When Does Sasha Die on The Walking Dead? Why Sonequa Martin-Green Left AMC’s Zombie Series

During its run for over a decade, The Walking Dead was famously known as the show that would kill off anyone at any time. Main characters used to die to move the narrative in an unanticipated direction, keeping viewers cagey. As time went on, the shtick got old, and the series became less afraid of killing off characters that were the money-making fan-favorites. But in the Season 7 finale, The Walking Dead went back to its roots and ended a character's arc with meaning and purpose.

Sonequa Martin-Green portrayed Sasha Williams from Season 3, Episode 8, "Made to Suffer," to Season 7, Episode 16, "Last Day on Earth," forging herself as a staple character on The Walking Dead. Sasha was one of the few characters not based on a counterpart from Robert Kirkman's comic series, and was specifically created for Martin-Green after her audition as Michonne. Given how much former showrunner Glen Mazzara was impressed by Martin-Green, it comes as no surprise that Sasha was around for nearly five seasons. But her time was naturally coming to an end after a string of tragedies left her stuck in the past.

Sasha's Death on The Walking Dead, Explained

Sasha Went Out on Her Own Terms in the Season 7 Finale

Prior to her death, Sasha endured some of the worst hardships on the show, but still found the strength to power through. In Season 5, she was held captive by cannibals, her boyfriend died and lost her last remaining family member, her brother Tyreese. All of this was in the span of nine episodes. While everyone was getting comfortable in their new lives in the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Sasha was the only one who couldn't acclimate. The civilians' nonchalant attitude and ignorance of the terrors of the world outside the walls was an insult to her grief.

But to her disbelief, Sasha would find happiness again with Abraham Ford. They had a brief relationship where it was hinted they discussed a life together at Alexandria, only that love was brief as well. Abraham was murdered by Negan in the legendary line-up in the Season 7 premiere, pushing Sasha back into a dark headspace. From that point forward, revenge was all that was on Sasha's mind. And who can blame her? Just after she became comfortable in normalcy, it was stripped away from her by Negan's hands.

Some may call Sasha's mission for revenge a suicide run, which isn't entirely inaccurate. After failing to extract Negan and assassinate him, Sasha willingly volunteered to be captured by the Saviors, telling Rosita, "It's not your time." Sasha may not have wanted to die, but she was prepared for it if she had to. And in the end, she did. While in captivity, Sasha asks Eugene for a weapon so she can take her own life before Negan uses her against her friends. In reality, she was playing Eugene, hoping to trick him into giving her something she could use to kill Negan.

However, Eugene gave her a poison pill that he had already made for two of Negan's wives. Sasha contemplates the life she's lived and the cherished relationships she made with Abraham and Maggie. While recalling flashbacks, she comes to the decision to take the pill so Maggie and the others can have a chance to rebuild the future. At Alexandria, a zombified Sasha surprises Negan. Although she didn't kill him like she hoped, she gave the Alexandrians a chance to fight back and show Negan they wouldn't be underestimated.

Why Did Sonequa Martin-Green Leave The Walking Dead?

Sasha's Death Lined Up With a New Role for Martin-Green

There was speculation that Martin-Green chose to depart The Walking Dead after landing the lead role of Michael Burnham on Star Trek: Discovery. However, Martin-Green clarified that the death of Sasha was an intentional creative decision by showrunner Scott M. Gimple. Sasha's death was already planned prior to her signing onto Star Trek: Discovery:

Sonequa Martin-Green: "Star Trek was nowhere in the picture. I had complete peace with [Sasha's death]. It did make sense to me and thought it was beautiful. [Scott M. Gimple] told me about the heroic aspect of it and that it would be sacrificial. I loved that I get to that point as Sasha in my development as a human being where she would do something as big as that, as I say to Abraham in the car where I would actually live to do something like that. I was proud to hear about it. Star Trek came way later, after this was all said and done. We were shooting the [Season 7] finale before the opportunity for Star Trek [came] about."

Fans were upset over Martin-Green leaving the show because people became attached to Sasha, but she returned for one more episode as a hallucination in Season 9, Episode 5, "What Comes After." Gimple and Martin-Green have praised Sasha's ending, calling it "poetic" that Sasha would fight even in death to preserve a future for her friends, even if she wasn't able to see it. Gimple specifically wanted Sasha to end her life as a hero, rather than a victim, saying on Talking Dead, "She had wanted a weapon from Eugene. She wanted a knife. She didn't get one, so she became the knife." It was troubling to see such a resilient and authentic survivor go down so prematurely, it was a fitting end that gave Star Trek: Discovery fans their beloved protagonist.