The Walking Dead is a comic in which normal people are put in harrowing life and death situations that reveal or magnify their true nature. Glenn is an example of how an average guy could find his bravery and inner hero.

Glenn was introduced in The Walking Dead #2 (November 2003), created by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. Before the world fell apart, Glenn was a pizza delivery guy living in Atlanta. Since he knew the city so well, was resourceful, and great at scavenging, Glenn joined a group of survivors and became the point person for finding supplies in the dying city. On one of his runs to the city, Glenn found and saved Rick Grimes, reuniting the future leader with his family.

Their group sought refuge on the Greene family’s farm where he met and quickly fell for second eldest daughter Maggie. She returned his affection, and the pair started a relationship that her father Hershel was initially unhappy about, but later supported.

Once the group relocated at the prison, he was captured by the Governor who brutally beat him, leaving him traumatized and scarred. Glenn and Maggie got married back at the prison, and then were separated from the group during an attack from Woodbury. They met Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene, and chose to accompany them on the trip to Washington, DC where Eugene claimed he could help save the world.

Maggie became depressed by the loss of her entire family and tried to commit suicide, but Glenn saved her. He became completely focused on protecting her once they moved into the Alexandria Safe Zone. Their group was nervous about the people at Alexandria and the chances of attack from outsider, so Rick and Glenn hatched a plan to get their weapons back, which had been taken when they joined the community.

Glenn and Maggie rejoiced when she got pregnant, but their happy moment was crushed by the introduction of the Saviors. Recognizing that these new foes were worse than any they encountered before, Glenn convinced Maggie that they should leave Alexandria and move to the Hilltop. Unfortunately, the Saviors, led by Negan, ambushed them on their journey.

In one of the comic’s most memorable moments, Negan, put Glenn, Maggie, Rick, Michonne, and others on their knees and informed them that he would kill one of them for not doing what he wanted. Negan chose Glenn, bashing his head in while his pregnant wife and friends witnessed the whole horrible event. At first Glenn’s death filled the group with hopelessness, but then it galvanized them to take down the Saviors and stop Negan’s sadistic rule.