As the show often takes liberties with the source material, not every character who died shared their comic counterpart's fate, and in some cases, died even earlier.
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Characters who died earlier than in the comic
- Otis, who is killed while the group is staying at Hershel's farm, while in the comic he is killed near the end of the prison arc.
- Dale, as of "Judge, Jury, Executioner". In the source material, he survived all the way past the prison arc (which is the plot of the third season) until the Hunters arc (which was covered in the show from the penultimate episode of Season 4 up to the third episode of Season 5). His role as Rick's moral adviser is taken over by Hershel after his death.
- Otis's wife, Patricia was killed at the end of Season 2, while in the comic she was killed by The Governor during the final prison battle.
- Lori, as of "Killer Within". In the source material, she is killed at the end of the prison arc along with her infant daughter. In the series, she dies in childbirth and never gets to see her newborn child.
- Technically, T-Dog, as of "Killer Within". He is a Decomposite Character of Tyreese, who was the first casualty of the Final Battle of the source material's prison arc. In the series, he is the first of the group's casualty in Season 3 during the beginning of the prison arc. Tyreese's main and direct counterpart in the series is Spared by the Adaptation until Season 5.
- Ben, as of "The Sorrowful Life". In the source material, he was executed by Carl during the Hunters arc. In the series, he was accidentally killed by Merle during his Dying Moment of Awesome attack on Woodbury.
- Andrea, at the end of Season 3. In the comics, she survived until years later in the timeline, though she did die in a similar way. In both mediums, she is bitten by a walker on the neck and given the opportunity to say her goodbyes.
- Holly, as of "JSS". In the source material, she is Killed Offscreen during the war with Negan and his men. In the series, she dies before the Wolves (Scavengers in the comicbook) arc. This is partly due to Francine and Sasha absorbing most of her character traits and the latter taking her romance storyline with Abraham.
- Nicholas, as of "Thank You". In the source material, he dies during the war with Negan and his men. In the series, he commits suicide during the Wolves (Scavengers in the comicbook) arc.
- Denise, as of "Twice As Far". In the source material, she dies during the war with Negan and his men. In the series, she suffers Abraham's fate.
- Olivia suddenly dies midway into Season 7, when her comic counterpart survived to a point years later in the timeline.
- Emmett Carson dies in Season 7 at the hands of Negan, whereas his comic counterpart died in the same event that also claimed Olivia's life.
- A very minor example with Bertie, a member of Magna's group who is killed during their introductory scene in the comic, but in the show has already died offscreen and later turns up as a walker for all to see.
- Beta dies slightly earlier than his comic counterpart, who survived the crux of the Whisperer War whereas in the show he perishes during the final battle.
Characters who didn't die in the comic but died in the show
- The biggest example to date is the death of Carl Grimes midway into Season 8; in the comics, he is the Deuteragonist of the story and manages to outlive even his father, Rick.
- Sophia is killed after the group finds her in the barn, having been turned into a walker.
- "Made to Suffer" has Michonne killing off The Governor's Undead Child, who presumably remains undead in the comics.
- Lily, as of "Inmates". In the source material, her two counterparts are either left alive and well or surviving after killing the Governor and becoming the new leader of Woodbury. In the series, she is revealed to have been devoured by walkers after killing him.
- Bob, as of "Four Walls on a Roof". In the source material, he is a minor character and is still alive. In the series, he suffers Dale's fate.
- Dr. Harlan Carson dies in Season 8 while trying to help Gabriel escape the Saviors.
- Arat is killed by Cyndie in Season 9, but her comic counterpart, Tara (not to be confused with the TV show's Tara Chambler), is still alive.
- Paul "Jesus" Rovia is the first victim of the Whisperers in Season 9, compared to the comic, where he and Aaron were the ones to finally put an end to the threat of the Whisperers by killing Beta.
- Siddiq is killed by Dante on the eve of the Whisperer War, whereas his comic counterpart also survived the entire series. The very next episode sees Dante killed by Gabriel. He, too, survived the entire series (Season 10 was notably the first season of the show that aired after the conclusion to the comic).
- Laura gets her back broken against the bars of Alexandria's jail by Beta whereas in the comic she made it all the way to the final timeskip.
- Earl Sutton dies from jamming his head into a steel spike after trying to put himself down due to a walker bite.
- Frost was a minor Commonwealth soldier in the comic, but as a member of Maggie's Wardens in the show, he is Killed Offscreen by the Reapers after a session of painful torture.
- Sebastian Milton, of all people, ends up biting the dust in Season 11 whereas in the comic he ended up being given a prison life sentence for his murder of Rick.
- Lance Hornsby is given Adaptational Villainy and suffers the appropriate comeuppance for it in "What's Been Lost" where he is shot in the throat by Carol.
