| Merle Dixon | |
|---|---|
| The Walking Dead character | |
 Merle Dixon, as portrayed by Michael Rooker in the television series | |
| First appearance |
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| Last appearance | "This Sorrowful Life" (2013) |
| Created by | Frank Darabont |
| Portrayed by | Michael Rooker |
| Voiced by | Michael Rooker (Survival Instinct) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation |
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| Family |
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Merle Dixon is a fictional character from the horror drama television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC in the United States. He was created by series developer Frank Darabont and was portrayed by Michael Rooker. The character was first introduced in the first season as a Southern redneck hunter who has a younger brother, Daryl. He is misogynistic and racist,[1][2] which causes tensions between him and his group of survivors. Following an encounter with series protagonist Rick Grimes, Merle disappears and joins the community of Woodbury, Georgia, where he becomes the right-hand man of The Governor. He becomes caught in the conflict between the Governor and Rick, especially when nobody in Rick's group wants him in the group, except for Daryl.
The character's introduction garnered negative reviews from professional critics, but fan response was positive. When the character reappears in the third season, reviewers began to have more favorable views towards him. Merle is an original character in the television series and shares no counterpart in the comic books. Rooker made guest appearances as Merle in the series' first and second seasons, before he was upgraded to a series regular for the third season, where he lost a significant amount of weight in preparation for the role. Rooker was among the cast members who were awarded the Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series in 2012.
- ^ Kirk 2013.
- ^ Keetley 2014, p. 9.