| This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for his Comic Series or Road to Survival counterparts, the Video Game character, the prison resident, the actor, the other actor, or the writer. |
| “ | Do you... Do you know what this is? This is... This is an original Stradivarius... Circa 1725. [...] It's art [...] Look, for a very long time, historians and archeologists have wondered how did ancient humans survive the Neanderthals? Okay? How did we defeat them when they were bigger and they were smarter and they were stronger, faster? They had better tools than us. So why are we still here and they're not? And then they found a cave. Okay? And in that cave, they found a 40,000 year old flute. [...] Yes. A flute. Yeah. And then they realized that maybe ancient humans didn't defeat Neanderthal. Not in the way that we think of the word "defeat," okay? They came together as an answer to defeat. They sat around a campfire. They shared their stories with each other in the form of music. And paintings. And they created a common identity. And then they, you know, they built communities, and they grew. And then, as they grew, Neanderthal retreated, and then, after a while, they just died out. So this, yeah. This. This. This is the one thing that separates us from the animals. For better or for worse, it brings us together. And if we're trying to rebuild something, you can't ignore that. [...] Yeah. It's survival of the fittest... sharing with each other. That's part of what makes us stronger.
―Luke explaining to Michonne why he believes art differentiates humans from animals.[src]
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Luke is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is a member of Magna's group. After being rescued by Judith Grimes from life on the road, Luke and his companions are brought to the Alexandria Safe-Zone, before eventually moving to reside in the Hilltop Colony.
Overview
Luke is a fatigued survivor who understands there is safety in numbers. He values what is beautiful and hopeful and makes people uniquely human. He’s more on the artist’s spectrum of personality, preaching the love of music as a necessity to maintain humanity during chaotic times.
Pre-Apocalypse
Eastern Virginia
Nothing is known about Luke's life prior to or as the outbreak began, except that he was a music teacher and had some culinary experience. He also enjoyed spending time at the library.
Post-Apocalypse
At some point after the outbreak, Luke met girlfriends Magna and Yumiko, siblings Connie and Kelly, Bernie among other survivors. The group survived for several years, eventually becoming closer and seeing each other as family. However, as the years went by, several members of the group died.
The group resided in different communities, such as Jones Springs and Coalport, both which eventually fell causing the group's distrust in rejoining any other similar settlements.
Season 9
"What Comes After"
In the woods, Magna's group take on a herd of walkers. They quickly get overwhelmed but they get saved when the walkers around them get shot from the trees.
Luke and the group escape into the woods to find a 9 year old girl who asks for their names. They introduce themselves and ask what her name is. The girl picks up her hat and introduces herself as Judith Grimes.
"Who Are You Now?"
In the woods, Luke and the group follow Judith as she leads them to Rosita, Eugene, Laura and Aaron. Luke jokingly comments to Eugene that he can help him cook the rabbit. Wanting to take them in, Judith declares she won't return to Alexandria until they accept them. The others reluctantly agree.
Later, Luke and the group arrive at Alexandria's gates and Judith assures them they'll be safe. They get escorted inside, where Gracie runs over to Aaron. Rosita updates Siddiq on Yumiko's condition and he escorts her to the infirmary. Magna tries to tag along but is stopped by D.J.
Michonne arrives on horseback and doesn't look pleased to see the new arrivals. She frisks Magna and asks Eugene why they're here. Aaron claims it was his call but Michonne reminds him it's not his call to make. "I decided," Judith tells her. Michonne scolds her but Aaron says they're here now and they should decide their fate together, while Gabriel suggests they vote tomorrow. Michonne agrees and instructs her people to put them in holding.
The next day, Luke and the group stand before the Alexandria council for questioning. They ask who their leader is and Magna claims they're a team, while Luke explains their group used to be bigger and that they just lost their friend, Bernie. Gabriel asks about their former professions. Luke was a music teacher, Magna was a truck stop waitress, Connie was a journalist and Kelly was a high school student. Luke says they should trust them, but Michonne isn't done with questions. She stands up and asks Magna to see her left hand, which has a prison tattoo. Michonne then calls her out for the hidden knife on her belt, which she puts on the table. Michonne storms out, saying she'll second any of their motions. Magna tries to question her but is shut off.
Later, in the infirmary, Siddiq updates Luke and the rest on Yumiko's condition. He asks him if he has been there since the start but Siddiq confesses that he was also found in the woods, but things were different in the past.
At night, Luke and the rest scold Magna for ruining their chance to stay. Luke asks Magna to hand over her necklace, which also doubles as a knife, but she's reluctant. Magna says they should fight their way through Alexandria to take their supplies before heading out, but Connie tells her to leave Michonne and Judith out of it. Luke says they save the fighting for people who deserve it, and Magna finally surrenders the necklace.
The next day, Luke and the group prepares to leave by thanking everyone for their hospitality. Michonne rides up and says she's going to instead escort them to Hilltop with Siddiq.
"Stradivarius"
On the road to Hilltop, Siddiq tells Michonne she should have let Magna's group stay in Alexandria, but she says she still doesn't trust them and is only doing this for her daughter. In the cart, Magna complains to her group that Michonne has her knives and she wants them back. Yumiko tells Michonne she's just upset about their lost friend, Bernie.
A while later, Michonne and the others arrive at Magna's giant crate of supplies, which have been displaced and destroyed by walkers. Magna's upset at the sight of Bernie's things while Michonne instructs D.J. to gather more of their weapons. This angers them, and Michonne also announces she's returning to Alexandria in the morning while Siddiq and D.J. help them finish the journey. Magna and Luke start to get riled up, but Yumiko calms them down and reluctantly agrees to her terms. They decide to find shelter for the night.
At night, inside a factory, Michonne hears a noise and finds Luke holding something. She thinks it's a weapon and tells him to drop it and turn around. Luke turns only for Michonne to slice his Stradivarius in half, waking up the rest of the group.
Luke gawks at his broken Stradivarius in disbelief and explains to Michonne how old and rare it was. Yumiko lays her head on Magna's leg and playfully recalls the mansion they found it in. Luke says the Stradivarius is the one thing that separates them from the animals and how it brought humans together in the past, leaving Michonne in thought.
In the morning, Siddiq tries again to convince Michonne to come with them but she says she can't take the risk with Maggie. Siddiq reveals to her that Maggie and Hershel left last fall, shocking her. Before he can explain, D.J. arrives to let them know that there are walkers outside. The group gets out to find several walkers blocking the path to their horses.
Michonne kills several walkers as Magna demands they get back their weapons. Michonne finally relents and orders D.J. to return them their weapons. As Magna's group splits up and take out several walkers, an undead Bernie appears, deeply upsetting them. A heartbroken Magna can't put him down, so Michonne does it for her. The group opens a clear path and leave.
On the road, Michonne empathizes with Yumiko and Magna, saying that she understands their pain of losing a friend considered family. Suddenly, two Hilltop soldiers ride up to them to inform that Rosita's injured and being cared for at Hilltop. Michonne instructs them to tell Hilltop they're on their way. Connie notices something nearby, confusing the group, but tells them it's nothing. As they leave, someone watches them from the bushes.
"Evolution"
At Hilltop, everyone runs inside as Michonne and Siddiq arrive with Magna and her group. From the guard post, Dianne makes them all surrender their weapons before entering.
Inside, Tara coldly greets Michonne and updates her on Eugene, Aaron, Daryl, and Rosita's situations. She then informs Luke and the rest of the group that they'll have to wait for Jesus to return before deciding on their future, but they can stay until he gets back. Connie thanks her for everyone.
"Adaptation"
In Hilltop, Luke contemplates the community and then goes over to talk with Tara and others who are organizing a search party to look for the rest since they haven't come back. Luke offers his help and goes out with Alden.
In the woods, Luke and Alden bond over music until they discover one of Yumiko's arrows on a tree. They kill some walkers and Luke suggests they follow the arrows to find their friends. They spot a herd nearby and ponder their new moves.
Later, Luke and Alden spot a walker staring at them motionless. Suddenly, they get surrounded by several Whisperers and the leader tosses them one of the arrows they've been following, points a shotgun at them, and says, "Trail ends here."
"Bounty"
At Hilltop, Alpha orders a couple of whisperers to bring up a tied up Luke and Alden. Alpha offers to Daryl to trade both of them for her daughter or she will kill them.
Meanwhile, a herd arrives and Alpha instructs her people to draw them away. Suddenly, a Whisperer's baby starts crying, which attracts the walkers over. Alpha shrugs at the mother, indicating she should leave the baby to die. Luke and Alden scream for them not to but Alpha explains it's natural selection. He then frantically signs Connie to grab the baby and watches as she runs out of the cornfield, sling-shots a walker, and grabs it.
Later, Daryl hands Lydia over to Alpha in exchange for Luke and Alden. Yumiko hugs Luke and gets him inside, where he is embraced by the rest of his group.
At night, Luke drinks and celebrates his safety alongside his companions.
"The Calm Before"
In the Kingdom, Luke and a group gear up to go look for Connie as the fair starts. Suddenly, Daryl, Michonne, and the convoy arrives. Luke and his group are happy to see Connie and hug her. A while later, Luke says goodbye to Yumiko and Magna as they prepare to leave the Kingdom to go to Hilltop and leave some soldiers in case of a possible attack.
At the fair, Luke tries convincing Alden to perform with him despite losing a bet. Enid accidentally calls Alden her boyfriend, but he decides that it's okay and accepts to sing. Luke calls them a cute couple as they leave. Later that day, Luke sings along with Alden in their concert.
The next day, Luke listens from the crowd as Siddiq delivers the tragic news regarding the fate of the missing residents from the fair, tells them how brave everyone was in their final moments and how he was intentionally kept alive to tell this very story. He encourages everyone to remember the fallen as brave heroes and to honor them.
Season 10
"Lines We Cross"
Some months after the blizzard, Luke and the Coalition form a militia in order to train the several residents of the communities to face any future treats. He takes part in a training exercise on the Oceanside beach. As Ezekiel and Jerry methodically release walkers from a shipwrecked boat, Luke and the other militia work together as a unit to take out the walker threat. Later on, Luke meets Jules at the camp and flirts with her while they move some ropes.
After a Whisperer mask is discovered on the Oceanside beach, Luke and Alden head out to investigate any other possible Whisperer sighting around the area. When Yumiko radios the group to inform they have found something, Luke catches up to the others in the woods where they have found an abandoned campsite full of corpses and a walker skin. Aaron declares one of the Whisperers has been here.
That night, Luke and the others decide to cross Alpha's border to put out the fire and avoid it burning down Oceanside. They discover the remains of the satellite and start combating the fire. Some use water while others dig a means to prevent the fire from spreading until the morning arrives. The group runs out of water as a herd of walkers approaches the group. With their backs to the fire, the group prepares for a fight.
Luke and the group take their formations and start fighting off the herd. As they keep killing the walkers, Daryl tosses an axe to cut a tree down and have it fall onto some walkers. Later, the fire is put out and everyone recovers. When Eugene asks for help scraping the fallen satellite for any valuable part, Luke discourages him because of radiation but he insists they are already surrounded by radiation and are infected with something that turns them into walkers when they die.
"Silence the Whisperers"
Luke is alerted to the commotion of a tree falling onto a house and a portion of Hilltop's walls. He wonders if the Whisperers are responsible, causing his companions to debate. He then helps the other residents rescue the trapped injured from the rubble. The next day, the residents realize that a small herd has arrived outside the community walls. Luke and a group head outside to fight them off.
That night, Luke and the other residents kill the incoming walkers with the help of the Alexandria convoy when the herd invades the community. The following morning, Luke attends the council meeting where Michonne announces she will be delivering supplies to Oceanside after receiving reports of potential Whisperer activity. He immediately volunteers to go with the group so he can check on Jules much to his companions' friendly comments.
Later that day, Luke hugs his friends goodbye and waves to the other residents around the community as the group prepares their convoy and head out on their journey towards Oceanside.
"The World Before"
Luke and the group continue their journey towards Oceanside when they stop briefly after Scott comes across recent footprints on their path. When Michonne tells the group they have to remain quiet, he sarcastically remarks that he knows that was meant to him and claims he is going as a representative of Hilltop, but Judith jokes that he actually wants to see Jules. Luke then explains to her that he was whistling one of his favorite songs and writes it down for her in a book where she is documenting everything that happens to them for the future.
Shortly after, Luke convinces Michonne to stop at a nearby library along the way to look for more books. When the group heads inside, Judith gives him a Russian-English dictionary for Eugene to understand the satellite parts before he heads to the music section. He finds a musical book when suddenly he is attacked by two walkers. While struggling, a man saves his life before fleeing to Luke's confusion. The group arrives after hearing his screams and Luke tells them about the man who saved him. He is then informed by Michonne about Siddiq's death.
Later that day, the group arrives at Oceanside where Luke witnesses as the residents bring the man that saved him to the camp and accuse him of being a Whisperer. While Michonne demands answers, Luke defends him for saving him earlier that day and for having photos of his family in the backpack he had left behind at the library. When walkers suddenly invade, he helps take out the threat and secure the community. The next day, Luke tells Michonne that Judith will take care of them after she explains her plan to bring back weapons in exchange for helping Virgil get back home. He then bids her farewell before he and the rest of the group travel back to their communities.
"Morning Star"
Back at the Hilltop, Kelly wishes to join Luke's search party in an attempt to rescue her sister, while Luke cautions her against it, as her ankle is injured. Yumiko asks Kelly about Magna's last words to her, but the latter thinks them unimportant, since she believes they will rescue their friends. Annoyed at Yumiko's questioning, Kelly asks why she is coming with them if she thinks Magna and Connie are dead. They are interrupted by Daryl and Lydia's arrival. The pair reveal that Alpha is coming.
The caravan returns to the Hilltop, with Daryl informing the others of the situation. Luke suggests calling Alexandria for reinforcements, but Dianne thinks that neither Alexandria nor Oceanside can get to them in time. Earl is confident that Hilltop is prepared, and tries to rally everyone for the upcoming conflict.
Outside, Luke and Kelly are rigging the defenses when Yumiko joins them and apologizes to Kelly for being "an asshole". Kelly quickly forgives her with a hug, and is confident they will get Connie and Magna back "cause assholes get shit done". They are suddenly interrupted by dozens of rats fleeing from the bushes. Yumiko quickly realizes that the horde is coming, and orders everyone to prepare.
"Walk With Us"
Luke survives the destruction of Hilltop but is left injured and unconscious. Aaron drags his friend to safety in the nearby forest on a makeshift metal shed before encountering Negan who attempts to convince Aaron he means him no harm, though Aaron refuses to listen. With walkers approaching, Aaron is forced to defend the still-unconscious Luke while Negan gets away.
"The Tower"
After being carried away safely by Aaron, Luke is among the Hilltoppers to relocate to the abandoned hospital being referred to as "the tower". Luke is seen fiddling around with some wires, stressed that everybody is counting on him, while Jules encourages him. Luke then announces that he needs someone to run an errand for him, for which Carol volunteers.
"A Certain Doom"
Luke will appear in this episode.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Luke has killed:
Relationships
MagnaHaving survived together for a while they have developed a good relationship, however, once they get to Alexandria, Magna is very hesitant to hand over all her weapons, which Luke becomes upset over. Magna seems to respect Luke's survival skills, as she assures Enid that Alden is in good hands with him. YumikoLuke and Yumiko, having survived together for a while, developed a good relationship. When Yumiko hit her head on a rock while fighting a walker, he helped her up and supported her as Judith saved them. He later visits Yumiko in the Alexandria hospital. ConnieHaving survived together for a while, Luke and Connie seemed to have developed a good relationship. While on route to the Hilltop, the group stops at their former camp, where Luke looks for the instruments he had saved. While searching, Siddiq questions why he looks for them, with Connie chiming in, playfully teasing him and calling his obsession with instruments a fetish. KellyHaving survived together for a while, Luke and Kelly seemed to have developed a good relationship. BernieEven though they did not interact on screen. Luke talks about him in "Who Are You Now?" And gets emotional talking about him and being dead suggesting they had a good relationship and Luke cared about him. When Luke encounters a zombified Bernie, he cries. Judith GrimesLuke was really grateful that Judith saved him and his friends and thanked her before leaving Alexandria. When Michonne told them that she would take them to Hilltop, Luke was once again grateful for Judith saving him. Michonne HawthorneLuke and Michonne's relationship got off to a bad start, with Michonne not trusting Luke or anyone in his group when they arrive in Alexandria. However overtime Michonne has began to trust Luke, seeing that he is not a threat to her or the community. SiddiqSiddiq and Luke have a good relationship. Luke is sad when he learns about his death. DianneLuke is shown to follow Dianne's rules about weapons at the Hilltop getting rid of them fast. AldenIn a short time, Alden and Luke became friends very quickly. Bonding over their love of music and jokingly talk about making a two-man band performing at the festival. JulesLuke and Jules have a liking for each other, as the two are seen flirting after the training exercise at Oceanside. Luke later volunteers to accompany Michonne to Oceanside, which Yumiko quickly deduces is so that he can see Jules. They are later seen together in the abandoned hospital in "The Tower". |
Appearances
TV SeriesSeason 9
Season 10
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| Season 9 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||||||||
| Season 10 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 👁 | ✔ | ✔ | |||||||||||||||||
| Season 11 |
| ✔ | Appears | ✔ | Voice is heard |
| 👁 | Appears with no lines | ✔ | Appears in a flashback |
| ✔ | Appears as a walker | 🖼 | Appears in a photograph/video |
| ✔ | Appears as a corpse | ✔ | Appears in a hallucination/dream |
Trivia
- Luke is the only male member of Magna's group seen alive on-screen because Kelly, unlike her comic counterpart, is a female and Bernie died off-screen and was only seen as a zombie.
- Luke is one of eight characters who know ASL, the others being his fellow group members Magna, Yumiko, Kelly, and Connie, as well as Carol Peletier, Daryl Dixon, and Gabriel Stokes.
- Luke is the sixth supporting character to outlive his comic book counterpart, with the first being Ed Peletier, the second being Scott, the third being Tobin, the fourth being Kal and the fifth being Bruce.