I’m still not sure if Glenn Rhee is going to die by the dreaded barbed wire face of new villain Negan’s bat Lucille in the season seven premier, but all signs currently point to Glenn being one of the two characters that suffer the cruel fate. If Glenn Rhee does die, it’s going to leave a sad huge hole in the series as Glenn has managed to be sympathetic, charming, funny, heroic, courageous, selfless, paternal, and has sacrificed more than anyone on the series to ensure the safety of his friends and family.
The show’s casting of Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee was genius, and Steven Yeun has done a wonderful job playing a major role in the series. It’s not too often we see Asian heroes in monster hit television series even in modern television, but Yeun has completely made his mark as one of the most lovable every day heroes of the zombie apocalypse. Here are five best times Glenn Rhee was a bad ass on “The Walking Dead.”
5. Glenn Guides Rick To Safety
“Hey you. Dumbass. Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?” In the first episode of the TV series, Rick finds himself trapped in a tank with only one clip in a gun and a hand grenade. Without a single clue what to do next, a lone voice appears over the radio to guide him out of the tank and to safety. That voice is Glenn Rhee, someone who takes pity on Rick and helps him escape his sealed fate in the tank. This accidental meeting leads Rick to finding his wife and kids, so Glenn doesn’t just save Rick’s life, but he changes it.
4. Riot Gear Glenn Escapes
After the Governor wages war on Rick and his group in the prison, the war ensues leaving Glenn to stay behind as most of the prisoners attempt to escape. Glenn is still recuperating from the super flu and awakens after the carnage. Thankfully he’s perched high in what used to be the bridge between prison quarters, but he’s alone and surrounded by walkers. Courageously, he suits up in Riot Gear and ventures out to find Maggie with a grain of hope she may still be alive.
3. Glenn fights Abraham
After making it out of the prison alive in the Riot Gear, Glenn battles walkers and is so exhausted he passes out cold. When he and new ally Tara are saved by the mysterious trio of Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita, Glenn is most anxious to go back to the prison and back track to see if he can track down Maggie. Despite Abraham’s insistence on getting to Washington to complete his mission, Glenn defies him by jumping ship and then slugging Abraham. Though Glenn is much too weak to put up much of a fight, it takes a lot of courage for someone to outright take a swing at Abraham.
2. Glenn Knocks Aiden on his Ass
After establishing themselves in Alexandria, matriarch of the village Deanna allows Glenn, Tara, and Noah to go walker hunting outside the compound. The trio from Rick’s group is stunned to find that Aiden and his brother have turned hunting walkers in to something of a game, hooking one down to a tree to use for target practice. After it breaks free nearly biting Tara, Glenn brings it down arousing anger from Aiden. A cocky Aiden confronts Glenn in the middle of Alexandria hoping to inspire some intimidation but Glenn isn’t impressed with his attitude. When Aiden takes a surprise swing at Glenn, Glenn responds with a duck a hard deck to the face knocking down the over entitled hot headed in front everyone. It’s a clear cut example of how mild mannered Glenn can be, but at the end of the day is obviously not someone you want to cross.
1. Take a Seat
In season three when Glenn and Maggie are taken back to Woodbury at gun point by Merle, the Governor is very anxious to learn where they came from and where they’ve been living for so long. With Merle Dixon working over both Maggie and Glenn, Merle takes great personal pleasure in making Glenn’s time during interrogation painful, as he’s still very sore about being left behind back in season one. To get back at Glenn, Merle takes advantage, wrangling in a walker and letting it loose on Glenn who is tied down to a chair. Remarkably, Glenn manages to improvise, battling the walker in the chair, and then after craftily evading its attacks left and right, Glenn breaks the chair in to bits and pieces using the chair’s arm to bring the walker down for good. With one victorious angry roar, Glenn makes it clear to Merle he’s not going down without one hell of a fight, and it’s a banner Glenn moment even actor Steven Yeun recalls during talk shows as one of the best Glenn Rhee moments of the TV series.