left alone with Hershel, and is even given a bayonet showing that Rick has developed limited trust for Merle.

Glenn Rhee
"You're a pretty big snack for this fella, but you know what they say....he's just gonna be hungry again in an hour."

- Merle before setting a walker on Glenn.

Not much is known of Glenn and Merle's relationship, but Glenn may have found Merle untrustworthy due to him often abusing the Atlanta Group. In Season 3, Merle captured Glenn and Maggie and took them to Woodbury, where he interrogated Glenn on where the remaining Atlanta Survivors were located, including Rick. Merle attacked and beat Glenn continuously and even went as far as bringing in a walker to attempt to persuade Glenn to talk. Glenn and Maggie gave up the location of the prison but then shortly afterward, Rick, Michonne, Oscar, and Daryl breached Woodbury's walls, rescuing Glenn and Maggie although Maggie revealed the location of The Prison. When Rick and Maggie returned and rescued Daryl and Merle Dixon, Glenn tried to kill Merle showing a negative relationship however he was stopped by Daryl.

Milton Mamet
Merle and Milton often disagreed on certain topics from time to time, including on how Merle was unable to work with Milton on researching the walkers. Merle did complement him on his duct tape armor, leaving Milton satisfied. Milton often questioned Merle's actions on how to handle certain situations, but Milton was able to work with Merle despite their differences before The Governor betrayed Merle after Rick and his group attacked Woodbury.

Shane Walsh
"Why would you risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?"

- Shane to Rick about going back for Merle.

Shane and Merle were never seen together, but Shane did not like Merle much. He even went as far as to attempt and convince Rick not to go back for Merle and the Bag of Guns after Merle was handcuffed and abandoned in Atlanta. In Season 2, when Shane had a talk with Lori about Rick's abilities of being a leader, one of Rick's characteristics that was mentioned was when how he went back for Merle on a, "suicide mission to save a drug dealer."

Morales
Morales and Merle didn't seem to get along very well. Merle was shooting walkers on a roof in Atlanta, which Morales and the Atlanta group didn't agree with due to the fact that he was wasting bullets and attracting more walkers in the process. Merle then called Morales a, "taco vendor", claiming Morales to have been on his case all day. This lead to Merle attacking Morales, T-Dog, and Rick, announcing his leadership of the group. Before anything else could happen, Rick attacked Merle with a rifle and handcuffed him to a pipe. Morales and the rest of the group abandoned Merle, even after T-Dog lost the keys to Merle's cuffs. Morales pressed to Rick to not feel remorseful about Merle being abandoned, as no one would be angered of his loss at the Atlanta camp, other than Merle's own brother, Daryl.

Gargulio
"I'm gonna keep calling ya 'Neil'."

- Merle to Gargulio.

Merle and The Governor trained Gargulio as part of Woodbury's army. Due to Merle's inaccurate pronunciation of Gargulio's name, Merle just called him, "Neil". While hunting down Michonne after she departed Woodbury, Gargulio was starting to get nervous about the mission, but Merle told him to snap out of it. When Michonne came out of the blue and killed Tim and Crowley, Merle and Neil were chasing down Michonne before walkers showed up and attacked Merle and Neil, allowing Michonne to escape. Neil saved Merle's life by killing one of the walkers that was fighting Merle. Afterwards, Merle wanted to go back to Woodbury because he assumed that Michonne was surely dead. Neil, however, wanted to chase down Michonne because he thought they were close to killing her and still believed that they would have a chance of killing her. Merle had another idea, wanting to lie to The Governor about Michonne, but Neil still wanted to go on and track Michonne down. Merle then killed Gargulio shortly after the argument.

Michonne
"You're as much on the outside as I am, girl."

- Merle to Michonne.

The two first meet when he caught her and Andrea looking over the helicopter crash site. Initially showing a racist attitude toward African-Americans, Merle does not insult her, showing his change as a person after The Governor saves him. After she leaves Woodbury, Merle is instructed to take a group to hunt her down and kill her. He is unable to accomplish his task and lies to The Governor by saying she is dead.

Michonne's view of The Governor contrasts Merle's view of him. She believes him to be dangerous while he says he's a good man, though this view ultimately changes following the Governor accusing Merle of betrayal.

While in the Prison, Merle apologizes for trying to kill Michonne, stating that he was simply following orders and that he has done things that he has regretted, before and after. It is unclear whether Michonne forgave Merle or not.

In This Sorrowful Life, Merle tricked Michonne into the Tombs and knocks her unconscious to bind her for the Governor. Later, Merle walks Michonne down an abandoned road and explains the Governor's proposition. He says Rick would never have gone through with it and he's doing it to save Daryl and the others. Michonne notes that Merle has a conscience after all, but Merle disagrees. Eventually though, Merle realizes that she's right and sets her free.

Hershel Greene
"How did you lose it?"

- Merle to Hershel, referring to his leg.

Merle and Hershel first met in "I Ain't a Judas" and it appears that the two have bonded through a discussion of their loss of limbs and the Bible. Hershel also values Merle's military experience.

Caesar Martinez
Merle and Martinez have presumably spent many months surviving the apocalypse together and have become close allies. Merle even gave him the nickname "Brownie" (because of his skin color). The two also poke jabs at each other like brothers, for example when Martinez called Merle as ugly as the walkers and Merle just laughed. When Merle was accused of being a traitor, Martinez followed through with orders and held a gun to his back but hung his head in shame. Although when Merle was captured after attacking Woodbury, Martinez participated in beating him while he was down.

Tim
Merle and Tim became friends because of there frequent trips with and for the Governor. After Michonne stabbed Tim in the chest and escaped, Merle didn't seem very upset by Tim's death, but that did stop him from reanimating by stabbing him through the head with his bayonet.

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.
 * Daryl's motorcycle was previously owned by Merle.
 * It is assumed that "Stoney" is a nickname used by the writing staff, and that is why that name was on the sheet of paper.
 * According to Shane, Merle was a drug dealer before the apocalypse.
 * The scene where Merle Dixon starts shooting off his gun on the roof top in Season 1 caused a little bit of real-life chaos; some people did not know they were filming and thought that the actor, Michael Rooker, was a sniper and called the police. A real SWAT team actually showed up. Fortunately, no one was arrested.
 * Merle is one of the many amputees in The Walking Dead. For other victims, see Amputated Victims.
 * Merle managed to amputate his own hand with a hack saw.
 * Later, two of his fingers are bitten off in a struggle with The Governor.
 * Merle has a number of ethnic slurs that he uses against people of different minorities to show his racism.
 * Merle also has a tendency to call others with the names he makes up himself:
 * Daryl Dixon (Little Baby Brother, Darlina, Little Brother)
 * Andrea (Blondie, Sugar Tits, Rug-Muncher, Whore)
 * Morales (Taco Vendor)
 * T-Dog (Nigger, Spear-Chucker, Mr. Yo, Piece a' Shit)
 * Caesar Martinez (Brownie)
 * Gargulio (Neil)
 * Mexican man (Beaner)
 * Michonne (Mute, Black Bitch, Nubian Queen, Sweetheart, Darling)
 * Milton Mamet (Miltie)
 * Maggie Greene (The Farmer's Daughter, Honey, Bo-Peep, Love-Birds)
 * Rick Grimes (The Sheriff, Officer Friendly, Sheriff Rick)
 * Glenn Rhee (Chinese Kid, Love-Birds)
 * Beth Greene (Girl)
 * According to his brother, he got 'The Clap' (Gonorrhea) on occasion and had to take serious antibiotics and drugs.
 * It is likely that Merle belonged to some white supremacist organization. This speculation is due to the fact that his motorcycle bears SS (Schutzstaffel) insignia, or it is possible that he is a Neo-Nazi.
 * Merle is a major character in the Walking Dead video game which was developed by Terminal Reality.
 * Michael Rooker lost 28 pounds in order to prepare for Merle's return in Season 3.
 * 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 Comic Series to replace his amputated leg).
 * In "Walk With Me", Merle reveals to Andrea that he believes in an afterlife.
 * In "Hounded", Merle chooses not to reveal to The Governor that Michonne has survived, due to the fear of his wrath.
 * This is similar to how Gabe lied about killing her in the Comic Series after the capture of Tyreese.
 * This is also similar to how Dwight decides not to tell Negan about Paul Monroe's escape, for the same reason.
 * "Made to Suffer" is the first episode where Merle and Darylare physically seen together.


 * In "This Sorrowful Life" Merle is seen digging through the mattresses of the prison in search of drugs, and states that the "best dope" he'd ever had was in a mattress.
 * By killing eight Woodbury Army soldiers in his final moments, Merle potentially crippled the Governor's forces, giving the prison survivors more of an edge.
 * Oddly enough, Merle kills Ben before being shot by The Governor, and after reanimation proceeds to eat the boy's body as a walker. He is the only known character to kill someone as a human, and then devour that person as a walker.
 * Merle is the first and only person to have multiple amputations on the TV series. He loses a hand and later, two fingers.
 * On Talking Dead, Michael Rooker revealed that he dislikes his hand prosthetic being called "The Stump" and prefers calling it "Lil' Merle".
 * Merle's death and reanimation was leaked online nine days prior to it being shown, resulting in some backlash from fans.
 * This is similar to the leaks surrounding Shane's death which happened around the same time the year before.  It is also worth mentioning that both characters died and reanimated in the penultimate episode of their respective seasons.
 * Merle is shown to be able to break-in and hotwire a car.
 * Prior to his final shootout, he stated that he had killed 16 people since the apocalypse began. All of these were during his time in Philip's inner circle.
 * However, in Survival Instinct, which can be considered canon with the TV series, he can be shown killing off his former gang members as revenge for turning him in before the apocalypse, meaning that he has killed before even entering Rick's group, and, possibly even before the apocalypse.
 * Although it is unknown if Merle's shootout was a suicide mission or not, Michael Rooker says it was likely not, though he thinks Merle was accepting of the possibility of dying.
 * Merle is the second person to be put down by a sibling after reanimation, the first being Amy.
 * He is also the only member of Rick's group to reanimate and eat another survivor.
 * Merle has killed the second largest amount of living characters on the TV show with at least 24, while The Governor has the largest with over 30.
 * However, if Survival Instinct can be considered canon with the TV Series, it's possible that Merle's list of killed victims is much larger than the current list(and possibly The Governor's,) as he went on a vengeful shootout on a former gang for turning him into the cops pre-apocalypse while Daryl retrieved his crossbow.
 * In the episode "Made to Suffer" Merle suggests moving Woodbury to the prison, which the Governor declines. Ironically, most of the remaining Woodbury populace is moved to the prison by the end of the season.