The Walking Dead, to me, is a series chock full of iconic moments and ground-breaking character ideas, among a sea of woe and questionable choices. But instead of just complaining about it, let’s go through my Top 10 Characters of The Walking Dead, among so many. And we’re off!
Noah
What can I say, other than “gone too soon”. I’ll admit up front, I have a softer spot in my heart for anyone traveling with the group before they hit Alexandria, because prior to Alexandria, the group was exclusively founded upon Rick’s values, and I always remember that shot of the entire group (along with Aaron) walking exhausted, nearly dead from dehydration; in the episode where Rick exclaimed that these battlers were the real ‘Walking Dead’. Noah is the last member to enter that group, and I feel like Noah had a lot more to offer – kind, outward-thinking; I felt like he could have been one to find a place in Alexandria and offer Rick an opposing view before Rick flips it, and Michonne has to knock him out. I think it’s hinted that Noah might’ve taken an apprenticeship under Reg, Deanna’s husband, as the town’s builder. But the show ultimately decided to use Noah as an example of how the Alexandrians should listen to Glenn, especially when on the outside doing supply runs, and his death is among the most unexpectedly graphic and memorable to me. RIP Noah.
Bob
*Spoiler Alert* Sacha won’t be featuring on this list. Because the best storylines with Sacha are all because of Bob. Bob suddenly appeared at the beginning of season 4, as a weary traveller who stumbled upon the prison and got to work giving back to his new community. Bob was always able to see the good fortune in his situation; being alive, and finding friends, even amidst the mire of horror and world-class decay happening around him. This annoyed Sacha, who struck me as a highly logical person, until she started to come around. There’s an argument to be made on both sides, but I feel like Rosita should have been the one to die in the coffin the way Sacha did, avenging Abraham, even if the orange-haired hunk had moved on to Sacha – I feel like Sacha being the one to fall into a deep depression and obsession with finding revenge, flew in the face of what she’d learnt from Bob. I can see Sacha being the one in the relationship with Gabriel in season 9, taking Rosita’s place, but that’s not to say that I WANTED Rosita dead, because we like her as well. Anyway, I’m getting sidetrack because this is about Bob (and what about Bob?). Bob was great, and a worthy recipient of the cannibalistic fate that virtually saw him getting eaten alive, while still being able to see the funny side. A top-notch, stand-up bloke.
Tyreese
Tyreese is our big-hearted softy that never could come to terms with the new reality of the horrific kill-or-be-killed nature of modern survival. As much as I might like to think I’d be a Glenn or a Daryl type refugee-of-the-apocalypse, I’d probably be a Tyreese, looking tougher than I am. I understand the television interpretation of Tyreese is among the most divergent from the original comic series and it got some fans in a flap, but having not read the comic book series for myself, this Tyreese was pretty perfect. I loved his death episode, and as I sat down to face the new challenges in season 5B, Tyreese was gone in a flash, very unexpectedly. This episode got to focus on the past events that led to Tyreese’s final moments, reflecting on the past much more artistically and effectively then the show had done before, and allowing Tyreese to be introspective on his demise instead of the episode being an unequivocal sharp tragedy like most others. It was similar to a proposal offered by the sprites in a series finale of the certain doctor show that I won’t name in case somebody reading this wants to watch it. Never forget Tyreese, with Judith strapped to his chest, and the thankless job of looking after Lizzie and Mika when the prison went bust. He was a character of real power too, as I remember him fighting through walkers with nothing but his framing hammer and rage, after discovering his girlfriend Karen had been murdered.
Aaron
I clearly have a thing for the noblest people of The Walking Dead, and Aaron worked his way into the show (and into my heart) as a scout for Alexandria. And in doing so, he proved himself worthy of navigating the world outside Alexandria’s protective walls where not many could, working as the link between the main group and the newly formed civilisations, and proving that there were still good people out there, after Rick and the gang had run into nothing but trouble for a long time. Aaron rose to the challenge of facing the Saviours, losing his own along the way, and after leadership of Alexandria fell to Michonne, he kept communications open with the outside world with Jesus. Although never formally recognised as the head of Alexandria, Aaron is certainly the beating heart of the place, providing those around him with the template to enact a brave new world. Aaron is the latest fellow to be introduced to the show to make this list, and although The Walking Dead drastically dipped in quality – especially after the Whisperers storyline – Aaron remained one reliable dude.
Tara
Oh, I don’t think the writers ever valued Tara! Apart from Rick, Tara is the only other character that we follow from the very beginning of their apocalyptic journey, since before the Governor stumbled upon her apartment building, Tara didn’t even know how the walkers reanimate. To borrow a quote I read somewhere, Tara is one of the only pre-Alexandria posse who refuses to become a full-blown ‘Rickateer’ and her interactions with Rick are unique by being often light-hearted, through gentle teasing, while also based on mutual respect. As the group merge with Alexandria, Tara is a loving calming influence on Denise, whom the town need as their under-educated doctor. I was genuinely distraught when Tara died; like losing someone that I knew personally, and it shook me for a day. And because following Maggie’s disappearance, and Jesus’ death, Tara embraced her niche as a forthright leader of the Hilltop and probably would have been the best leader of them all. But she is snuffed out and not even given top billing among the lineup of heads left on spikes by the Whisperers. No, we’re supposed to care about Henry the most instead, even though Tara had been a mainstay for seasons.
Carol
As a founding member of the show, Carol’s transformation is a giant feather in the cap of The Walking Dead. She went from a meek victim of domestic violence to a cold-blooded killer, with one of the more memorable closers of the show, coming as Carol casually admits to killing Karen at the beginning of the prison infection storyline. I love Carol; and she is one of the only ‘Walking Dead Pop Vinyl that I actively sought out to own. The only thing really holding her back from being the best character, in my opinion, is the unsteady way in which the show brings about the revelations and impact that killing was having on her psyche. I understand what the show was trying to do – to flip a character and give them an unexpected scenario where they have to grow (kind’ve like what I’ve heard Friends was trying to do when they had Joey fall in love with Rachel). But the timing of this change came just as Rick, Carol and Daryl were justified in assuming that Alexandria would be unprepared for an outside attack; when the Wolves invaded, and Carol was central in being the most badass bitch on the planet, in what was a fantastic episode. At her fiercest, Carol is more unforgiving than Daryl, and I’m still a little disappointed that she wasn’t present when Negan went to town with his baseball bat; just to gauge her response to the gruesome happenings upon her post-apocalyptic family. But her absence led to her becoming the Queen of the Kingdom, and that’s been fun too. Carol has done it all – whether it’s a blubbering mess at the death of Sophia, to her vulnerability at kissing Tobin; her solo warrior attacks or urging Lizzie to ‘look at the flowers’ as she puts her down. Carol can effortlessly play Betty Crocker to hide the murderous ability within. Plus, Carol and Daryl’s friendship is one for the ages; often the best part of what the show has to offer.
Daryl
We are so lucky to have Daryl. This character isn’t even in the comic source material – Norman Reedus just showed up one day, and original showrunner Frank Darabont decided to give him a go. And with those who play Rick and Michonne deciding to leave the show in later seasons, Daryl became the obvious choice to become the show’s new anchor. If anything, for the biggest accolade in Daryl’s favour, is that around seasons 4 to 6, there was a prevailing audience notion that we needed more Daryl, that his episodes were too few and far between. But even with a little Daryl, we can describe the guy as the hothead biker with a heart of gold; played like an overgrown child struggling to realise his worth in an apocalyptic world that values him way more than he would have been otherwise. He becomes brothers with lawman Rick, and distances himself from a lewd past under the thumb of Merl. The choice to give Daryl the storyline with Beth was a good one, albeit poor that it never goes all the way in having them be together; but it teaches Daryl to nurture and feel love from someone refined. Glenn’s death, for which Daryl bares some responsibility, also urges him to smarten up, which is necessary as he faces his biggest leadership challenge opposing the Whisperers – I remember tingling with anticipation to see how the action would play out after Alpha warns Daryl not to try her and her hoard, while knowing Carol would want revenge for Henry. Again, the interpersonal byplay doesn’t live up to my expectations, as is often the case with The Walking Dead, but the seed was there. For me, I respect Daryl more than anything else. Nobody else is so charismatic doing less. A fan favourite beyond me, and a true revelation for the show. And a man that never runs out of arrows for his signature bow.
Glenn
Now, here’s where I get to bemoan the moment where this series jumped the shark. There was one outstanding episode in season 6 called “Thank-You”, that begins with Rick telling members Glenn and Michonne to lead the Alexandrians to safety, but if they get too difficult, to leave them behind. The implication, to me, was that we know our main guys will be safe, because they’re warriors, but these soft Alexandrians are disposal if they’re a liability. A meta wink, perhaps, if you will. But then the episode concludes with a gigantic hoard cornering Nick and Glenn on a dumpster, and Nick’s inability to keep it together directly leads to OG member Glenn falling from safety and getting ripped apart by walkers. What. A. Shock. What a sight! Oh, but oh no – by some gigantic miracle, called the show-writer’s pen, Glenn somehow went undetected by every walker, spared in the chaos. Bull. Shit! And it was obvious something fishy was going on, as by that stage the show was so popular it was proceeded by Talking Dead, which had a memoriam segment for all characters killed in the previous episode, and they left Glenn out with a question mark… I genuinely hated this story beat, because it ruined an epic death, and undermined both notions that nobody was safe on The Walking Dead, and that the Alexandrian’s incompetence was genuinely dangerous. Later on, I had a bit of time to contemplate the tantalising cliffhanger that had everyone on bended knee in front of Negan, and I WANTED it to be Glenn to get bludgeoned, since I already considered him on borrowed time. But after all this, what does make Glenn such a wonderful character? Well, I feel like Glenn’s legacy only got stronger after his death, ‘survived by’ Maggie, and everyone who loves Maggie, and everyone who loved Glenn. I mean, the show got another four seasons out of the drama surrounding Maggie not being able to find a way to forgive Neagan for the murder. But Glenn was a scrapper and a doer. A pizza delivery boy who constantly rose to the challenges before him and never lost himself along the way. I think it’s an abomination that he lived long enough to be a part of the attack on the Saviors in their sleep, and if he’d died prior to that moment, it would have better preserved Glenn as a gentle contributor with a nil kill count and clear conscious. While Carol, Darryl, Rick and Michonne always went down deadly roads, Glenn was able to both show up and be decent. Nobility at its finest.
Rick
Often, if you don’t like the main character of your TV show, you’re in a world of hurt, but there’s no trouble here. Rick is a police officer, but a cowboy, in uncivilised times, and the great hope of the show that something good might come out of this misery. Rick is our worthy benevolent leader, perfectly opposed to Shane, and the Governor to come after. We watch as Rick goes on a rollercoaster of hardships, that see his leadership style get twisted into being dictatorial at times, before straightening itself out again. The way the show handles the lead-up to the introduction of Negan is messy, but I think what the story is trying to get at is how Rick now believes that he must be the biggest badass in the land, while Negan has taken all the steps, and Rick’s folly leads to those crushing consequences. Following that, Rick does whimper around Negan for a little too long, but Carl recentres Rick again, and Rick finally finds a way for all major communities to work together. Even throughout all this, you never turn away from Rick – as much as I wished The Walking Dead could give a little more in terms of character development for some of its other players, I was always comfortable with Rick being the anchor of the show the way he was. I’m not sure The Walking Dead would have gone downhill in the same way if Andrew Lincoln had stayed on, but his exit marks the end of one era of the show, before the next could begin. I suppose there’s only so long you can stare at blood and guts and not prefer to partake in other projects.
Michonne
But yes, Michonne is the best character through the runtime of the show. Nobody makes such a visual impact as Michonne walking into screen with two chained walkers, her sullen disposition, katanas and dreadlocks. She is rational, and callous, in equal measure. Michonne is always wise in any situation, and I think she is given some of the best deep introspective moments, contemplating her part in all this. While many people hated Andrea, and were glad when she met her match, it meant Rick would hook up with someone else as the storyline progressed, and thankfully we had Michonne to pick up the slack, to form the other half of the forthright power couple. I still, to this day, have the Pop Vinyls of Michonne and her two Pets up on my shelves, where very limited space for trinkets dwell. This may be a short entry for Michonne in detailing her level-headed greatness, but I started this documentation of my Top 10 character of The Walking Dead years ago, when finishing the show was still fresh in my mind – so I apologise if the information on Rick and Michonne is lite on. But I want to wrap this up, and I stand by this order.
Honourable Mentions – Abraham would have been number 11. Hershel, Dale, Shane, Maggie, Deanna, Rosita, Eugene, Denise, Enid, Beth, Carl, T-Dog… *deep breath*… Gabriel, Andrea, Milton, The Governor, Negan, Judith. I get choked up thinking of all the people that have cared for Judith along the way, allowing her to get this far. Maggie performing the C-section on Lori. Carl, Rick, Tyreese, and Carol protecting her from walkers along the way. Michonne raising Judith as her own. You could really see the show as the story of the community that raised Judith, and you wouldn’t be disappointed. In fact, that would’ve been a great ending, if Judith became the President of a new United States, and this was the story of all the people who raised her. Anyway…
The Walking Dead was always one of those shows that set up scenarios that would send my mind racing, for narrative possibilities and how they would be resolved. And usually didn’t live up to my expectations in delivering its conclusions. But I shouldn’t discount The Walking Dead’s ability to get me excited in the first place, and I reckon it’d be one of those shows where if I were to watch it again, knowing what was going to happen, and without week-to-week expectations, then I may enjoy the journey much more. The height of the Walking Dead’s giant popularity is a credit to its characters, and its brutal dedication to delivering a dour and unforgiving landscape in its post-apocalyptic world. And despite the haters, it will live on as one of the biggest and most influential shows of the modern century.
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