Merle Dixon’s Arm Turned Weapon
The Walking Dead | Photo Credit AMC
Early on, during The Walking Dead, the gang left Merle Dixon to die with one arm handcuffed to a pipe and walkers on the rise. Like a wolf, the fearless, ruthless redneck cut off his own arm to survive.
For the actor, this meant eventually using a knife for a hand– like a pirate. Adapting to this contraption was apparently more difficult than it sounds. Michael Rooker actually almost stabbed someone with the prop knife on set.
Rooker spoke about this at a recent Heroes & Villains FanFest while promoting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Rooker Accidentally Stabbed Someone On Set
The Walking Dead | Photo Credit AMC
“The first time I put that on, the wardrobe person is putting on my wardrobe, and I’m coming with the knife hand and I had forgotten that I had worn 8 inches extended from my hand,” Rooker told fans.
“It wasn’t very sharp,” said Rooker, while telling the fans how he accidentally stabbed someone with the costume prop. “It didn’t really stab him. It just poked him a little bit,” said the actor who now plays Yondu in the Marvel franchise.
Rooker then learned how to properly use the prop that became a character staple.
Michael Rooker’s Ultimate Weapon Of Choice
Guardians of the Galaxy | Photo Credit Marvel
“I would practice all the time, trying to touch certain objects on the wall… you’re extending your own hand out 8 inches into the tip of a blade… I worked hard so I wouldn’t accidentally stab someone [but it was] a little bit difficult to get used to.”
Rooker’s new character weapon of choice is a whistling arrow. Yondu uses this whistling arrow to kill, or stand-off, with the enemy. “The arrow is the weapon of choice for any period of history,” said the actor.
“Whether you’re fighting zombies or aliens from other worlds, Yondu’s arrow was quite a formidable weapon,” he said.
Do you think Yondu’s weapon is the ultimate killing machine?
