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This article is about the Comic Series character. You may be looking for his appearance in the Novel Series, his Rick Grimes 2000, Road to Survival, or TV Series counterparts.

I was never out there. I was never in danger, hunted, terrorized by those things. I was in here before they came to life and started killing people... and I was in here after. So yeah--it's a new world, but god help me... I like this world better.
―Axel to Tyreese.[src]

Axel is a survivor of the outbreak in Image Comics' The Walking Dead. He is an old biker imprisoned for armed robbery, who survived the outbreak trapped in the prison cafeteria, along with Dexter, Andrew, and Thomas. Unlike his fellow prisoners, Axel integrated with Rick's group and became a trusted member.

Overview[]

Despite his grizzly and rough appearance, Axel is a gentle and casual man. He is one of the few characters who seems to be unfazed by trauma, and retains his passive and casual attitude at all times. He is very ambivalent and relatively lazy, occasionally ditching his responsibilities while at the prison. He remains cool headed at all times, and such is displayed in the battle of the prison where, compared to the other survivors, Axel is relatively calm and has accepted the probable defeat. An example of this attitude is his reaction towards The Governor's army, instead of panicking Axel simply exclaimed "We're fucked."

Axel was a trustworthy character, even for a prison inmate. He helped to clean out the zombies in the prison and when the prison got overrun or attacked and would help to burn the corpses. Axel was also slightly perverted, 'accidentally' walking in on Lori and Carol while they were showering and would make sexual comments about the female members of the group. He also had a habit for ending most of his sentences with "You follow me?". Axel died when helping the group defend the prison, during Woodbury's attempt to take it for themselves.

Pre-Apocalypse[]

Meriwether County Correctional Facility[]

Not much is known about Axel's life prior to or as the outbreak began, except that he was convicted for armed robbery and subsequently incarcerated in the Meriwether County Correctional Facility.

Post-Apocalypse[]

Meriwether County Correctional Facility[]

As the outbreak began, the prisoners within the correctional facility learned of the outbreak through news reports began relayed on the TV. As news of the outbreak spread, the guards of the prison began deserting en masse to be with their families, leaving the prison massively understaffed and vulnerable. Eventually some walkers managed to enter the prison, leading to it being overrun fairly quickly, and the remaining prisoners, including Axel, facing the fate of starving to death in their cells. However, the remaining guards let them out of their cells with the proposal of cooperating to fight their way out of the prison, which the prisoners agree to. Dexter and the coalition of guards and inmates fight their way out of the prison until the guards lock the surviving inmates, Dexter, Axel, Andrew and Thomas, in the prison cafeteria, leaving them isolated from the outside world until the main of group of survivors arrive and free them from the cafeteria.

Safety Behind Bars[]

Axel is welcoming of the survivors and fits into the group without much trouble, despite their knowledge of his criminal past. He also had a caring and understanding side, shown when he tried to help Andrew realize that Dexter didn't really love him, though this was subsequently rejected by Andrew. He is also a pervert as he watches Lori and Carol shower in the mens locker room while half naked. When Dexter tries to force the survivors out of the prison, Axel stands up for them.

The Heart's Desire[]

Being the only one of the four convicts to remain with the survivors during their time at the prison and after some general mistrust he eventually earns their confidence, after working hard and being willing to help whenever anybody asked for it, including when helping Rick amputates Allen's leg.

The Best Defense[]

Axel is seen helping the group in various instances, like clearing out zombies near the fence, and turning on the generator. Later he is seen talking to Tyreese while waiting for Rick, Glenn, and Michonne to get back.

This Sorrowful Life[]

Axel is seen helping Tyreese burn the bodies of zombies.

The Calm Before[]

Axel is seen at Glenn and Maggie's wedding and later leaving the prison in the RV to get weapons with Glenn, Maggie, Andrea, Michonne and Tyreese. Later, he goes out to "take a piss" and finds the sign with directions to Woodbury and the National Guard Station. After he gets back, he helps clear more zombies from around the fences of the prison. He also attends Carol's funeral.

Made To Suffer[]

During the initial Woodbury assault on the prison, Axel is shot in the arm. When Dale and several other survivors decide to leave, Axel is seen helping everyone, despite only having the use of one arm. He has a brief fling with Patricia. Alice walks in on the two of them having sex and he later admits to her that he "didn't want to regret anything, you follow me?". Upon Woodbury's second attack, Axel doesn't have much input and is almost immediately killed by an unknown Woodbury soldier.

Death[]

Killed By

After helping the survivors set up defenses, Axel is shot in the head by an unknown Woodbury soldier during the beginning of the second prison assault.

Killed Victims[]

This list shows the victims Axel has killed:

Relationships[]

For a more in-depth look at Axel's relationships, read here: Axel (Comic Series)/Relationships

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

For more images of Axel, please visit Axel (Comic Series)/Gallery.

Trivia[]

  • Axel is one of the three characters in the whole The Walking Dead franchise to have a catchphrase, others being Norma Sutters and Sarah.
    • Robert Kirkman stated, "Axel saying "You follow me" is a personality tick, something he's done for as long as he's been in the book.[1]
  • Axel is one of the few characters Robert Kirkman misses and regrets killing.
    • Creator Robert Kirkman wrote:
      "I wanted Axel's death to be pretty abrupt and final... like things would be in real life. No speech, no moment of heroism or sacrifice ...just a sound and a fallen body. Probably didn't live up to what you wanted but most deaths wouldn't in real life. Not many people really get to go out in a grand style."[2]
    • Kirkman also mentioned in the Letter Hacks that he wanted Axel and Patricia to have a relationship so Axel's death would be more tragic.
  • Axel was the only prisoner who gained the groups trust after they got to know him. He also never did anything malicious to the other survivors, though he did have a desire of peeping on the women while they showered.

References[]

  1. Issue 41, page 27, Letter Hacks.
  2. Issue 48, page 25, Letter Hacks.

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