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Is Heath Dead On 'The Walking Dead'? He's Missing In Action

by Megan Walsh

The Walking Dead finally caught up with Heath and Tara in "Swear" after a nine episode absence, but Heath's presence on the show was short-lived; he disappeared almost as soon as he returned. So what happened to Heath? The episode caught up with Heath and Tara on their two-week supply run, where things went badly for them very fast. Heath was dealing with a lot of angst after taking out the Savior outpost, but he was continuing on with his mission to find ammo and medicine to bring back to Alexandria. However, an altercation with a horde of walkers separated him from Tara and left Heath's fate unknown. Is Heath dead on The Walking Dead?

The bulk of "Swear" focused on where Tara ended up after she fell off a bridge trying to evade the walkers, but whether Heath survived or not wasn't revealed. He tried to help Tara but they weren't able to get to each other; then when Tara returned to the bridge, there was no sign of him except for his broken glasses in the dirt. The RV they had been driving was gone, so he could have gotten back to it and fled, but when Tara found her way back to Alexandria, Heath wasn't there either. One potential clue left behind – which might not have even been a clue – was a white card that said PPP on it.

Characters have been known to disappear on The Walking Dead and show up episodes later with barely a scratch on them, so it could go either way with Heath. Like Glenn, he could use quick thinking and survival skills to evade danger and come back episodes from now ready to continue the fight. Then again, he could also be a goner; when Carol's daughter Sophia vanished early in the show's run, she was revealed to be a walker even though many characters were convinced she'd survived.

But some behind the scenes information could provide more of a hint. The actor who plays Heath, Corey Hawkins, was recently cast as the lead in a new show on Fox called 24: Legacy. While it's possible that he could do both shows, being the lead of his own series would likely take precedence over a supporting role on The Walking Dead. If Hawkins is leaving the show, then it may mean Heath is gone for good too.

However, Heath is still alive in the comics, which could bode well for his future on the show. Without an official confirmation, all fans can do is hope.