Kirkman on Daryl Dixon's Sexuality in "The Walking Dead"

[Dylan Davison]

I've always seen Daryl as asexual. Especially after hearing an interviews with Norman saying that Daryl just doesn't understand "deeply emotional things" and doesn't let anyone close to him like that. It's one of the things I liked about the character, it almost made him a bit child like, which is also why I thought he got along with Carl so well.

I prefer him standoffish and uninterested when it comes to sex. But I'm not Kirkman so he can push characters in his franchise to be however he wants them. I don't want to see him hooking up with anyone myself, but I don't think it would be a show breaker for me unless they tried to make it even more of a romantic senses that overtake the feelings of the Apocalypse.

I was hopeful that Maggie and Glenn would be enough for the "romance" crowd. Usually I'm all for romances in dramas but I prefer my Apocalypse settings to be more like a war film.

You know there are Asexuals that actually have emotional and romantic relationships right? They just don't have the urge or want to have sex. Also I could see him as a non romantic for sure (though actually I could see him being romantic too haha), but I can easily believe that he could have the want to have sex, if the right person come along.

[victorsage]

I can easily believe that he could have the want to have sex, if the right person come along.

That's alright. It's common for people to see character's differently. Like I said I see him as very asexual to the point where he doesn't even understand the desire for sex and romance. I've always seen him as very child like, as if he is perpetually in the state of boyhood where you want to save the damsel in distress because it's the right thing to do, well also being grossed out or confused by the idea of being kissed as a reward cause that's just odd.

[Deviancy]

If done right, and it would be done right since they have a great team, Daryl is just the perfect choice due to who his family was, and due to the actor who plays him. Reedus just seems like he'd be able to play a realistic gay character who doesn't need to rely on cheap stereotypes.

But the question is, if it happens, will they still add Aaron and Eric to the show?

[twdupdate]

It all seem just too convenient to me. All these rumors surrounding their most popular character right before the start of season five. Seems like a media buzz blitz to me, and a very good strategy if that is indeed what it is!

I guess we will just have to wait and see. To be honest out of the three major rumors the one most apt to happen is his death. Though I really do believe the negative impact leading to permanent loss of viewers is too much of a gamble for AMC to bet on!

[Ravyn]

I am worried that if they did make Daryl gay they'd put "him finding his groove" front and center the same way they put Maggie and Glenn finding love front and center, after the "we need to deal with the fact we just banged" moment. I was a bit more understanding with Maggie and Glenn since it's comes directly from the comics, but I am a bit tired of the crowd who are hoping from romances and shipping to start taking over the show. It's bad enough dealing with the fans who are begging to have Rick and Michonne start to build up into a huge romantic event. Please Kirkman don't turn the damn show into Dawson's Creek with walking corpses... please...

Isn't that what the show is though? It's a drama with zombies.

As much as people want to think this is just a show about monsters and survivalists - the bulk of the character development has occurred in the characters' relationships with one-another, many of them being romances. Then there's Daryl - how do you give him a character arc when he's the kind of guy who speaks in mumbling monosyllables, avoids relationships and hates to talk about himself?

One way would be for him to reveal exactly why he is such a quiet loner. Give him an internal struggle that he reveals gradually as he grows to trust the people around him. Some fans have speculated that he was sexually abused as a kid. That's one possibility, but so is having to grow up in a violent homophobic community while hiding his own attraction to men.

That's what I did in high school. Back then everybody - including my family - would have assumed I was either straight or asexual. If the topic of girls ever came up I just kind of shrugged and looked uncomfortable, like Daryl does. It wasn't until I was safely away from that hostile environment that I felt safe enough to be myself.

[Deviancy]

Isn't that what the show is though? It's a drama with zombies...

That is exactly what the show is, as well as the Telltale games and the comic, they're all soap operas/dramas and most of them fight to have more time with those they care about, as well as protect those they care about. And those who are single in their world have been miserable for the most part if you go back to the early days of the comic. Glenn went totally emo when Carol hooked up with Tyreese because he didn't want to be alone, and whenever Michonne was in between men, she seemed extremely unhappy. And when Lori died, when she died even though Rick still had Carl, Rick just totally went loonie, and had he lost Carl, he'd probably have eaten his gun. In short the relationships are important in the story, they give the characters more to fight for, and it is extremely realistic. I mean people in our world who are single tend to whine a lot on Facebook, Twitter, or even offline because they're just not happy unless they're with someone, being with someone gives them more to live for, and the survivors in TWD need that even more. Hell, even Carl had Sophia.

In short, I'd rather see them go the gay route with Daryl then the asexual route, that would be boring and bring nothing new to the show. And besides, the show could use a little controversy, especially during sweeps month. It wouldn't hurt the ratings in my opinion, it would raise them by another 1-2 million viewers easily.

[rpriske]

I could absolutely see Daryl as gay.

More importantly, I could really see it being a surprsie to him as well.

[Arvandor]

Does Kirkman script any episodes of the tv show? I was always under the impression he was just an exec producer who had next to no involvement.

[capuga]

Does Kirkman script any episodes of the tv show? I was always under the impression he was just an exec producer who had next to no involvement.

He is part of the writers room and that exec producer credit is not ceremonial.

[Deviancy]

He's written or co-written a handful of the shows and like Capuga said, the title isn't ceremonial.

Here's a list of the episodes he's written..

Vatos, What Lies Ahead, Beside The Dying Fire, Made To Suffer, Isolation, After

[Ying Ko]

sounds like a bad idea... hopefully they won't go there. because... why?

[Sacred Knight]

Its neither a bad nor a good idea, necessarily. Just an idea. One perfectly doable if they wanted to do it since the show is creating this character from the ground-up themselves, he's not based on someone established in the book.

Why? For characterization. For the same reason they decided to reveal his father beat him. Just to further extrapolate on who he is.

[victorsage]

Isn't that what the show is though? It's a drama with zombies.

Not for me no. I have absolutely no interest in the sex life of the characters. I've always been more interested in how they deal with the walkers, and how they survive that challenge. From the start I've never cared, either in the comic or the tv series. For the comics for example the whole "Carol tries to start a polygamous relationship with Lori and Rick, then when rejected decided to kill herself by zombie." was boring, and uninteresting to me. Just seemed like Kirkman wanted her gone to make room for the new girl who at the time was Michonne. Likewise I hated HATED the "Lori-Rick-Shane triangle" from the second season as much as most people seemed to despise that "Carl isn't in the #$@%^@! house!".

I despise the way the fan girls bring up their favorite "pairings" and how ship wars take over many arguments. "Are you Daryl X Carol or Daryl X Beth???" or even worse "Rick X Michonne needs to happen or I'm leaving the fandom!" Half the reason I stopped reading manga was because of crap like that. I hate ship wars, and hate even more stories the have the undertone of a romantic drama that instead of staying an undertone becomes the main selling point of the series. This isn't a romantic drama, this isn't How the World Turns with zombies, it's the Walking Dead, and should always remain about how a group trying to survive the horror of a possible human extinction event.

The Walking Dead to me is about surviving the terror of a possible extinction period of the entire human race, and about the horror and sorrow that entire idea is. I don't care at all about who's sleeping with who, it should be a MINIMAL aspect of the show if it's touched on at all. If the show shifts even FURTHER towards the shipping wars and the squealing of deranged fan girls to the negative of the apocalyptic/survivalist/end of mankind setting I'm going to be incredibly disappointed.

As I said many time sense, to me the fact that Daryl was so stunted in maturity and ultimately was stuck in the early childhood mindset of right and wrong as he see's fit no matter what made him interesting. He wasn't complicated, which made him an appealing character because of the world he had to live in. Once upon a time his mindset was ” The line’s pretty clear, zero tolerance for walkers,” which he still follows today even when it's his brother he has to put down.

When the Beth drinking game started it was bad enough. I didn't care about it, wasn't interested in it and had no desire to see Daryl and Beth start sleeping together unlike their fan club. I have a feeling that it would be ten times worse if they changed Daryl further and started making on of the show main arcs about his sex life as they are hinting at. And honestly it worries me, because we have been promised more violence, and more realistic setups about the horror of the zombie apocalypse just a few weeks ago for this season. Now they are trying to sell completely differently, as 90210 the Zombie Years. Heaven help them if that happens like some people want.

Another way of saying it is I much prefer TV show Carol to Comic Book Carol. TV show Carol is an interesting original character who has to deal with the realities of the end of capitalism, the nation state, local community, and the regression of mankind towards tribalism with very limited resources. Well comic book Carol was a pairing character who committed suicide once "her man" (the good one this time to boot) moved on, because she couldn't adapt. TV show Carol was ready to survive on her own once Rick told her she wouldn't have protection of the tribe anymore. Comic book Carol killed herself because she couldn't sleep with Rick and Lori and have their protection. God help the series if the drive starts being "who's sleeping with who?" instead of "how do we survive this and keep some of our humanity?"

[victorsage]

Its neither a bad nor a good idea, necessarily. Just an idea. One perfectly doable if they wanted to do it since the show is creating this character from the ground-up themselves, he's not based on someone established in the book.

Why? For characterization. For the same reason they decided to reveal his father beat him. Just to further extrapolate on who he is.

For me it just a risk of Flanderzation of the show. It was bad enough when one of the main story lines seemed to be building up to "Who will sleep with Daryl first Beth or Carol? And how will Carol or Beth react when they find out the other slept with Daryl first?" Now they are hinting at selling the show as "Daryl's gay! Can he find love in this world?" If that becomes a main focus of the show I don't see the show improving. For me and people like me the main interest in the show is watching our tribe (the protagonist) surviving the zombie downfall and dealing with other tribes (like the hinted at cannibals of this season), and not the exciting squeals of the ship wars.

[capuga]

Not for me no. I have absolutely no interest in the sex life of the characters. I've always been more interested in how they deal with the walkers, and how they survive that challenge. From the start I've never cared, either in the comic or the tv series. For the comics for example the whole "Carol tries to start a polygamous relationship with Lori and Rick, then when rejected decided to kill herself by zombie." was boring, and uninteresting to me. Just seemed like Kirkman wanted her gone to make room for the new girl who at the time was Michonne. Likewise I hated HATED the "Lori-Rick-Shane triangle" from the second season as much as most people seemed to despise that "Carl isn't in the #$@%^@! house!".

Then it's hard to imagine you enjoying much of the show or comic. The point being made is that those personal relationships/soap opera moments are, and have always been, a huge portion of the comic and show. Kirkman has always said that the zombies are just a backdrop. He's exploring the characters and what this world did to them.

So if you're not into that (and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that) than it would seem like this franchise wouldn't really be your cup of tea. Because it has been about various personal relationships from day one.