The Walking Dead Finally Has the Chance to Introduce the Forgotten Grimes Character We've Been Waiting For

The Walking Dead franchise will continue with the upcoming Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which will be released September 7, 2025. Unfortunately, viewers are nervous about the quality of this impending installment, especially after the highly controversial Season 2 of The Walking Dead: Dead City. Though this spin-off features beloved long-running characters Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier, the franchise repeatedly utilizes unpopular tropes and storylines that have made fans lose faith in the post-apocalyptic series.

Now that Daryl and Carol have journeyed throughout Europe and somehow ended up in Spain, there is the potential for the plot to step away from the formulaic nature of the spin-offs and provide something truly original. However, adding something unique and unexpected doesn't need to require the narrative to completely dismiss the well-known aspects of the franchise. On the contrary, there are some details throughout the TV series and the source material that, if they chose to include them in the newest season, would pleasantly surprise and thrill viewers. One amazing way Daryl Dixon could impress fans is by introducing a canon character that has a connection to an iconic main character.

There Is One Grimes Family Member Viewers Haven't Met

Since the first episode of The Walking Dead, the Grimes family has been at the center of the storyline, beginning with Rick Grimes waking from his coma to find the world overcome by a deadly plague and desperate to find his wife and son. Though the Grimes family has changed significantly throughout the years, and Rick Grimes has taken a backseat compared to other long-running characters, they continue to be an unforgettable aspect of the universe. This is evident in the way fans talk about the best aspects of the series, such as praising Judith Grimes' character and how she is a worthy replacement for her brother Carl, who was killed off in Season 8 of the flagship series.

Rick Grimes has lost his entire family that he fought to reunite with at the beginning of the series, losing his wife Lori in Season 3 before the loss of his son years later. However, family continues to be a prominent theme in the show, with Rick falling in love with Michonne and raising Judith with her before the birth of their son, Rick Jr. (RJ), whom Rick finally met in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live when he returned to Alexandria after many years of being held captive by the CRM. On the other hand, the show has failed to explore Rick's family before the zombie outbreak, ignoring some of the backstory he was provided with in the comic book source material.

One character that was introduced in the comic books was Jeffrey Grimes, who was Rick's younger brother and played a vital role in his brother's life prior to the apocalypse, such as being friends with Lori before the two were a couple. In the standalone comic, The Walking Dead: The Alien, readers learned that Jeff was in Spain at the time of the outbreak and, despite his efforts, never returned to the U.S. Though Rick has never mentioned his brother in the TV adaptation, it's not unreasonable to bring the sibling into the fold and add some excitement to the lengthy character storyline.

He Has Yet to Have a Role In the TV Series

Aside from Shane Walsh, the Grimes family at the beginning of the show seemed to have little concern for any other member of their family, focusing on their nuclear family. As the series went on, the audience learned more about other characters' previous family dynamics, such as Michonne mentioning her boyfriend and son, and Glenn mentioning his parents and sisters, who he assumed were dead. Though it would seem odd to incorporate more of the Grimes family or provide a shocking Walking Dead reunion after so many years into the post-apocalyptic narrative, it's not unreasonable given the right circumstances.

In The Alien, Jeff Grimes was a young man who went on a trip after finishing college, journeying to Spain shortly before learning that Rick had been shot while on duty as a sheriff's deputy. Though Jeff tried to return home after learning what befell his brother, who he looked up to as a role model, the airports had already been shut down to try to minimize the spread of the outbreak. In the rest of Jeff's short storyline, he befriends a woman, Claudia, in Barcelona and gets on a boat with her, headed for the U.S., but gets bitten by a walker before they leave.

Like many other characters from the comic book series, many fans have assumed that the creators of The Walking Dead chose not to address Jeffrey Grimes' character in the adaptation. Some of the viewers have discussed Jeffrey's character, predicting that the TV series had no intentions of including him because he died early on in the outbreak. On the other hand, the show has changed so much in the canon already, including killing off Carl and keeping Rick alive, that it wouldn't be completely unrealistic to introduce the Grimes brother years after he would have died in the source material.

Daryl Dixon Season 3 Location Could Be a Coincidence

For those familiar with the original storyline from The Walking Dead comic book collection, it is not lost on the fans that Daryl Dixon Season 3 will take place in the same location where Jeffrey Grimes supposedly died in the source material. Though the trailer for this upcoming installment of the spin-off hasn't clarified which areas of Spain the season will focus on, it is entirely possible they will end up in or around Barcelona. With this in mind, it's impossible for die-hard fans not to consider the possibility that Jeff might make a surprise appearance.

This is not the first time fans have been hopeful Rick's brother will return to The Walking Dead universe, but the shared location offers an excellent opportunity. With Daryl and Carol in Spain, the show could adapt Jeffrey Grimes' story from The Alien, utilizing key aspects while altering it to fit the current narrative. Including the lost Grimes brother in the latest narrative would also be a thrilling hint at what is to come in the next installment, especially since fans have been so eager for Daryl to return to the U.S. and reunite with his long-lost friend.

There are a few different ways that Daryl Dixon could incorporate Jeff into the storyline, either choosing to honor the source material or venturing in a different direction, which has been a common trend throughout the TV franchise. If the creators didn't want to alter Jeff's story too significantly, they could bring in a side character who knew him before his demise, offering Daryl and Carol information they could relay to their friend when they finally meet again. Alternatively, but less likely, the show could change Jeff's fate, revealing that he survived in Spain all these years.

This Inclusion Would Thrill Die-Hard Fans

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of The Walking Dead's current shows is how long the storyline has dragged out certain character arcs without adding significant changes to the well-known personalities. However, this doesn't mean that The Walking Dead has peaked and will never be able to surprise viewers with the stories of long-running characters. With the right twists and unexpected turns of events, the universe can still shock the audience, rejuvenating their interest in the lengthy plotlines.

There is no denying that most of the viewers would be pleasantly surprised if Daryl Dixon introduced the unheard-of Grimes brother, utilizing some of the dismissed source material to add a curveball to the predictable plot. Now that the audience knows the spin-off will conclude in Season 4, a detail like Jeff Grimes would keep fans wondering about the finale of Daryl and Carol's story. It would also offer more hope that the series will conclude with the highly anticipated reunion of the surviving original characters.

Daryl Dixon was the most anticipated spin-off following the conclusion of The Walking Dead flagship series, but viewers have since been disappointed, annoyed with the direction of the plot, and the disregard for new characters. Though the upcoming installment could surprise some fans, there is already a negative reaction to Season 3, with many not having much hope for the quality of the season. However, adding a much-needed surprise to the newest addition to the universe is exactly what it needs to keep the fans interested in the controversial show.