In which season does Merle Dixon die?

Merle Dixon dies in season 3 of The Walking Dead. His death occurs in “This Sorrowful Life,” the fifteenth episode, when he confronts the Governor and attempts to protect his younger brother, Daryl.

Merle has spent much of the series caught between cruelty and a desire to change. After losing his hand and becoming separated from Daryl, he serves the Governor in Woodbury. However, Merle eventually recognizes the danger the Governor poses and decides to take Michonne away from Woodbury, hoping to prevent her delivery to the Governor and spare the prison community.

The Governor catches Merle and kills him. Daryl later finds his reanimated brother and is forced to kill him a second time. The scene is especially painful because the brothers had only recently begun repairing their damaged relationship.

Merle’s death is a television-specific storyline. The character also appears in the comic universe, but his role and fate differ. His death also comes before the Governor’s final assault on the prison in the season 3 finale.