The final part of The Walking Dead‘s season 11 may be about to air its last eight episodes, bringing the series to a close, but the franchise is far from over. New shows, such as the Rick Grimes and Michonne spin-off, are just over the horizon, promising a long future ahead for fans of the post-apocalyptic series.
Over the years, The Walking Dead has had plenty of fantastic characters who fans adored from the beginning. However, certain other characters didn’t start with such goodwill, but instead made a poor first impression, being forced to earn the audience’s affection over time.
Negan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays Negan, a character who is introduced in season 6 of The Walking Dead. Negan immediately gives audiences a reason to hate him, introducing himself by brutally murdering Abraham and Glenn in front of their friends and proceeding to kill several of Rick’s other allies during the ensuing Savior War.
Despite his rampant villainy, Negan is eventually made to pay for his crimes. Over the years, he comes to admire the way Alexandria is run and becomes a part of the community after killing the villainous Alpha. Negan still has plenty of storylines to complete in his final episodes, particularly involving Maggie and Herschel, which should decide once and for all if he is truly a villain.
Merle
Merle Dixon is Daryl’s older brother, who is portrayed in The Walking Dead‘s first three seasons by Michael Rooker. Merle is unlikable in almost every way, proving himself to be an angry, abusive, and extremely racist, leading him to ally with the Governor against Rick’s people.
While no one has ever forgiven Merle for his horrific deeds and horrible attitude, there were a few who did sympathize with him in his final episodes as it seemed like he was trying to redeem himself in his final episodes. He ends his time on the series somewhat heroically, challenging the Governor to a one-on-one battle and very nearly killing the villain before being killed himself.
Dwight
Austin Amelio portrays Dwight, who is introduced in season 6 of the series. Dwight is a high-ranking Savior, who is personally responsible for the death of several beloved characters, including Alexandria’s resident doctor, Denise.
Despite his evil actions, Dwight eventually betrays Negan and helps Rick win the Savior War. Though the Alexandrians had trouble forgiving Dwight, the audience did not, especially as they followed his much more heroic exploits in the spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead.
Laura
Laura is a former Savior who is portrayed by Lindsley Register. She is introduced during the Savior’s occupation of Alexandria, where she joyfully abuses her power. During the Savior War, she loyally serves Negan, eventually revealing that Dwight had betrayed them and thereby helping the Savior cause.
Though Laura was diametrically opposed to the Coalition during the war, she quickly rethought her position after the Saviors were defeated. Over the next few years, she would become an important part of the Coalition’s day-to-day operations, loyally serving her new friends. Laura would eventually be killed by the Whisperer Beta while defending an Alexandrian prisoner.
Gabriel
Seth Gilliam’s Gabriel Stokes was undoubtedly one of the worst additions of season 5, joining the group as a sniveling coward, who contributed nothing to their overall survival. The character even goes so far as to attempt to have Rick and the group thrown out of Alexandria shortly after arriving, betraying them for no reason at all.
Gabriel may have had a rocky start on the series, but the former priest eventually grows into his own, learning how to defend himself and devoting his life to making up for his past mistakes. He may not be anyone’s favorite character, but it would be difficult to deny how far he has come in recent seasons.
Mercer
Michael James Shaw is a newcomer to The Walking Dead, joining the series late in season 10 as Michael Mercer, the commanding officer in the Commonwealth’s army. Mercer makes a poor first impression on the audience, seemingly upholding the corruption at the top of the Commonwealth’s government and posing a threat to the character that come under the community’s protection.
Though Mercer is initially portrayed as a mindless soldier of the Commonwealth, the show’s final season has slowly torn away at this front, revealing him to actually be quite thoughtful and right-minded. While the final episodes may change the audience’s opinion of the character, Mercer appears ready to help the main characters after all.
Gamma
Thora Birch portrays the Whisperer Mary, also known as Gamma, during the Whisperer War arc of the series. The audience understandably has a difficult time trusting Whisperers, who are known for their brutality and Mary was no exception in her early episodes, coming under fire by fans who did not believe her intentions to be amicable.
However, Gamma came to see the error of Alpha’s ways over time and began to help Aaron and Alexandria in their effort against the Whisperers. Though she joined the series as an antagonist, she ended up dying on the heroes’ side, renouncing Alpha’s villainy and bringing her one step closer to defeat.
Lydia
Cassady McClincy’s Lydia joined in season 9, quickly becoming one of the most interesting additions to The Walking Dead. After being captured by Hilltop, Lydia is revealed to be the daughter of the Whisperer Leader Alpha, leading the audience to immediately distrust her and her intentions, especially as she began a romantic relationship with Henry.
As more is revealed about Lydia’s story, however, viewers come to sympathize with her plight, especially as they come to realize the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her mother. Ultimately, Lydia helps the Coalition of Communities defeat the Whisperers and establishes herself as a fan-favorite character.
Shane
Jon Bernthal’s Shane was one of the most important people in Rick’s character arc as he was his former best friend, who eventually turned into his greatest enemy. Shane is quickly made out as a villain in the show’s first two seasons, growing more and more jealous of Rick’s relationship with Lori until he tries to kill his former best friend, only to die himself.
Though Shane dies without any redemption, many viewers have come to appreciate his role in the story and how he shaped the characters into the people they are today (with many believing that he might have been a valuable asset to the group had he survived longer). While Shane was a villain, many of his tactics were eventually adopted by Rick as the world grew more violent around him.
Daryl
Norman Reedus’s Daryl Dixon is a standout fan-favorite character and one of the few surviving cast members from season 1. However, the now beloved Dixon brother originally had very few redeeming qualities, choosing to oppose Rick on almost every matter in their early relationship. In his first episode, Daryl appears to resemble his brother in almost every way.
Despite getting off on the wrong foot with Rick and the audience, it quickly becomes clear that there is more to Daryl than what meets the eye. He slowly grows to be one of Rick’s most trusted allies and saves the day on a number of occasions over the next 11 seasons. Ultimately, Daryl proves himself to be one of the most heroic characters of the apocalypse, doing all he can to protect those he loves and establishing himself as perhaps the best character in the entire Walking Dead franchise.
