The Walking Dead Teases Another Actor Playing Daryl Dixon

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3, episode 1, "Costa da Morte".

Norman Reedus has been The Walking Dead's one and only Daryl Dixon for the past 15 years, but his spinoff show teased another actor taking on the mantle for the first time. With The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon giving the fan favorite his own series, it's no surprise that this spotlight has brought out a different side of Daryl.

Not only have we seen him question where he belongs, but Daryl and Isabelle's romance in The Walking Dead spinoff was a rare occurrence for the popular character, which explored his more vulnerable side. Now, Daryl Dixon appears to be going in a different direction entirely after season 3 teased another actor playing the iconic survivor.

Considering Norman Reedus holds a Walking Dead record for most appearances and has played the character for 15 years straight, it's hard to imagine anyone else in this role. Still, it looks like this could be on the cards, as one peculiar moment in "Costa da Morte" indicates we may see a younger version of Daryl in the near future.

The Walking Dead Is Setting Up "Young Daryl" Flashbacks In Daryl Dixon Season 3

Daryl Dixon season 3's premiere contained a swift, unexpected flashback that provided more questions than answers, but this one scene set up the introduction of a younger Daryl. While sitting alone on Julian's boat, Daryl pondered over his past, where we saw a very brief insight into his youth which felt like the start of an ongoing storyline.

Having hallucinated a soldier in Daryl Dixon season 2's ending who appears to represent his grandfather, it looks as though the Walking Dead veteran is still thinking about life before the apocalypse. The very short sequence featured a trailer park with a sign that reads "Dead end", alongside visuals of someone running on grass.

A voice is then heard saying, "We've got to go, now," followed by a blurry close-up of a young man, potentially a previous version of Merle, who seemingly shouts, "Run!" What this represents or why Daryl is reminiscing about it remains unclear, but the scene indicates that we could eventually see Daryl portrayed as a child, or at least a teenager.

So far, the flashbacks have all been from his perspective, but if Daryl Dixon provides a more detailed insight into his past, we could finally get another actor playing this legendary character. With season 3 still having plenty of episodes to go, time will tell if a younger Daryl appears while hopefully uncovering what these memories actually mean.

Daryl's Early Life Could Warrant A Spinoff In Its Own Right

The Walking Dead may be slowing down in the spinoff department, but Daryl's early life seems like the sort of story that would be perfect for its own individual project. We don't know too much about his past, but from what we've heard, he had a pretty rough upbringing surrounded by difficult circumstances.

Merle's hostile attitude is one of his many flaws that he adopted from his abusive father, and while Daryl is much more morally righteous, he wasn't always perfect. During season 1, Reedus' character was a bit of a hot head and a loner who didn't seem to care for the group outside his brother, highlighting the closed-off nature he developed.

This was almost certainly a product of his hard childhood, which eventually led him to pick up hunting as a survival trait before the apocalypse even started. As a result, it would be great to uncover more about Daryl and Merle's upbringing, as it would help explain a lot about their characters and how they ultimately overcame such a challenging environment.

While fans may still be desperately holding out hope for a Walking Dead crossover show, a Daryl prequel would act as a compelling substitute in the meantime, and delving into unexplored parts of his character would only add to why he's so popular, hence why his backstory makes for a great spinoff.

The Walking Dead Exploring Daryl's Background Is Long Overdue

Although the zombie franchise doesn't dive into characters' backgrounds in depth all too often, looking at Daryl's past has felt long overdue. He has essentially been the franchise's main protagonist ever since Andrew Lincoln left The Walking Dead in season 9, yet so much about his life prior to the apocalypse has been left a mystery.

Most of what we know about his history has been learned through subtle bits of dialogue or brief scenes, with some information even being presumptions from other media, like The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. Therefore, the fact that his spinoff show is finally putting more focus on his interesting background after three seasons feels like a long time coming.

The spinoff show has already used flashbacks and hallucinations as a way of storytelling, with Daryl's visions of Isabelle seeming like they will still impact him as he explores Spain. Likewise, Carol had constant thoughts about her late daughter, which eventually culminated in her season 2 finale hallucination, suggesting that Daryl's season 3 flashbacks will serve a major purpose.

It's still unclear exactly what we'll learn about the fan favorite throughout Daryl Dixon season 3, but assuming the show expands on these flashbacks and finally gives an insight into his early life, it could be some of Daryl's best content in years, and I'm glad it's finally happening.

HBO's live-action adaptation of The Last of Us wins another Emmy

The show took home the award for best Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama series

The second season of Naughty Dog and HBO's live-action adaptation of The Last of Us has added another Emmy to its trophy shelf.

The Creative Emmys — which focus on technical achievements and behind-the-scenes work, in addition to accolades for actors — picked up a fresh award over the weekend, securing a win for Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama series. The series had been nominated for 13 Emmys in all.

It was one of 47 awards given out for excellence in categories such as production design, sound mixing, choreography, and writing. The full list of winners are available on Deadline.

The first series of HBO's The Last of Us scooped up eight awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards 2023 after securing 24 Emmy nominations in total.

 

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