If you only know Hershel Greene from Scott Wilson’s legendary performance on the AMC show, you’ve basically only seen half the story. Honestly, the TV version was like a post-apocalyptic Gandalf. He was wise, he was steady, and he was the moral compass that kept Rick Grimes from sliding into total madness.
But the Walking Dead comic Hershel? Man, he was a different beast entirely.
The comic version of the character was abrasive. He was hard-headed. He wasn’t just a kindly vet with a beard; he was a grieving, deeply religious patriarch who arguably caused as much trouble for the group as he solved. In the books, he didn’t just lose a leg and give advice. He lost his mind, his family, and eventually his will to live in a way that the show never quite dared to replicate.
The Family Nobody Remembers
Most fans think of the Greene family and they see Maggie and Beth. That’s it. In the show, the family was small, tight-knit, and easy to keep track of.
The comics? Hershel had seven kids. Seven!
There was Maggie, of course. Then you had Billy, Arnold, Lacey, Shawn, and the twins, Rachel and Susie. It was a massive household, which makes the eventual tragedy at the farm feel way more like a slaughterhouse than a simple "oops, the barn door opened."
When the walkers broke out of that barn in Issue #11, it wasn't just a dramatic reveal. It was a bloodbath. Hershel had to watch his son Arnold get torn apart because he refused to believe the "sick" people in the barn were actually dead. It’s hard to overstate how much more pathetic—in the literal, tragic sense—Hershel is in the source material. He isn't a hero yet. He's just a guy who messed up so bad his children paid the price.
Why the Walking Dead Comic Hershel Was So Much Darker
One of the biggest shifts between the two versions is the temperament. In the show, Hershel is the one who stops Rick from being too violent.
In the comics, Hershel is the one who almost kills Rick.
Basically, after the barn incident, Hershel loses his cool. He blames Rick’s group for the chaos. He actually pulls a gun on Rick and kicks them off the property at point-blank range. It wasn't a "we can't coexist" conversation; it was a "get off my land or I'll put a bullet in you" situation.
This version of Hershel is also much more intensely religious in a way that feels stifling. He’s not just a man of faith; he’s a man who uses faith as a shield against the reality of the world. When that shield shatters, he becomes incredibly volatile. You see this shift when the group moves to the prison. While TV Hershel becomes the group's doctor and mentor, comic Hershel spends a lot of his time mourning and being suspicious of others.
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That Brutal Prison Death
Let’s talk about the end.
In the show, the Governor decapitates Hershel with Michonne’s katana. It’s a heroic sacrifice. He dies with a smile on his face because he knows Rick has finally understood that "everyone can change."
The Walking Dead comic Hershel did not get a hero’s exit. Not even close.
During the Governor's assault on the prison in Issue #48, Hershel’s son Billy is shot in the head right in front of him. This is the breaking point. Hershel doesn't try to escape. He doesn't try to fight back. He literally sinks to his knees in the middle of a war zone, looks at the Governor, and begs for death.
He says: "Please... just kill me."
And the Governor does. He just puts a bullet in Hershel's head while he's kneeling in the dirt. No grand speeches. No symbolic smile. Just a broken old man who couldn't handle the world anymore. It is one of the most depressing moments in the entire 193-issue run because it shows that sometimes, the apocalypse just wins.
The Legacy of Hershel Jr.
If you’re following the newer stuff, like Dead City, you know there’s a Hershel Jr. running around.
In the comics, Hershel Rhee (Glenn and Maggie’s son) is a bit of a jerk. Actually, he’s a total brat.
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Because the comic ends with a massive time jump, we see Hershel Jr. as a young man in a world that has mostly moved on from the walkers. He runs a traveling "zombie circus." He uses walkers as entertainment, putting them in cages for people to gawk at. He has zero respect for the trauma his parents went through.
It’s a fascinating, albeit frustrating, way to continue the "Hershel" name. It highlights the gap between the generation that fought the war and the generation that grew up in the peace that followed. He’s entitled, he’s annoying, and he’s almost the polar opposite of the grandfather he was named after.
What You Should Do Next
If you’ve only seen the show, you’re missing out on the raw, unpolished version of this story. Go find a copy of The Walking Dead Compendium One. Read the farm arc specifically (Issues 7–12).
Seeing the Walking Dead comic Hershel struggle with his faith in real-time—without the "TV magic" that makes everything look slightly cleaner—changes how you view the entire series. It makes you realize that survival isn't just about finding food; it's about not losing your mind when your entire worldview collapses.
Pay close attention to the dialogue in Issue #15. It’s where Hershel and Rick finally start to see eye-to-eye at the prison. It’s a masterclass in character writing that feels way more "human" than your average zombie story.
Check out the Telltale Games version of Hershel too. It’s technically canon to the comics and happens right before Rick arrives at the farm. It gives even more context to why he was so guarded when he first met the Grimes gang.
The comic version of Hershel Greene is a reminder that in the world of The Walking Dead, being a "good man" is a luxury that most people can't afford until they've already lost everything.