The Walking Dead is set to wrap up after its 11th and final season, and while few characters remain from the first season, there are characters who have been around for some time and have kept fans excited and interested in their stories.
The main character list continues to expand with new additions like Lance Hornsby and Princess. But in both this season and previous ones, there have been side characters who have captured viewers’ attention with a sort of energy that is only expected from main characters.
Pamela Milton
Actor Laila Robbins has been in some huge projects over the years, so it’s no surprise that while her role in the final season of The Walking Dead is a minor one, she brings a certain energy to it that another lesser-known actor might not have achieved.
While it originally seemed like Pamela Milton, leader of The Commonwealth, might be the villain, it turns out it’s actually her number-two, Lance, who will end up ranking among the Walking Dead villains. Pamela might be more genuine than others realize. The beauty of the role is that, however, in every scene Pamela is in, fans don’t quite know what to make of her.
Max Mercer
From the moment she appeared on screen, fans knew there was more to Max than meets the eye. The dark-rimmed glasses and the shy and quiet persona led fans to quickly guess that she was the real Stephanie and not the woman pretending to be Eugene’s kindred spirit.
From her ability to connect so well with Eugene to her willingness to do what it takes to make things right in the community, Max has an energy about her that is not often found with side characters.
Leah Shaw
Leah Shaw is the one woman who managed to truly capture Daryl’s heart on the show. While their relationship didn’t work out, and Maggie almost killed her, Leah has shown a ruthless, terrifying side of herself.
Arguably a bigger villain than Hornsby, Leah is highly trained and skilled at combat while also being fiercely smart, which is a deadly combination that only a few left in the apocalypse possess. Every scene she’s involved in is a big, shocking one and fans can’t wait to see where the story takes her.
Mercer
Max Mercer is the fearless head of the Commonwealth army. It’s clear the community would not survive without him, yet he believes himself to be “only a soldier” who doesn’t have the means to truly make a difference. He believes he always has to choose the lesser of two evils and is slowly afraid of who he is becoming.
Chances are that Mercer will play a bigger role as the season progresses. He isn’t just a larger-than-life presence but he’s a physically large, fit man who dominates every room he enters in more ways than one. If his attitude were different, he could have been an even more menacing villain than Beta.
Simon
Back when the Saviors storyline was first introduced, it was all about Negan. But fans quickly found that his right-hand man Simon tended to steal every scene he was in. While Negan was the clear leader, Simon had an edge to him that even Negan didn’t possess.
He had an obvious chip on his shoulder after Negan took things over from him. His unhinged nature, such as when he took out all the men in Oceanside in retaliation, meant fans never knew what he was going to do next. His menacing look, terrifying persona, and towering figure had anyone he came face-to-face with shaking in their boots. It’s for this reason that Simon is one of The Walking Dead characters most likely to appear in the Tales of the Walking Dead anthology series.
Kelly
Kelly has never had any major storylines centered around her except when she decided to run off to search for her sister Connie, who she rightfully believed was still alive. Kelly is always there to help Connie communicate with others by signing for her. Though, if Connie’s time spent away from the group is any indication, she was able to make it on her own just fine.
Still, Kelly and Connie together make a great team, and Kelly’s devotion to her sister, to the group, and to doing what’s right that makes her a welcome moral center on the show.
Deanna Monroe
Deanna was one of the nicer characters on The Walking Dead, and one of the few leaders the group came across who was genuinely treating her people well and wanted to build a better life. This was also because Deanna was sheltered and protected through the entire apocalypse, inexperienced in dealing with how dire the situation was on the outside.
But fans grew to love her nature and the way she welcomed everyone into Alexandria and was willing to sacrifice for them. She was smart, capable, and built up one of the most successful, well-run communities on The Walking Dead.
Tomichi
Fans instantly loved the reveal that Tomichi was not only Yumiko’s brother but also secretly a doctor. After following a path in his pre-apocalypse life he didn’t want, all at the hands of his overbearing parents, he loved the opportunity to be a simpler man running a bakery in The Commonwealth. Even though he knew his life would instantly be spared and enhanced if he revealed his medical training, he kept that information secret anyway.
Once he was forced into working in the medical profession once again, Tomi still found a way to satisfy his desire to be reckless and anti-authority by teaming up with Ezekiel to do secret surgeries for the less wealthy residents.
Lucille
The episode that told Negan’s backstory and the origin of the name of his bat Lucille was one of the best on The Walking Dead thus far. It not only showed a softer side of Negan, but also a more loving side with his wife Lucille, who was battling cancer just as the apocalypse began.
It was his journey to get medicine for her, the terrifying people he encountered, and her death that led Negan to become the kind of person he became. But while the episode was all about his story, fans couldn’t help but be captivated by the woman who captured his heart, Lucille.
Hershel Rhee
Only in a few episodes so far, the young Hershel, one of the bravest child characters on The Walking Dead, has already proven himself a scene-stealer. From pulling a gun on Negan and threatening to kill him to avenge his father’s death to staring down Hornsby and standing up to him, Hershel was clearly taught well by his mother and possesses his father’s fierce spirit.
Considering that Glenn was a fan-favorite character, viewers are happy to see a lot of the same determination, drive, and will in Hershel.
