Daryl Dixon is undoubtedly one of the most beloved characters in the TV series 'The Walking Dead.' The character, which was created for the show and does not actually appear in the comic books, has gone from being a moody squirrel hunter to a moody fan favorite.
It probably helps that Daryl Dixon is played by Norman Reedus. The actor's portrayal of the brooding antihero has even caused fans to promise a riot in case Daryl meets his end in Season Five.
Io9 recently spoke to Norman about his TWD character. He had a great explanation on why people loved Darryl so much.
"I think he wears his heart on his sleeve," Norman said. "I don't think he's trying to trick you or fool you. I think he has a certain amount of loyalty to him. He would never cross boundaries with that."
Norman adds that Daryl's evolution from bad guy to good guy has helped audiences accept him.
"Usually, you have a good guy who's broken, and he goes bad," he said. "This guy started off bad, and was a loner and couldn't relate to anybody, and didn't want people around him, and had a huge chip on his shoulder."
"We're watching that chip slowly get chipped off," Norman continued. "He found a sense of self-worth through these strangers he would never have hung out with. And I feel like you're watching this guy sort of become a man that firmly believes in the things he believes in. He's becoming admirable. People rely on him, for the first him."
The fifth season of 'The Walking Dead' saw Daryl and Carol trying and failing to rescue Beth from the hospital. He later takes a young hospital escapee named Noah, who ended up joining Rick's group in Alexandria.
The season ended with Daryl and Aaron bringing Morgan to the community, where they are shocked to find Rick killing Pete.
'The Walking Dead' returns to AMC on October 11, 2015.
