A note from Robert Kirkman in a 2012 issue of ‘The Walking Dead’ mentioned that it was unlikely for Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon to be featured in the comics. Instead, the creator introduced another character named Dwight, who also used a crossbow and eventually became a right-hand man to Rick Grimes.
The first ever colored reprint of the said issue recently came out as ‘The Walking Dead Deluxe #98,’ and Kirkman explained why Dwight replaced Daryl in the story in the Cutting Room Floor section (per ComicBook).
“Is he related to a certain someone in any way? Officially, no,” he wrote. “Since Daryl Dixon was created for the show, AMC owns Daryl outright. And since I still own ‘TWD’ as a whole and actually compete with AMC on licensing, they were always very adamant that I could never do anything with Daryl in the comics. Since he was a licensing goldmine for them.”
“That’s why you never see Daryl in any of the various video games that are based on the comics, but he’s usually front and center in the games AMC makes… like ‘Survival Instinct,’” he added.
The 2013 video game featured Reedus and Michael Rooker as the voice of the Dixon brothers and acted as a prequel to the TV show’s first season.
Kirkman cited ‘legal issues’ and ‘likeness rights’ as what kept Daryl from being included in the comics in previous years, as well. He later shared in a 2023 issue of ‘TWD Deluxe,’ “I would never have done it because it would feel wrong to bring the work of so many other people into the comic. I never wanted the show to change the comic, since the comic is what made the show possible, and I worried it could turn into a snake eating its own tail.”
Though the AMC-owned character never showed up in the comic book series, ‘TWD Deluxe’ artists, Charlie Adlard and David Finch, drew him in a comic-style for Skybound’s art book, ‘The Art of the Walking Dead Universe.’
Photo Credit: ComicBook
