The Walking Dead universe is expanding in big ways with character-led spinoffs such as Negan and Maggie’s Dead City, Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon and the highly anticipated return of Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira for Rick and Michonne. But the franchise’s future hasn’t stopped fans from continuing to relive the show’s past, particularly the earliest era, when Jon Bernthal’s Shane Walsh was still alive and causing strife for the Grimes family. Because for all that the fanbase widely accepts Rick as the hero from that era, there’s no denying the swaths of audience members that feel as if Shane was done dirty, and that he was deserving of a less dour fate. The actor himself recently reflected on his quasi-antagonist’s continued popularity over the years, while speaking not-so-damningly about his actions.
Ahead of his return to the role of The Punisher/Frank Castle for the upcoming Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again, Jon Bernthal was front and center for a Q&A panel at Fan Expo Dallas, where he talked about everything from hating his new beard to his podcast Real Ones to The Walking Dead. When one fans of the AMC horror drama asked for his take on why Shane remained a fan-favorite despite only starring in the first two seasons, the actor shared that he thinks Shane so quickly adapting to the apocalypse is part of what makes him so memorable. In his words:
