What Happened to Heath in 'The Walking Dead'? His Mysterious Story Still Sparks Questions

If you tuned in to watch the first episode of The Walking Dead without any knowledge about the source material and what you were getting into, it's likely you had no idea what kind of emotional rollercoaster you were in for. Throughout the show's 11 seasons, we were introduced to characters, had our hearts broken, were betrayed, lied to, and surprised over and over.

In Season 6, fans got to meet one particular fan favorite: Heath. Straight out of the Walking Dead source comics by Robert Kirkman, Heath, brilliantly played by actor Corey Hawkins, quickly became a beloved member of the show, and his mysterious fate has left many questioning what happened to him after he abruptly disappeared in Season 7. Here's what we know about what happened to Heath.

If you're familiar with the source comics, you already know that Heath played a much bigger part in the written story than he did on the small screen. He only appeared in a handful of episodes between Seasons 6 and 7, leaving fans of the comic character disappointed.

But there's one thing that's been hanging over his storyline for years: What happened to him when he left in Season 7? Unfortunately, that's a question we still haven't had answered, even after it seemed like there would be hope for an explanation with The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live spin-off.

It was heavily hinted in the series that Heath was taken away by the same helicopter that took Rick, and that Heath was traded for supplies by a ruthless Anne.

In 2018, Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed to Business Insider that he was indeed. "That was kind of the intention that we had in the back of our heads this whole time," she said. "Even back in that season where you know we had to write the wonderful Corey Hawkins out because he had huge opportunities in the feature film world ... Those seeds were already set there."

Of course, that still doesn't explain what his ultimate fate was. Comic writer Robert Kirkman shared in 2018, "We are hoping to get him back and tell his story. There are definitely plans in place there. It's just a matter of making sure that everything can line up because it is somewhat complicated" (excerpt via Insider).

This would suggest, at least to us, that Heath is still alive somewhere. Although where and what he's up to remains a mystery.

Of course, Heath's fate isn't the only big question mark hanging over The Walking Dead. If you were a fan of the series in the beginning, there are two likely scenarios for how your time with the show played out: either you watched the series through to the end, or you stopped watching it abruptly in Season 7.

Fans already likely know the pivotal event that caused a massive splinter in the fandom during the inaugural episode of the seventh season: the death of Glenn.

Played by actor Steven Yeun, Glenn was one of the series favorites. Not only was he compassionate and intelligent, but he was kind and constantly reminded the crew of their better selves, even when he himself was wrestling with demons. So, his abrupt and brutal death at the hands of antagonist Negan was a shellshock moment for anyone who hadn't read the source comics.

While the death does follow the comics and creates a pivotal moment of change for many in-series characters, fans weren't convinced about its necessity, and the fandom essentially fractured in two after Glenn's brutal death. Many fans swore off the series forever, not returning to finish or watching any of the spin-offs.

Others accepted his death and decided that it was all part of the bigger picture, as the comics suggest.

Nonetheless, if you ask fans which moment either made or broke them as The Walking Dead lifers, a significant portion will point to Glenn's death as that moment.

Heath's vague and mysterious fate can't hold a candle to what the writers put Glenn through, and at least with Heath, we can pretend he's still somewhere alive and thriving.