The Walking Dead Star Chad Coleman Defends Tyreese's 'lame' Death

The Walking Dead star Chad Coleman has opened up about his thoughts on Tyreese's death, seven years on.

The actor appeared in season three, four and five of the show, and eventually died in season five episode 'What Happened and What's Going On'. His character was bitten and died from blood loss after his infected arm was amputated.

On The VOC Podcast, Coleman was questioned about some fan claims that Tyreese died in "the lamest way possible", responding: "I don't believe that at all.

"How many times do you see an African-American male with power and vulnerability like that? He's not, you know, 'save everything Black Panther', but an amazing mix of vulnerability."

Related: The Walking Dead season 11B trailer teases trouble for Maggie

Coleman continued: "I love playing that. The dude can take a hammer and smash your face in and then just feel the most vulnerable for his family and people. So I love that thought the episode was totally apropos for what he was.”

He even went as far as to say: "If you never saw the show and you watch that one episode, you get who Tyreese is…"

The actor also joked that he's had to "punch a lot of people" for criticising the scene.

In the end, he agreed: "Everyone has a right to their opinion… of course I played him so there's a certain level of personal [involvement]."

Related: New Walking Dead spin-off announced and premiere is revealed

When asked if Tyreese could have been saved, Coleman responded: "Of course he could have, but those are things I'm not going to go into and open up a Pandora's box."

The actor could even be making a return to The Walking Dead universe, in an episode of the new anthology spin-off Tales of the Walking Dead.

Speculation emerged after Coleman posted a photo with director Michael E Satrazemis, who is currently filming the series in Georgia. The show has confirmed past and deceased characters, so never say never.

The Walking Dead season 11 airs on AMC in the US and STAR on Disney+ in the UK.

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Asyia is an entertainment reporter covering TV, film, theatre, music, books and general showbiz.

She was previously a freelance reporter who has written for publications including Glamour, gal-dem, Metro and Bustle.

She has a gold-standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates. Asyia has covered industry events such as the London Film Festival and BFI Flare and has a specialist interest in analysing LGBTQ+ issues, race and identity within the cultural landscape. LinkedIn