The Walking Dead's first showrunner reveals he had a very different fate in mind for one character

The Walking Dead's first showrunner Frank Darabont has revealed that one character arc went in a very different direction to what he had in mind when he first developed the show. 

Andrea, played by frequent Darabont collaborator Laurie Holden, was part of the original group of Atlanta survivors in both the comic books and the TV series, but her on-screen storyline gradually diverted more and more from her comics counterpart after Darabont departed as showrunner.

"Laurie's role in The Walking Dead was intended by me to have a substantial character arc that never transpired," Darabont told Slash Film. "She would go from being a mentally jangled, super self-absorbed, badly traumatized, and angry girl to the opposite end of the spectrum: their most reliable soldier, an ace sniper, and a grown-ass woman who becomes all about self-sacrifice and protecting the group. And her relationship with Dale would blossom into a very deep May-December situation, a real marriage based in deep abiding feelings and respect. I aim for characters and situations based in messy and complicated feelings, as happens in life. And no, she was never intended to be a love interest for Rick, as I read somewhere. She was never meant to be thrown away as zombie food. Nor was Dale, for that matter. Nor was Glenn."

Darabont was showrunner for The Walking Dead's first season and a portion of its second, before being replaced by Glen Mazzara. By season 3, Andrea's main storyline involved her being caught in the conflict between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the Governor (David Morissey). Captured and imprisoned by the Governor at the end of the season, she's bitten by Milton (Dallas Roberts) after he's turned into a walker, and Andrea shoots herself before she can turn. 

Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) also met tragic ends – Dale is attacked by a walker in season 2 and Glenn is murdered by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in season 7.

For more on The Walking Dead, check out our guides to every new Walking Dead spin-off announced so far and how to watch The Walking Dead franchise in order.