When you're on the air for 11 seasons, people are going to feel some kind of way about your show. There's no clearer example of that than The Walking Dead. AMC's legendary series based on Robert Kirkman's eponymous graphic novel series gripped audiences throughout its decade-long run, making them love, hate, cry, laugh, revolt, and appreciate everything that went down in the post-apocalyptic world. But nothing made them feel more than the characters.
The characters are the lifeblood of The Walking Dead and its many, many spinoffs. Whether it's a noble hero who just wants to do everything they can do ensure that their loved ones survive, or a heinous villain hellbent on exact the most callous kind of revenge, the personalities that popped up throughout the TWD Universe were capable of making us feel all of the feels.
That's still incredibly clear in the TWD Universe spinoffs of today, as Daryl Dixon, Dead City and miniseries The Ones Who Live prioritize their characters, allowing even more time for growth and spotlight that just wasn't possible in the original show given its ensemble nature. And with that in mind, let’s take this opportunity to look at the very best and worst characters in the whole TWD Universe and discuss why some succeeded, and some did not.
Hershel Greene
There are a lot of disagreements over which characters in The Walking Dead are the best, and which are the worst, but if there is one place that most will find common ground, it’s with Hershel Greene. Audiences loved Hershel, with the committed family man and Greene patriarch becoming an instant fan-favorite when he debuted in the second season.
Offering up his farm as a place of refuge to Rick and his allies, Hershel wasn’t thrilled about the company but he knew it was the right thing to do. He was a man of faith, who hoped for a better tomorrow no matter how bleak the world around him became, and as a result, he became a paragon of hope for the show, with many characters (Rick in particular) seeing him as a voice of reason in the group.
His shining moment when he helped nurse the sick back to health after the virus outbreak in the prison was a real reminder of how just good he was, and it made his death all the more heartbreaking. But as Hershel was a man who lived his life spreading hope and faith, we could all take solace in the fact that he made such a profound and hopeful impact on everyone he crossed paths with.
We’re all better off for knowing Hershel, and we’re so thankful to the late great Scott Wilson for his beautiful work.
Verdict: BEST
Simon
When Negan and The Saviors were introduced to The Walking Dead, viewers quickly found out that they were very very bad people. Heck, their reputation preceded them, and they still turned out to be worst than that. And yet, as dangerous and evil as Negan himself was, fans could argue that his right-hand man Simon was far worse.
As corrupt as he was, Negan had a code that he lived by, which often prevented him from going what he would deem “too far” in certain scenarios, and it went a long way in maintaining his status quo as the powerful leader that he was. Simon, on the other hand, was a loose canon. He had no code, and simply wanted everyone to submit to his will. Moreover, he took far more pleasure in the evil acts that The Saviors committed than Negan did, so when he saw an opportunity to overthrow his supposed friend, he attempted to do just that.
Simon was unhinged and deadly. He was evil and sadistic. And his sole purpose was to lay waste to anyone who dared challenge his authority (or lack thereof). Nobody was sad to see him go when Negan killed him.
Verdict: WORST
Maggie Rhee
It doesn’t get more badass than Maggie Greene. We first met her all the way back in The Walking Dead season 2 as one of Hershel’s beloved daughters, but over the course of the next ten seasons, we saw her go through more than anyone should have to go through. And, like some of our other fan-favorite characters on the show, she still found an immeasurable will to survive.
Maggie’s strength of character was showcased through her relationships as well. From her beautiful bond with sister Beth to heartfelt romance with Glenn Rhee, she’s been involved in a number of the show’s most pivotal dynamics. The dark path that she went down after Negan took Glenn from her was another one, as she relentlessly vowed to bring him down and kill him for what he had done.
She’s been a leader, a sister, wife, mother, friend, and ally, enriching The Walking Dead with an incredible journey of growth. While she’s had her demons, she has overcome them and ultimately proved that you can survive with a heart full of love. And when you hurt the people she loves, nothing will stop her from making you pay.
We loved Maggie in the main series and she has been every bit as badass on spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City. We can’t wait to see where the journey continues to take her in the future of the franchise. If it's anything like it has been already, we're set for more badassery and that's fine with us!
Verdict: BEST
Glenn Rhee
Oh Glenn. Salt of the Earth, Glenn! If there was ever a character who deserved to outlast the apolcaypse, it has to be kind, gentle, good-natured - and yet extremely badass - Glenn Rhee.
A presence on The Walking Dead from its very first season, Glenn showed himself to be a loyal friend and a formidable survivor from the offset. But throughout his time on the show, he would grow into a protector and a warrior, stepping forward as one of the most reliable, formidable survivors in Rick Grimes' group.
His relationship with Maggie has stood out as perhaps the best in the original series, serving both characters well and giving each of them something to truly fight for, and watching them reunite with each other anytime that they were separate truly drove home why they were doing all of this: To survive and build a life with each other... even when the world around them was trying to make that difficult.
Glenn's untimely, unnecessary demise in the show's seventh season has gone down in history as one of the most crontroversial (and worst) moments in the show's 11-season run (and the TWD Universe as a whole), with fans largely agreeing that the show was worse off without Glenn Rhee. They are.
Oh Glenn, you deserved much better. So, so much better.
Verdict: BEST
Eugene Porter
It’s safe to say that few people expected Eugene Porter to last long whenever he was first introduced to The Walking Dead. With quirky comebacks and a cartoonish personality, it just seemed like he wasn’t cut out for this world of the undead. However, he had one thing that made him perfect for it – he was smart.
Unfortunately, a lot of Eugene’s potential was squandered throughout the show’s run. Fans never really forgave him for betraying Rick and his friends to side with Negan and The Saviors (even though he turned against them in the end and helped the heroes win the day), but the character still divided them long after that. Some just found him too darn cartoonish of a character to survive this long in this world when more interesting characters did not.
Of course, that’s the appeal of Eugene, he uses his brain and always comes up with a solution. But it’s hard to argue with those who point out some of the show’s multiple shortcomings when it comes to him.
He’s definitely not the worst character in The Walking Dead‘s history, but he still feels like something of a missed opportunity.
Verdict: WORST
Michonne
Michonne made her debut at the end of the second season of The Walking Dead, but it wasn’t until season 3 that we got to know her, and boy are we glad we did. An absolute badass with a samurai sword and two armless walkers at her disposal, Michonne was all about that looking after herself lifestyle, but when she came across Andrea in trouble in the woods, she formed her first human connection in a long time.
Michonne is a fighter through and through, but she also cares about people a great deal. Yes, she cut herself off from the remainder of the living in order to survive, but she eventually found out that this wasn’t truly living. And through those connections that she made, she found her true purpose in life: Fighting alongside people.
The most important connections she undoubtedly made were with Rick Grimes his son Carl and daughter Judith, as the four became a family, adding to it with new arrival RJ. It humanized her and Rick even further and made us root for them to not just survive but to live. And that's why it was so fulfilling to see them find their way back to each other in spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
Danai Gurira’s performance as Michonne is nothing short of spectacular.
Verdict: BEST
Negan
As much as I hate to say it, Negan is one of the weaker characters on The Walking Dead. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has done an absolutely phenomenal job bringing him to life, but the show itself has consistently had the character bend towards the will of the plot that his journey has gotten so repetitive.
The outline of that journey is great. We all love a redemption story, and Negan has that down to a tee. However, the flaws came from the characterization and the pacing of the story. For starters, the show had him go from terrifying to campy real quick, and the amount of time that the survivors took to take him down resulted in a lot more character shifts (and campiness) along the way. He did benefit from some wonderful character development after his capture but most of that took place off-screen.
When his story was brought to a poignant end at the conclusion of The Walking Dead, spinoff Dead City set him back a little just to force more conflict and sow more seeds of doubt between him and Maggie – who had already acknowledged that he changed in the main show’s series finale.
On paper, Negan’s arc was incredibly successful, so it’s easy to see why many appreciate his redemption arc, but the back-and-forth of it all prevented it from truly living up to what it could have been – even if Jeffrey Dean Morgan was exhilarating in the role.
Verdict: WORST
Madison Clark
Madison Clark has gone through so much on Fear The Walking Dead. The original lead of the spinoff show, she lost her fiancée and stepson before seemingly sacrificing herself to save everyone she had left. After that, she lost her son Nick (and potentially her daughter Alicia). But somehow, someway, Madison survived.
To say that Kim Dickens’ absence was felt on Fear The Walking Dead between its fifth and seventh seasons would be an understatement. The show repeatedly sank to new lows without Madison, which is both an indicator of how strong the original creative team’s direction was and how superior she was to Morgan as a lead character. It was only fitting that they brought her back for the show’s final season.
Madison is the personification of a survivor. A high school guidance counsellor prior to the apocalypse, she was forced to evolve when the world around her changed, surviving everything it threw at her in the process and coming back stronger. She has overcome so much and still managed to carry on for her family, and that makes her one of the very best characters in not just Fear but the entire TWD Universe.
Verdict: BEST
Lance Hornsby
Lance Hornsby was one of the final antagonists that our survivors came across on the main The Walking Dead series. The former Deputy Governor of The Commonwealth, he also acted as something of a recruiter for them, reaching out to smaller communities in the hopes of setting up partnerships. That would have been nice if he wasn’t such a selfish and entitled human being who didn’t take rejection well.
Obsessed with receiving praise from Commonwealth Governor Pamela Milton, he was willing to do whatever it took to get his way. The problem is that he didn’t count on the survivors, such as Carol and Daryl, being more cunning than he was.
He served as the antagonist of the second of three parts of The Walking Dead‘s final season, while also being a problem in the third part. While he wasn’t of the level of previous villains like The Governor and Negan, he was still pretty despised by audiences and that’s because he’s a weak, self-centred man whose jealousy and self-serving nature spun out of control. And fans loved to hate him.
But yes, they did hate him – and for good reason.
Verdict: WORST
Daryl Dixon
To call Daryl Dixon a “fan favorite” simply wouldn’t sum up just how beloved he is by fans of The Walking Dead. And it’s for good reason too, because Norman Reedus’ performance as the lovable rogue has endeared the character to audiences throughout the full extent of the show’s run – so much so that he became the leading man after Rick Grimes’ season 9 departure.
In many ways, Daryl became the backbone of TWD. Yes, he played a supporting role for much of its run, but he was always the character you could rely on in any given situation. His tough exterior might have been his calling card early on, but it quickly became clear that he cared about people deeply. So when those people relied on him, he had no problem doing whatever it took to protect them.
Daryl might be known for his iconic grunts more than his monologues, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that there isn’t any depth there. He’s one of The Walking Dead‘s most nuanced characters. From his undying love for best friend Carol and his strong partnership with Rick to his role as a leader and guardian to the next generation of survivors like Judith and RJ, Daryl is a good person through and through – and an incredibly strong character.
That has never been more clear than it is in his own spinoff series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, as the beloved hero has once again put his own goals aside to protect a young boy named Laurent from the dangers of post-apocalyptic France. Daryl never stops trying for the people he cares about.
Verdict: BEST
Morgan Jones
Having appeared in the eighth and final season of Fear The Walking Dead, Morgan Jones is currently the longest-standing character in the TWD Universe (though that will change when Rick Grimes returns in his and Michonne’s 2024 spinoff). He was a staple of The Walking Dead‘s very first episode, showing Rick Grimes what the world had become. And it was very exciting to see the undead world through his eyes.
Morgan continued to excite us in his guest appearances over the years, but things fell apart when he finally became a full-time character. Morgan was a skilled fighter with a strong moral compass, but over the years, the show went back and forth with him, having him deliver conflicting monologues, judge characters for doing less worse things than he did, and constantly opposing fan-favorite characters.
We also can’t overlook the fact that he was one of the main reasons that beloved spinoff Fear The Walking Dead fell apart. Shoehorning him into that show as the new lead only brought his TWD problems with it and it resulted in the loss of far more compelling protagonist Madison Clark.
Lennie James is a wonderful actor and Morgan has certainly had his moments, but The Walking Dead couldn’t make him an interesting character long-term and they destroyed their own spinoff because of their refusal to let him go.
Verdict: WORST
Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes, the leading man of The Walking Dead and the first person we saw experience the undead world, where oh where would the show be without him? Rick woke up to a world that had gone dark, full of the undead and light on the life that it once possessed. But he wouldn’t let that (or his weakened state) stop him from finding his way back to his family and building a new one for the next generation.
Rick was a leader through and through. Yes, he wavered in his resolve and went down some dark paths from time-to-time, but he was driven to protect those he loved, and that ultimately allowed him and his friends to build a better world for tomorrow. That was Rick’s dream, and it was the story of The Walking Dead. The show might have went on without him, but he was and always will be its main character.
Even though it didn’t feel right for TWD to end without him as a regular part of it, it was amazing to see Andrew Lincoln once again reprise the role in the Rick and Michonne spinoff series. After all Rick has given so that his loved ones would live, he deserves that happy ending with the woman that he loves.
The fact that fans want that more than ever for him just proves how beloved a character he is.
Verdict: BEST
Gregory
Well, how can we describe Gregory in just a few words? Arrogant? Selfish? Inconsiderate? Cowardly? Creepy? Heck, try all of the above, and then add a few more to the list.
The character first made his debut during the Negan saga as the Hilltop’s leader, but leader is a bit of a loose term because he didn’t do much leading. He just happened to be the man in charge who lived in the fancy big house, gave out orders to others and oversaw others as they held the place together. He was odious, self-serving and didn’t care about anyone else in the community. This much was clear when he was hostile towards Rick, Maggie, and the rest of the survivors when they first crossed his paths.
Gregory was particularly rude to Maggie and hated the fact that she was elected the new leader of Hilltop, and that would ultimately be his downfall as his attempt to have her killed resulted in his death at her hands.
It was impossible to root for Gregory. Every time he showed a little potential of goodness within him, he always chose the route that would allow him to weasel his way to victory or safety, irrespective of who he had to walk over to achieve it.
Verdict: WORST
Carol Peletier
If you look up “character development” in the dictionary, there’s a pretty strong chance you’ll see Carol Peletier’s name there. Undoubtedly one of the best developed characters in all of television, she evolved over the course of the show’s run to become a hardened, badass warrior unafraid of the harsh realities of the world around her. Walkers were scary, but Carol was terrifying.
She endured a lot over those eleven seasons, including abuse from her first husband, the loss of beloved daughter Sophia and her adoptive son Henry, but she always found a way to get stronger, carrying on for the people she lost, and those that are still around her. She was a good person, hardened by the world but never broken, and if you had her on your team, you knew you had a strong chance of making it out alive.
Carol is easily the best character we were introduced to on The Walking Dead. Few would have imagined the badass she would grow into in the first season, but it was an exhilarating experience watching it happen. From destroying Terminus to save her friends to playing the long game to get revenge on Alpha, Carol was responsible for so many of the show’s most memorable moments, and based on her epic return to screens in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon we hope to see plenty more of her in the post-Walking Dead TWD Universe.
Verdict: BEST
Who’s your favorite and least-favorite characters in The Walking Dead? Are you keeping up with the TWD Universe after the end of the main series?