Merle Dixon (TV Series)

"Toughest son of a bitch I know!"

- Daryl Dixon describing his brother

Merle Dixon is a survivor first encountered in "Guts", the second episode of The Walking Dead (TV Series). He has a younger brother named Daryl Dixon and the Dixon brothers appear only in the TV series and do not exist in the continuity of the comic series. He is more than likely a neo-Nazi with his views of non-white races and Waffen SS markings found on his motorcycle. Merle seems to be a military veteran, he is seen reminiscing about punching a "pussy-ass non-com bitch", which got him dishonorably discharged. "Non-com" is a military term used to refer to non-commissioned officers (sergeants).

Location Unknown
Merle and Daryl were frequently neglected by their alcoholic father, which led Merle to act out against society (however as a consequence of his actions he was put in juvenile instituions). He raised Daryl to share the same beliefs and also become tough in the cruel adult world that both of them faced. It's been acknolwedged that, despite talking big, Merle, like their father, was often absent from Daryl's life and didn't give the emotional support that a big brother should.

Merle's neo-nazi and racial tendencies apparently aren't as heavy with Daryl..

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 punches him 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 confinscates Merle's cocaine and tosses it off the side of the building, infuriating him. He is then put under the watch of T-Dog while the other survivors attempt to find a way out of the city. When the survivors do find a way out, T-Dog attempts to save Dixon but accidentally drops the handcuff keys into a vent, forcing him to abandon Dixon on the rooftop, as he flees after locking the rooftop door shut with chains. He is left behind as the survivors escape Atlanta.

Tell It to the Frogs
Left alone, he begins the stages of accepting his fate (praying, bargaining, etc.), until he begins to fight again, this time with the pipe he is cuffed to. As zombies invade the building and reach the chained door to the rooftop, Merle struggles harder until he notices the spilled tools that the others had left behind. He uses his belt to attempt reaching a hack-saw and succeeds in cutting off his hand to escape.

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

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

Chupacabra
Merle reappears in an injured Daryl's dream, 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 hallucintion that someday he will find him.

Season 3
It has been confirmed that Merle (Michael Rooker) will return in Season 3 of AMC's The Walking Dead.

Killed Victims
This list shows the people Merle has killed.
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Trivia

 * Merle is one of many new characters introduced in the TV series that does not appear in the comic series.
 * Merle is one of the many amputees in The Walking Dead. For other victims, see Amputated Victims.
 * Merle has a number of ethnic slurs that he uses against people of different minorities to show his racism.
 * It is likely that Merle has a military background based on his skills with firearms, fighting (taking on Rick, Morales and T-Dog by himself) and his military style haircut. While chained to the pipe on the roof he can be heard mumbling a story about when he mouthed off to a non-commissioned officer and then punched five of his teeth out. He was then sent to prison for 16 months and presumably court-martialed.
 * Merle has been the only (former) military member shown alive in the series so far (Unless the tattoo on Shane's arm is a marine one, not mention the way Shane's spoke when convincing the others to kill the zombies in the barn; which sounded like a drill sergeant).
 * According to his brother, he got the Clap on occasion and had to take some serious antibiotics and drugs.
 * In Daryl's hallucination, Merle had both of his hands.
 * In one episode Shane referred to Merle saying Rick "went on suicide mission to save a drug dealer". It is likely that Merle belonged to some white supremacist organization, perhaps Aryan Brotherhood.
 * In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Norman Reedus stated that Merle will return one day, he just doesn't know when.
 * Michael Rooker has been confirmed to appear in the third season. Of what role he will play in the storyline is currently unknown. On an interview Rooker said "I had to lose 20 pounds to play this role again." This means he will either still be on run, a prisoner of the Governer or the actor simply gained weight during his hiatus. 
 * During The Talking Dead right after the Beside the Dying Fire episode, comic book creator Robert Kirkman hints a definite appearance of Merle in season 3. When asked: " Will Merle, Morgan, and Duane make a return in season 3?," he responded: " Well there is an 100% chance, that 33% of the membership of that group will make a definite appearance in season 3." Merle has the bigger chance of being this 33% after he had been confirmed as returning for Season 3.
 * Creator Robert Kirkman also hinted, in a joking matter, that Merle might be the person piloting the helicopter at the beginning of Beside the Dying Fire.
 * Despite being a hallucination, that moment in Chupacabra is the first and so far only time Daryl and Merle are seen together.
 * Due to the episode, Tell It To The Frogs, it is generally believed that Merle was in the military. However, his argument he began to recall may have also been a reference to his time in prison/jail.