
Axel, portrayed by Lew Temple, is a character in the television series The Walking Dead.
Axel is a character from the comics, and an inmate-survivor at the prison who was jailed for armed robbery. He initially leads others to believe he was in for a narcotics conviction. He appears to be much kinder than his fellow inmates and tends to calm things down.
After Tomas' attempt at killing Rick Grimes, he and Oscar are accused of collaborating with Tomas and Andrew to kill Rick and his group. After Rick's group dispatches with Tomas and Andrew, Rick's group holds Axel and Oscar at gunpoint. After Axel begs for mercy and pleads that he and Oscar were not in on Tomas' plan, Rick decides to spare him and Oscar and allow them to live in another cell block.
Axel later pleads with Rick to let him and Oscar join Rick's group, but his request is denied. After helping the group clear out walkers that Andrew induced to invade the prison, Axel and Oscar are finally accepted into the group. Axel becomes close friends with Carol Peletier; as he amuses her with tales about his previous life, he is unexpectedly shot in the head by The Governor, in the opening volley of The Governor's attack on the prison. Carol uses Axel's body as a shield from the assault.
In a later episode, Daryl Dixon tells Andrea that everybody liked Axel and that he was part of the group. Axel was the last surviving prison inmate.