History Characters / TheWalkingDead

* From the [[characters/TheWalkingDeadNovels novel series]].

* From the [[Characters/TheWalkingDeadVideoGame downloadable episodic adventure game]].

* From the [[Characters/TheWalkingDeadTVShow telivision adaption]].

!!The [[LiveActionAdaptation television show]] ''The Walking Dead'':

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Main]]

!!Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rickWD_9105.png]]
->''"I'm just a man looking for his wife and son. Anyone who gets in the way is going to lose."''

Rick was a sheriff's deputy before the outbreak alongside Shane, but was shot and ended up in a coma. He awoke in the hospital weeks after the outbreak began, and quickly learned of the walkers. He headed to Atlanta looking for his family, and found them in a camp outside the city, where he became the leader of the survivors.

* AnAxToGrind: Rick uses one to chop up a dead body as part of a plan to sneak past the walkers and escape Atlanta. He later buries it in the skull of a walker.
* AntiHero: Type III / GoodIsNotNice in the season 2 finale.
* {{Badass}}: When you've survived all the crap he's gone through, you count. Rick's only rival in handling a gun is Shane.
* BadassBoast: Rick gets one during this exchange with Merle in the second episode:
-->'''Merle:''' You won't shoot me. You're a cop.\\
'''Rick:''' All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anyone who gets in the way of that is going to lose.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: One of the reasons why he went to rescue Glenn.
* BerserkButton: Threatening his family, stopping him reaching his family, trying to steal his family, suggesting he cannot protect his family etc.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Rick is likely one of the nicest characters in the show, but hitting one of his [[BerserkButton berserk buttons]] will end you.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Averted. Rick was declared leader by popular vote the second he showed up at the camp site, despite not really asking for it. He has spent almost every second since questioning whether the decisions he's making from his position are the right ones or not, not to mention the rest of the group asking the same questions.
* CoolHat: Counts as his IconicItem as well, until he gives it to Carl.
* CowboyCop:
** He is willing to attack and kill Merle when the latter endangered his mission to find his family.
** Proved in "Nebraska", where he kills two men who drew guns on him.
* {{Determinator}}
* FairCop
* TheFettered: He's extremely unwilling to allow loss of human life, especially when compared to Shane.
* FiringOneHanded: Rick likes to do this, specifically when picking off walkers.
* AFriendInNeed: Rick's reasoning to go rescue Glenn, since Glenn could have easily left Rick to die in the tank but instead risked his life to rescue him.
* GiveMeASign: In "What Lies Ahead", Rick Grimes expresses his doubts about his leadership in a church, asking a wooden figure of Jesus for "a nudge... anything... to let me know I'm going in the right direction." [[spoiler: Possibly subverted since in the next scene his son gets shot.]]
* TheGunslinger: Type D, QuickDraw.
* TheHero: Easily the most unambiguously heroic character in the cast. Begins getting [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] in the latter half of season two.
* HeroStoleMyBike: Rick pulls one of these on a zombie. Of course, it's not like she had any legs to pedal it with.
* HonorBeforeReason: He will not break any of Hershel's rules in order to keep the group from getting kicked off the farm, and is even willing to [[spoiler:help him capture walkers to put in the barn, even though he knows how dangerous that is]].
* TheIdealist
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Rick often displays this. The show deconstructs and reconstructs this trope though. Rick is still one of the most idealistic and merciful members of the cast, but he's still being changed by his experiences and is becoming more ruthless.
* TheLeader: Type II.
* ManlyTears: After waking up from his coma, and coming into his house only to find out that his family is gone, and[[spoiler: after he kills Shane]].
* PapaWolf
* PermaStubble
* RevolversAreJustBetter
* TheSheriff
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: After poking holes in Shane's story about Randall escaping(who was already dead thanks to Shane) which led all the men in a wild goose chase and lured Rick in open field to kill him, Rick stabs him in the heart, killing him.]]
* SleptThroughTheApocalypse: He was in a coma in hospital after being shot. Partly justified by Shane blocking his room's door with a trolley to prevent walkers entering, and someone in such a position having a small chance of surviving dehydration.
----
!!Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/loriWD_4192.png]]
->''"I think folks around here can make up their minds without bringing my marriage into it."''

Lori is Rick's wife, who knew he was in the hospital. Shane went back for him, honestly believed him dead, and returned to camp to regretfully inform Lori. Lori and Shane became an item until Rick turned up alive at the camp thanks to Glenn.

* ActionSurvivor: Making up for her stupidity in "Nebraska", Lori has a {{Badass}} moment right after her car crash. Still suffering from shock, she stabs a zombie clambering into the car through the eye with a torn-off piece of the car, then smacks another over the head with a hub cap before fetching her gun from the car and headshotting it.
* TheChick
* DrivesLikeCrazy
* HotMom
* {{Housewife}}
* {{Hypocrite}}: She warns Rick that Shane might be dangerous, and something might need to be done about him. [[spoiler:When Rick kills Shane after he tried to kill him and tells Lori, she walks away from him in disgust and horror]].
* LadyMacbeth: "Triggerfinger" ends with Lori [[spoiler:more or less telling Rick he's going to have to kill Shane.]]
* MamaBear: [[spoiler:Otis is likely lucky to have died before he met Lori and suffered her wrath for shooting Carl]]. She's also ready to [[spoiler:brave a walker invasion of the farm to go hunt down her missing son, and is only talked out of it by Carol.]]
* ParentalNeglect: Lets her son wander around freely... in the middle of a ''zombie apocalypse''. In 'Judge, Jury, and Executioner' [[spoiler:this leads directly to Dale's death.]]
* SecretRelationship: What she thought her relationship with Shane was. Turned out Dale, Daryl, and Andrea had all figured it out, and Rick caught on pretty quickly to what had happened between her and Shane while they thought he was dead.
* StayInTheKitchen: She apparently literally believes this is what the women should be doing during the ZombieApocalypse, and is annoyed with Andrea for wanting to protect the camp. Andrea is understandably incredulous and pissed off upon being told this.
* [[spoiler:WhosYourDaddy]]
* YourCheatingHeart: Did this with Shane, after they thought Rick had died.
----
!!Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carlWD_2232.png]]
->''"Are we safe now, Dad?"''

Carl is Rick and Lori's son. In Rick's absence, he has come to regard Shane as something of a father figure. This causes no small amount of friction once Rick returns, as Carl loves his dad but still loves Shane -- to say nothing of the adult relationships.

* AgeLift: Went from 7 or 8 in the comics to 12 for the show.
* CorruptTheCutie: Shows signs of this in "Judge, Jury, Executioner," where he at one point entertains himself by throwing rocks at a walker he finds with its feet stuck in the mud at a riverbank, then seems to find a weird sense of pleasure, or at least fascination in Randall's situation. [[spoiler: When Rick and Shane are beginning the execution, it's Carl wanting to watch and encouraging Rick to do it that convinces Rick that Dale is right, and that they're starting to lose their humanity.]]
* CreepyChild: Getting to that territory.
* GrowingUpSucks: Especially in a zombie apocalypse.
* TheLoad: [[spoiler: Particularly after he gets shot.]]
* [[spoiler: MoralityPet: Arguably for Shane.]]
* NiceHat: His dad's sheriff hat, which Rick gives to him after he recovers from [[spoiler:getting shot]].
* [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Kid:]] Nice job getting [[spoiler: Dale]] killed, Carl!
* YouthfulFreckles
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!!Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shaneWD_5672.png]]
->''"There is nothing easy about taking a man's life no matter how little value it may have. But when you get it done, you have to forget it."''

Rick's best friend and fellow police officer. He saw Rick in the hospital, then went back in to serve and protect. Before the hospital was given up for lost, Shane checked one last time on Rick. He heard no heartbeat but tried to leave things in a way that his friend would be safe if he did wake up. Believing Rick dead, he broke the news to Lori, which [[ComfortingTheWidow led to a full romance]], which was broken off abruptly when Rick returned. Shane has not coped well since losing both his position as leader and his position in the hearts of Lori and Carl. Shane has a ruthless streak which we get to see more and more of as the show progresses.

* [[spoiler:[[AndThenJohnWasAZombie And Then Shane Was A Zombie]]]]
* AntiHero: Type IV, sliding towards Type V as the series progresses.
* ApologeticAttacker: [[spoiler: He tells Otis he is sorry, before shooting him in the leg so he can escape from the walkers with the medical equipment for Carl.]]
* {{Badass}}: Best seen when he goes to the school with Otis for medical supplies.
* CrazyJealousGuy
* CrazySurvivalist: Well in that territory.
* DrillSergeantNasty: When training Andrea to shoot.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Especially poignant if you consider [[FridgeBrilliance the title of the show]].
* HotBlooded
* ImportantHaircut: After [[spoiler:killing Otis]] he shaves his head, after snagging his hair almost got him killed.
* ItsAllAboutMe
* {{Jerkass}}
** JerkassHasAPoint: He may be brutal, but most of his suggestions for the safety of the group are correct. He's just too ruthless, stubborn and quick in trying to implement them.
* KickTheDog:
** [[spoiler: He shoots Otis and leaves him for the walkers to get time to run away. Although this was partly done to get medical supplies for Carl, he was saving his own skin too.]]
** Threatening to kill [[spoiler: Dale if he causes too much trouble]] also counts.
** Ruthlessly executing a walker in front of Herschel is one.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Shane beating the crap out of Ed probably had a little more to do with his own frustrations than with doing the right thing, but damned if he didn't pick a deserving target.
* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal: He is stabbed to death by Rick after attempting to trick him, Daryl, and Glenn into thinking Randall escaped, luring Rick to a secluded field on the pretext of tracking the "escapee", and then trying to murder Rick. Afterwards he rises as a zombie, only to be shot by Carl.]]
* TheLancer: Shane is Rick's right-hand man, and often offers completely contrasting advice, normally of a harsher nature.
* TheLeader: When he was in charge of the group, Shane was a combination of Type III and IV.
* LoveMakesYouEvil
* [[spoiler:MoralEventHorizon: Whether it was when he was pointing his shotgun at Rick, leaving Otis as zombie bait, throwing a huge wrench at Rick, breaking Randall's neck in the woods, or threatening to kill Rick a third time, Shane was clearly past this point at the time of his death.]]
* MrFanservice: The writers seem determined to have him show as much skin as possible in Season 2.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Multiple times.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Shane nearly goes through with it. [[spoiler:Twice.]]
** [[spoiler:In "Better Angels", after hinting at trying it a third time, the hypotenuse kills him.]]
* PermaStubble
* PetTheDog: His scene with Carol [[spoiler: after Sophia is found to be zombified and then shot.]] However, [[spoiler: it's been pointed out that, even though he's doing this for Carol]], most of Shane's dialogue in this scene is still about his own problems.
* ReallyGetsAround: An entire scene in season two was devoted to he and Rick talking about his... escapades back in high school, including mention of the 30-year-old PE teacher. [[spoiler: He's also gotten with 2/3 of the remaining female group members - Andrea and Lori (no mention of whether he's considered it with Carol).]]
* TheResenter
* SanitySlippage: Mostly generated by guilt and rage.
** When Rick comes back from his coma, Shane loses his relationship with Lori and Carl. He takes it badly enough to contemplate shooting Rick to have his spot back as group leader and loved-by-Lori.
** When walkers close in on them, [[spoiler: Shane shoots Otis]], presumably so he can get away to bring the medical equipment to Carl, but also to save himself.
** Dale calls him out on pointing his gun at Rick. Shane asks Dale what he thinks Shane would do if he's the kind of man who'd shoot his own best friend. He's doing some very creepy swaying and other body language all the while.
* TheSheriff
* [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids Silly Rick, Idealism Is For Kids]]
* SociopathicHero
* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Until "Better Angels."]]
* TheStarscream: Although Rick is not a BigBad, on at least one occasion Shane has considered killing him and taking back leadership of the group (not to mention giving Shane another chance with Lori).
* [[spoiler:TeamKiller]]
* TokenEvilTeammate: Almost shooting Rick in cold blood.
* TheUnfettered: He's gradually losing his moral restrictions, including repeatedly considering killing Rick.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Fails early on, after trying to shoot Rick in cold blood and only stopping when Dale sees him.
* WifeBasherBasher: Although it turned into a way for him to take out his frustrations.
* [[spoiler:ZombieInfectee: He briefly turns into a walker and comes after Rick before Carl shoots him.]]
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!!Glenn (Steven Yeun)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glennWD_8198.png]]
->''"Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood. You the new sheriff come riding in to clean up the town?"''

Glenn is more than he seems. He's quick, clever, and brave, and these traits helped him save Rick when they met in zombie-overrun Atlanta. He is kind of laid back personality-wise, though, and has a tendency to let youthful exuberance override common sense; which causes the group to underestimate him and take advantage of him.

* ActionSurvivor
* AlmightyJanitor: He knows his way around Atlanta better than anyone else in the group because of his former job delivering pizza.
* AsianAndNerdy
* BadLiar
* ChronicHeroSyndrome
* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: His introduction to Rick, saving him from the Walker herd.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DueToTheDead: He is a great believer in this.
* GuileHero: He would rather sneak around the zombies than fight them.
* HiddenDepths: Who would expect a pizza delivery guy to be so good at strategy? Maggie even lampshades that Glenn is better then anyone else at becoming live bait for the "walkers".
* HollywoodNerd: References playing ''{{VideoGame/Portal}}''.
* IWorkAlone: Glenn as much as said this to Maggie.
* NiceHat: His baseball cap.
* PluckyComicRelief: As much as someone in a zombie apocalypse can be, anyway.
* TheScrounger
* SecretKeeper: Forced into this role, though he admits that he is a ''terrible'' one.
* TheSmartGuy: Glenn can make effective and safe strategies for dealing with walkers, and is the best in the group at maneuvering around Atlanta.
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!!Andrea (Laurie Holden)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/andreaWD_1148.png]]
->''"The pain doesn't go away. You just make room for it."''

Andrea was a civil rights lawyer before the outbreak, but was on a road trip with her sister Amy when the apocalypse began. She and her sister were doing fine at the camp until her sister got bitten. Andrea had to put her own sister down rather than let her continue as a walker. This experience led her to having a death wish. Dale guilt tripped her into not going through with it; she holds something of a grudge against him for that, but is beginning to shake the death wish off -- sort of. [[spoiler: She does, and by the end of the second season has become one of the group's protectors before she gets separated from the rest in the finale and forced to fend for herself.]]

* ActionGirl: Andrea is the female survivor who carries a gun the most. Once she gets some training she's mowing down walkers with the best of them. Best shown in "By The Dying Fire", as she is [[spoiler:on the run through the forest for hours while being hounded by zombies and carrying an entire bag of weapons. She takes down a ton of them, but running out of ammo and exhaustion allowed one to finally jump her. Thankfully, [[BigDamnHeroes Michonne chose that moment to make her debut]]]].
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: Her depression was highly increased over the comic version.
* AgeLift: In order to further increase the differences between her and Amy.
* {{Badass}}: She has her moments earlier in Season 2, but she officially earns this title in the Season 2 finale, [[spoiler:having fought and run her way through a walker infested forest for the better part of ''twelve hours''.]]
** BadassAngster
* BloodKnight: After getting gun training, she seemed to enjoy cutting down walkers a little too much.
* BrokenBird
* CradlingTheirKill: [[spoiler:Her sister Amy, after she turned into a walker]].
* DeadLittleSister
* DeathSeeker: She becomes one at the end of the first season, following [[spoiler: Amy's death]]. She really, really doesn't appreciate having her gun taken away, either.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: First her sister Amy gets killed by a walker, then Andrea has to put her down]].
* EyeScream: In the second-season premiere, Andrea repeatedly stabs a walker in the eye with a screwdriver.
* IJustWantToBeBadass: She wanted gun training in order to defend the camp, but her desire to prove herself led to her accidentally [[spoiler:shooting and wounding Daryl]].
* TheLoad: Her Season 2 character arc involves wanting to grow out of this. She succeeds admirably.
* NiceHat: Her straw hat.
* TookALevelInBadass: After Shane [[TrainingFromHell trained]] her on how to shoot, to the point that she can run all night carrying a bag of guns (but no ammo) killing walkers with a knife.
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!!Dale Horvath (Jeffrey [=DeMunn=])
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daleWD_1018.png]]
->''"I may not have what it takes to last for long, but that’s okay. At least I can say that when the world goes to shit I didn’t let it take me down with it."''

Dale is an old man who is kind of the father figure to the group. He is quiet and observant, and often something of a trickster as he'll let the others believe incorrect information if he believes it's in the best interests of the group. [[spoiler:He is killed when he gets gutted by a walker and Daryl is forced to MercyKill him]].

* {{Badass}}: We rarely see him without his scoped rifle.
** BadassBeard
** BadassGrandpa
* BigOlEyebrows
* [[spoiler:BoomHeadshot: Via Daryl, to prevent Dale from suffering after getting attacked and gutted by a walker.]]
* CoolOldGuy
* TheConscience: Even more so than Rick. Partly deconstucted though in that he can come off at times as preachy, and his moral advice is not always useful in the harsh situations the group find themselves in.
* [[spoiler:DeathByAdaptation: Type II]]
* [[spoiler:GoOutWithASmile: Kinda hard to see but he is smiling just as Daryl MercyKill him.]]
* GuileHero: He's willing to trick and deceive his camp members if he thinks it will keep the group together and safe.
* [[spoiler:GuttedLikeAFish: By a walkers hands.]]
* TheHeart
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: After getting angry with the group over their treatment of another human and leaving he is disemboweled by a zombie and mercy killed by Daryl.]]
* NiceHat: His omnipresent white bucket fishing hat.
* TeamDad: Dale is the member of the camp most dedicated to keeping it together, and who takes the most time to make sure its members are ok. [[OverprotectiveDad Whether they want him to or not.]]
* WeaponOfChoice: A Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifle.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:After taking the guns to prevent Shane from arming everyone to kill the walkers in the barn and take over Hershel's farm, he has the opportunity to kill Shane, who he knows is a threat to people in the group. However, he can't bring himself to actually pull the trigger and take a human life]].
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!!Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darylWD_8931.png]]
->''"Shoot me again? You best pray I'm dead."''

Daryl is one of two redneck brothers who joined the group. Merle was the nastier and more vicious of the two, and eventually got left behind in a DirtyBusiness sort of situation. Daryl is slowly growing away from the behavior he displayed with his brother now that he is among the rest of the group without Merle's influence.

* AbusiveParents: [[WordOfGod According to]] [[http://thewalkingdeadfanclub.blogspot.com/2011/12/walking-dead-star-norman-reedus-talks.html Norman Reedus]], Daryl was beaten and abandoned as a child.
* AlliterativeName
* AnAxToGrind
* AntiHero: Type III, although he has a tendency to view himself as a Type V.
* TheArcher: We rarely see him use an item other than his crossbow.
* {{Badass}}: Uses a crossbow, has a no-nonsense attitude to the apocalypse and panicking camp members, kills walkers with deadpan one-liners, is a fantastic shot and a very competent tracker. Yeah, he's the strongest contender for most badass character.
** BadassBiker: Becomes one in season 2. Apparently the bike used to be Merle's, so he probably counts as one too.
** [[HandicappedBadass Injured Badass]]: After being badly injured after a fall and impaled on one of his own crossbow bolts, Daryl wakes up with a zombie attempting to eat his (thankfully booted) foot. He kills it with a stick, and then pulls the aforementioned bolt out of his own body and uses it to shoot another.
* TheBigGuy: Class 3.
* BoisterousBruiser
* CanonForeigner: Daryl and his brother are original characters created for the show.
* CombatPragmatist: Wields a ''Crossbow'', recognising that he can both hunt food for the group and silently stealth kill any Walkers he encounters without bringing a dozen more down on his head. He also attempts to recover fired bolts if he can, allowing him to conserve ammunition. He even knows how to make new ones.
* CoveredWithScars: Also, according to [[http://thewalkingdeadfanclub.blogspot.com/2011/12/walking-dead-star-norman-reedus-talks.html Norman Reedus]].
* CreepySouvenir: Daryl begins a collection by making [[spoiler: a necklace of the ears of the zombies he killed]] while searching for Sophia, as an indication to himself how tough and strong he is. It might also have had the practical use of masking his living scent.
* DeadpanSnarker: After a zombie growls at him, he replies with a crossbow bolt through the head and "Shut up".
* {{Determinator}}
* GoodIsNotNice: Well, not ''all'' the time.
* {{Hallucinations}}: Daryl, after two falls down a riverbank and a pretty severe injury.
* HiddenDepths: Shown to have this side to him in season 2. He's the most confident that they will find Sophia alive and even comforts Carol.
* IconicItem: His crossbow.
* TheIdealist: Surprisingly: aside from Rick, he was the one who was the most confident they would find Sophia alive. [[spoiler:He was wrong.]]
* IWorkAlone
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: To Randall.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: A racist redneck like his brother Merle, but he continually goes out of his way to help others in the group, such as helping Rick rescue Glenn from the Vatos, saving T-Dog's life several times, and even revealing Merle's secret drug stash when T-Dog gets a nasty infection. He also cares about finding Sophia far more than any of the other members of the group.
* MadeOfIron. He falls down a steep slope and impales himself on one of his crossbow bolts. He then climbs up the slope, falls, then tries again, eventually limping back to camp, where not even being grazed on the head by a rifle shot keeps him down.
* TheNicknamer
* NobleBigot: While being no fan of Glenn or T-Dog, he won't simply stand by and withhold assistance if either one of them is in need, even if it means putting his life on the line.
* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: This is a big issue for him, possibly because of what happened to Merle. Whenever someone goes missing, he will be the first to volunteer to look for them. The only time he refused was shortly after [[spoiler:the barn massacre and Sophia being found as a walker, as he was too torn up about his failure]]. He also is the most insistent on [[spoiler:returning to search for Andrea when the farm is overrun and she is separated from the group.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Mildly racist, but still willing to stick his neck out for all the members of the camp.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Beginning in Season 2.
* PureAwesomeness
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Shown by when he and Rick look for Sophia at the start of Season 2.
* SherlockScan: Twice. He figured out that [[spoiler:Shane killed Otis due to the fact that Shane had Otis' gun when he supposedly did a HeroicSacrifice, and the second time when he determined Shane killed Randall by noting their footprints were walking together, the tree which Shane banged his face against to make it seem like Randall had attacked him, and Randall's broken neck]].
* WarriorPoet: In "Cherokee Rose", describing the myth about the plant.
* WeaponOfChoice: His crossbow.
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!!Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maggieWD_8634.png]]

Maggie is Hershel's oldest daughter, and the most welcoming member of the farm to the group. She quickly establishes a relationship with Glenn.

* ActionGirl
** FauxActionGirl: After making her explosive entrance [[BigDamnHeroes stunning]] a walker, she's done nothing but remain on the farm and freak out the one time she gets attacked by a walker on a scavenging trip.
* AgeLift: From around 17 in the comic to 22 in the show.
* {{Badass}}: Smacking a zombie in the head with a baseball bat while charging it mounted on a horse is the most inventive attack on a zombie we've seen so far.
* BatterUp
* BobHaircut
* [[spoiler:CallingTheOldManOut]]
* DawsonCasting: Maggie is 22, while actress Lauren Cohan is 29.
* FarmersDaughter: {{Lampshaded}} by Glenn.
* FieryRedhead
* HorsebackHeroism
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Beginning in Season 3.
* ToplessnessFromTheBack: In "Cherokee Rose".
----

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Cynthiana, Kentucky Survivors]]

!!Morgan Jones (Lennie James)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morganWD_6378.png]]

A survivor in Rick's hometown, Morgan lost his wife while they and their son were passing through the town. They found Rick after he woke up, and explained to him what was going. Rick gave him a radio so they could keep in contact, but he has yet to respond.

* {{Badass}}
* DeathSeeker: Shows signs of this after the loss of his wife, which might likely have prompted [[IdiotBall his actions]] at the end of the pilot.
* HeroOfAnotherStory
* IdiotBall: Firing his sniper rifle at zombies [[spoiler: to attract a horde around his house (which his son is in!) so he can shoot his zombified wife. He doesn't even manage to do that.]]
** [[spoiler: Some [[AternateCharacterInterpretation interpret]] his actions as [[BolivianArmyEnding intentional]].]].
* MrExposition: He explains to Rick about the walkers, and also tells him about the evacuation zone in Atlanta.
* PapaWolf
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse
----
!!Duane Jones (Adrian Kali Turner)

Morgan's son, who is attempting to deal with the loss of his mother and the zombie apocalypse.

* ShovelStrike: How he knocks Rick out in the first episode.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse
----
!!Leon Basset (Linds Edwards)

A sheriff's deputy who served alongside Rick and Shane, he was present when Rick was shot. He was later infected during the initial stages of the outbreak, and shot by Rick upon being found as a walker.

* AllThereInTheManual: How he became a walker is shown in the flash game "Dead Reckoning" on the AMC website.
* CluelessDeputy
* DoomedByCanon: Makes his fate in "Dead Reckoning" a ForegoneConclusion.
* MercyKill: Rick shooting him in the head upon finding his zombified form.
* TheSheriff
----
!!Hannah (Lilli Birdsell) (Melissa Cowan as a walker)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hannahWD_7596.png]]

Hannah lives in Cynthiana with her kids Jamie and Billy, and is divorced from Andrew. She gets killed attempting to get her kids to an evacuation zone, sacrificing herself so they could escape. Her zombiefied form is later found by Rick and killed.

* AllThereInTheManual: The webisodes are dedicated to showing how she became the bicycle girl zombie.
* AnAxeToGrind: How she dispatches walker!Judy.
* [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie And Then Hannah Was A Zombie]]
* AscendedExtra
* DoomedByCanon
* EatenAlive
* HeroicSuicide: After getting bitten, she stays behind to let the walkers eat her while her kids escape.
* MamaBear
* MercyKill: Rick comes back to shoot her zombiefied body before leaving town.
----
!!Andrew (Rick Otto)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/andrewWD_3031.png]]

Hannah's ex-husband, he married Judy after the divorce and gets custody of Jamie and Billy on weekends. He works to keep his family alive during the inital days of the outbreak, but gets eaten by a neighbors kids while looking for car keys.

* ActionSurvivor
* CanonForeigner
* EatenAlive
* ShootTheDog: Literally: his dog gets attacked by a walker so he shoots it to put it out of its misery.
* TooDumbToLive: Walking alone, without a flashlight, into a dark basement, during a ZombieApocalypse. The crunch followed by the scream was no surprise.
* WouldntHurtAChild: Not even a zombiefied kid: this comes back to bite him in the ass when he gets eaten by Palmer's kids, who he had decided not to shoot earlier after Palmer asked him to.
----
!!Jamie (Madison Leisle)

Hannah and Andrew's daughter. Hannah entrusts Billy's safety to her at the end of the webisodes.

* CanonForeigner
* CreepyChild
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse
----
!!Billy (Griffin Cleveland)

Hannah and Andrew's son, and the younger brother to Jamie.

* CanonForeigner
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse
----
!!Mike Palmer (Rex Maynard Linn)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/palmerWD_185.png]]

Palmer is Andrew's neighbor, and was celebrating his 50th birthday with his family when walkers attacks. His kids and wife were bitten and turned, and he was forced to kill his wife, but could not bring himself to put down his kids. He was also bitten in the process, and had Andrew kill him in exchange for his guns.

* BoomHeadshot
* CanonForeigner
* ConspiracyTheorist: He thinks that terrorists are behind the walkers, figuring they "found a way to blow us away without bombs".
* KillTheOnesYouLove: Is forced to do this to his wife; he can't bring himself to do it for his kids.
* ZombieInfectee
----
!!Gary Taylor

The father of one of Shane's old girlfriends, he is arrested by Shane after killing his daughters boyfriend Paul, who had become a walker. He is let out when Shane figures out what is going on, but his daughter is killed after turning. He stays behind with Leon Basset at the police station to help others.

* AllThereInTheManual
* AmbiguousSituation: It is left unclear if he was killed by walker!Don alongside Leon.
* {{Badass}}
* CanonForeigner
* CoolOldGuy: Shane thinks so; he gave Shane his first beer.
* PapaWolf
* RedHerring: It is made to appear as if he is infected, and he even bites Leon, but he is simply panicking.
----
!!Patty Taylor

One of Shane's old girlfriends, and the daughter of Gary. She is a nurse at the hospital, and is bitten by her zombiefied boyfriend Paul before her dad kills him. She flees, but goes to the police station after her dad is arrested to see him. However, she turns and attacks Leon Basset, and Shane is forced to put her down.

* AllThereInTheManual
* BoomHeadshot
* CanonForeigner
* HelloNurse
* MercyKill
* ZombieInfectee
----

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Atlanta Survivors]]

!!Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/merleWD_2058.png]]
->''"Kick off them damn high heels and climb, son."''

Merle is Daryl's much more racist and jerkass brother. He put the scavaging group sent to Atlanta at risk, and attacks other members of the group. This forces the others to leave him behind, and he ends up forced to cut his own hand off to escape, disappearing into Atlanta.

* AnArmAndALeg: Type I.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: He apparantly believes in this, attempting to take over the scavanging group in Atlanta after beating up T-Dog. Luckily, Rick had something to say about that.
* {{Badass}}: He may be a total dick, but you have to respect his amputation of his own hand and his escape through a zombie-infested city.
** HandicappedBadass
* BigBrotherBully: It's indicated he and Daryl don't have the healthiest relationship.
* CanonForeigner
* TheDeterminator: He sliced through his own hand, slowed the blood loss, climbed down the staircase of a skyscraper, killed several zombies, cauterized the stump and then escaped with the heroes' truck. He did all of this bleeding heavily and quietly to avoid attracting more zombies. If Merle has one defining characteristic, it's his absolute refusal to die.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Recklessly shooting walkers which draws attention to the survivors, beating up T-Dog and calling him a nigger, and attempting to take control of the scavenger group through violence.
* {{Jerkass}}
* LargeHam
* LifeOrLimbDecision
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Merle is quite a bit more of a racist than Daryl.
* PsychoPartyMember
* ReallyGetsAround: According to Daryl, he "Got the clap on a regular basis."
* TattooedCrook
* TokenEvilTeammate
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As mentioned, he hasn't been seen (other than as a hallucination by Daryl) since being left behind by Rick and co. early in Season 1.
----
!!Theodore Douglas/T-Dog ([=IronE=] Singleton)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tdogWD_4040.png]]

->''"I'm the one black guy. [[GenreSavvy You realize how precarious that makes my situation?]]"''

T-Dog is a member of the original survivor group. He feels that that he doesn't really have a place in the group, and seeks to find a way to prove himself to the others.

* ActionSurvivor: All of them are of course, but T-Dog is the only guy in the original group who's not a badass survivalist or ex-cop.
* BatterUp: Several times in the first season.
* TheBigGuy
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Lampshades this early in the second season, after he becomes delirious due to a fever. He comments to Dale that both of them would be the first ones to go if their situation ever got bad enough, and thinks that he'll be "lynched". Averted in that he's outlived several members of the group so far.
* CanonForeigner
* CarFu: How he takes out a walker in "Beside the Dying Fire".
* TheCynic: Possibly the most cynical character in the series.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DropTheHammer: He dispatches a few walkers this way.
* FingerlessGloves: He starts wearing some at the end of the second season.
* TheKlutz: Deconstructed and PlayedForDrama. His dropping of the keys to Merle's handcuffs is frequently referenced, and he sliced up his arm when there was a herd of walkers nearby.
* MustMakeAmends: He felt terrible about dropping the key to Merle's handcuffs, even if the guy was racist, figuring that no one deserved his fate. He decided to go with Rick, Daryl, and Glenn to help rescue him, but by the time they got to the roof, Merle had cut his hand off and disappeared.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Heck, he only mentioned his real name while ranting under the effects of drugs and a fever!
* OutOfFocus
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After the [[spoiler:farm falls to the walkers]], T-Dog escapes with Lori and Beth. He wants to head to the east coast, and is only convinced not to when Lori and Beth both threaten to leave unless he tries to find the others.
* TokenMinority: Often accused of being this in season two by fans and reviewers who felt his character was extremely underused.
----
!!Amy (Emma Bell)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amyWD_8128.png]]

Andrea's younger sister, [[spoiler:who was killed in a zombie attack early in the series]].

* CuteLittleFangs: Accidentally revealed if you're paying attention while she's on the boat in "Vatos".
* TheCutie
* [[spoiler:DeadLittleSister: Amy to Andrea]].
* [[spoiler:KillTheCutie]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* NiceGirl
* [[spoiler:TragicMonster]]
* [[spoiler:TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth]]
* [[spoiler:ZombieInfectee]]
----
!!Carol Peletier (Melissa [=McBride=])
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carolWD_3127.png]]

Carol survived the initial stages of the zombie apocalypse with her husband and daughter. Ed abused her, but died during the zombie attack on the camp. With her husband dead, Carol became more independent, but [[spoiler:the disappearance and death of her daughter has demoralized her again]].

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted: while she isn't unattractive, she is older than her comicbook counterpart, and has quite a bit less hair.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Went from having medium length blonde hair in the comics to short cropped grey-black hair.
* BreakTheCutie
* [[spoiler: DespairEventHorizon: Seeing the undead Sophia walking out of the farm. Daryl has to stop her from reaching her.]]
* TheLoad
* ShrinkingViolet
* WidowWoman: She doesn't mind much, since Ed abused her and "looked" at Sophia.
----
!!Sophia Peletier (Madison Lintz)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sophiaWD_7654.png]]

Sophia is the daughter of Carol and Ed, and is a friend of Carl. [[spoiler:She went missing in a forest after running away from walkers, and was eventually found in the barn of Hershel's farm, having become a walker. She was put down by Rick]].

* AbusiveParents: Her father Ed.
* AgeLift: Similar to Carl's.
* [[spoiler: [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie And Sophia Was Found As A Walker]] ]]
* [[spoiler:CreepyChild: After becoming a walker]].
* [[spoiler:DeadAllAlong]]
* [[spoiler:DeathByAdaptation: Type I]]
* [[spoiler:DyingAlone]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]
* [[spoiler:KillTheCutie]]
* TheLoad: [[spoiler: Good job getting lost in a walker-infested forest for days kid.]]
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: [[spoiler:One of the reasons she got killed off was because Madison Lintz was growing too fast for the timeframe the show is supposed to take place in]].
* [[spoiler: ShootTheShaggyDog]]
* [[spoiler: TragicMonster]]
* [[spoiler: UndeadChild]]
* YouthfulFreckles
----
!!Ed Peletier (Adam Minarovich)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edWD_9672.png]]

Ed was the abusive husband of Carol and the father of Sophia. He died during the walker attack on the camp outside of Atlanta.

* AssholeVictim
* CrazySurvivalist: Showed a few signs of this in a flashback.
* DeathByPragmatism: A rare example of the pragmatic qualities being revealed after death. This applies to Ed in the second season.
* DisproportionateRetribution: When Ed tries to drag away his wife for a beating and slaps her, Shane intervenes and (proportionately) knocks him to the ground, beats and kicks him, then (disproportionately) [[IllKillYou threatens to beat him to death]] if he sees it again. This came shortly after Lori told Shane she wanted nothing to do with him, and to stay away from her family. In other words, Shane was using Ed as a punching bag to vent.
* DomesticAbuser: Ed hits his wife Carol in the third episode. Comments between the characters indicate that he has a history of doing this. That and [[MoralEventHorizon "looking" at his daughter]].
* DyingAlone: His own fault.
* EatenAlive
* {{Jerkass}}
* KarmicDeath: Ed the abusive husband gets eaten by a Walker just one episode after he slaps his wife. Notably, he gets killed because he's alone in his tent - he refuses to eat with the others since Shane beat him for hitting his wife, and his wife and daughter don't want to spend time around him.
* SurvivalistStash
----
!!Morales (Juan Gabriel Pareja)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moralesWD_20.png]]

A member of the original survivor group, Morales and his family left to look for family in Birmingham.

* ActionSurvivor
* BadassSpaniard
* BatterUp
* HappilyMarried
* HeroOfAnotherStory: You have to wonder what happens to him and his family.
* LastNameBasis: His wife and kids get first names, but his is never revealed.
* MauveShirt: Luckily for him, he was only written out instead of getting killed off.
* NiceGuy
* PermaStubble
* PutOnABus: He and his family leave the group to look for relatives in Birmingham, Alabama.
----
!!Jim (Andrew Rothenberg)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jimWD_3042.png]]

Jim was a survivor in the original group who was infected during a zombie attack. He was left behind after asking to die from the infection, feeling he didn't deserve to live for failing his family.

* DespairEventHorizon
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: In "Vatos" he mentions this.
* DyingAlone
* GreaseMonkey: He was the groups mechanic.
* KilledOffForReal
* MauveShirt
* SanitySlippage: He may have dreamt the future, or just gone completely insane. Not even he is sure which.
* SurvivorsGuilt: He only managed to escape from walkers because they were so busy eating his family.
* ZombieInfectee: He tries to hide it and begs Jacqui not to give it away. However, she's GenreSavvy enough to tell the rest of the group immediately.
----
!!Jacqui (Jeryl Prescott Sales)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jacquiWD_2805.png]]

Jacqui is a survivor who worked for the Atlanta city zoning department, and uses knowledge from her job to aid the survivors. [[spoiler:She chose to commit suicide by staying in the CDC with Dr.Jenner when it exploded]].

* AnAxeToGrind: When the walkers attacked the camp, Jacqui was armed with an axe.
* CanonForeigner
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]
* GenreSavvy: When Jim begs her not to tell the others that he's infected, she does so immediately.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]
* [[spoiler: TheLostLenore: She seems to have become a posthumous symbol of suicide for the still-living characters, such as Lori saying she's almost a little jealous of her for not having to be afraid of the walkers anymore.]]
* [[spoiler:MauveShirt]]
* OutOfFocus
----
!!Guillermo (Neil Brown Jr.)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guillermoWD_4388.png]]

Guillermo is the leader of a group of survivors at a nursing home who protect the elderly residents from the walkers.

* AlmightyJanitor: He was the literal head custodian of the nursing home.
* CanonForeigner
* GangBangers: Subverted: he and his crew were faking it to appear tough.
* HeroOfAnotherStory
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Deleated material from the second season premiere shows the nursing home overrun and everyone dead, but this was cut when the premiere was heavily changed following Frank Darabont being fired. As such, the question as to what happened to Guillermo and his people is [[AbortedArc unlikely to ever be answered]].
----
!!Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jennerWD_5099.png]]
->"This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event."

Jenner is the last surviving scientist at the CDC in Atlanta. He allowed the survivors inside, [[spoiler:neglecting to tell them the building was set to explode. He tried to convince them to stay and end their suffering, but only one survivor took him up on his offer, and they died together in the explosion]].

* ApocalypticLog: Dr. Jenner's recordings of everything he has done by way of research and study, while locked up in the CDC facility.
* CanonForeigner
* DespairEventHorizon
* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]
* DrowningMySorrows
* HalfTruth: "I told you: once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again." Sure Doc, the real meaning of those words was ''so obvious'' then.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]
* MeaningfulName: Edwin Jenner was named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jenner Edward Jenner]], the "father of immunology".
* MercyKill: Does this for his wife after he finished studying her. [[spoiler:It is also what he "offers" to the rest of the survivors by locking them in the CDC as it prepares to explode]].
* NotSoStoic: It's obvious despite his deadpan demeanor that Patient TS-19 was someone important to him when he can describe how long from death to reanimation down to the second... and he only loses it in private with her photo and when the survivors realize he intends to lock them in for the end of the countdown.
* SanitySlippage: Due to his wife getting infected and being forced to put her down, the rest of the staff abandoning the CDC, and his discovery that [[spoiler:everyone is infected and will become a walker even if they die without getting bitten]].
* SoleSurvivingScientist
----

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Hershel's Farm Survivors]]

!!Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hershelWD_5597.png]]
->''"You people are like a plague. You destroyed it all!"''

Hershel is the owner of a farm that was mostly spared by the zombie apocolypse. He allowed the survivors to stay on the farm during their search for Sophia, but [[spoiler:secretly kept a barn full of walkers, including his wife and step-son, believing they were simply sick]].

* AbusiveParents: His father beat him badly, causing Hershel to leave the farm until he died.
* TheAlcoholic: Got sober the day Maggie was born.
* BadassGrandpa: He sure knows how to use his [[FanNickname God shotgun]]. His actor Scott Wilson speculates that Hershel was pretty wild in his youth.
* ClosestThingWeGot: Despite being a veterinarian, Hershel mostly treats the various scrapes, bullet wounds, and arrow wounds that the survivors tend to accumulate.
* CoolOldGuy: "Triggerfinger" shows that Hershel is a fair shot, and he later prepares to amputate a man's leg while zombies are approaching on all sides.
* [[spoiler:DespairEventHorizon: When he sees first hand his zombie neighbor shot and then put down by Shane. Then Shane forces his own group to massacre the zombies in the barn, including Herschel's zombified family and neighbors.]]
* DoesntLikeGuns: But he sure knows how to use them.
* DrowningMySorrows
* LastStand: Tries for one in the second season finale but gets rescued at the last moment.
* TheMedic
* NotThatKindOfDoctor: Hershel reveals to Lori that he's a veterinarian, not a practicing surgeon. This does not comfort Lori at all considering that [[spoiler:he's about to attempt a complicated surgical procedure on a critically injured Carl]].
* OffTheWagon: Following the [[spoiler:barn massacre of the walkers.]]
* OpenHeartDentistry: After [[spoiler:Carl is shot]], Hershel has to operate to remove the bullet fragments, but he had only done the procedure on animals before, since he is a veterinarian.
* OverprotectiveDad: Oh boy. Both to his blood relatives and his step-kids.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: He initially only refers to Glenn as the "Asian boy", although he never treats him poorly. He later tells Glenn the country was built on immigrants, however.
** This may be partly because of Maggie's infatuation with Glenn. Later, he gives Glenn his father's watch, saying, "No man's good enough for your little girl until one is."
* [[spoiler:SelectiveObliviousness: Towards the fact that walkers are no longer people.]]
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter
* TechnicalPacifist
* TokenReligiousTeammate
* [[spoiler:ZombieAdvocate: He considers them merely sick people who could one day be cured. Until Shane shoots one several times in front of him and it keeps going.]]
----
!!Beth Greene (Emily Kinney)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bethWD2_9102.png]]

Hershel's youngest daughter, and the girlfriend of Jimmy.

* AngstComa: [[spoiler:Following the barn walkers being shot and being attacked by her own undead step-mom.]] She snaps out of it, but starts thinking about suicide.
* CanonForeigner
* DespairEventHorizon: Crosses it following [[spoiler:the barn massacre of the walkers.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: She doesn't believe there is any hope left in the world, and tries to convince Maggie that they should kill themselves together. [[spoiler:When she tries, she only makes a shallow cut on one wrist and can't go through with it.]]
* [[TheGenericGuy The Generic Girl]]
* [[spoiler:HappilyFailedSuicide]]
----
!!Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/otisWD_2598.png]]

Otis was a farmhand on Hershel's farm. After [[spoiler:accidently shooting Carl]], he accompanied Shane to recover medical supplies. [[spoiler:Shane shot him and left him to be eaten by walkers so he could escape with the supplies]].

* AdaptationDyeJob: He had red hair in the comics.
* AgeLift: From the comic version.
* TheAtoner: He volunteers to get medical supplies to [[spoiler:help Carl, who he accidentally shot.]]
* {{Badass}}
* BigDamnHeroes: Saves Shane's life from walkers a few times during their mission.
* [[spoiler:DeathByAdaptation: Type II]]
* [[spoiler:EatenAlive]]
* [[spoiler:SacrificialLamb: Shane made the decision for him.]]
----
!!Patricia (Jane [=McNeill=])
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patriciaWD_876.png]]

Otis' wife, she aids Hershel in maintaining the farmhouse. [[spoiler:She was eaten by walkers when Hershel's farm was attacked]].

* AgeLift: From the comic version.
* BitCharacter
* [[spoiler:DeathByAdaptation: Type II]]
* [[spoiler:EatenAlive]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]
* [[spoiler:WidowWoman]]
----
!!Jimmy (James Allen [=McCune=])
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jimmyWD_6051.png]]

A young farmhand on Hershel's farm, and the boyfriend of Beth. [[spoiler:He was eaten by walkers when Hershel's farm was attacked]].

* BitCharacter
* CanonForeigner
* [[spoiler:EatenAlive]]
* HeroicFireRescue: During the second season finale, Jimmy takes the RV and rescues [[spoiler:Rick and Carl from the burning barn as the walkers attack. Unfortunately, he gets eaten when walkers break into the RV.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]
* GangstaStyle: He holds his gun like this during training. After T-Dog tells him not to, he is much more accurate.
* TheGenericGuy
* NiceHat: Never seen without his straw cowboy hat.
----

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Dave's Group]]

!!Dave (Michael Raymond James)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DaveWD_774.png]]

A survivor from Philadelphia, who traveled south with his friend Tony, and is a seemingly polite guy. Dave met Rick, Glenn, and Hershel in a bar near the farm, and after they refused to allow him and Tony to join them, he went for his gun to shoot them. Rick responded by putting a bullet through his head and killing Tony as well.

* [[AffablyEvil Affably]] AmbiguouslyEvil: He was extremely polite in his conversation with Rick, Glenn, and Hershel, but the entire time something seems off about him, and after Rick refuses one too many times to take Dave and Tony to their camp, he goes for his gun.
* BoomHeadshot: He was slower at the quick draw than Rick.
* CanonForeigner
* DeadpanSnarker
* KnightOfCerebus: The series is already really dark, but Dave's arrival makes it clear that walkers are not the only thing the survivors have to worry about.
* NotUsingTheZWord: He refers to them as "Lamebrains".
* PermaStubble
* OneSceneWonder: He's both quite charming and ambiguously threatening. It's an intriguing mix.
----
!!Tony (Aaron Munoz)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tonyWD_7586.png]]

Dave's fatter friend who traveled with him from Philadelphia, Tony is a lot ruder than Dave. He was killed alongside Dave by Rick when they attempted to force him to reveal where his camp was.

* CanonForeigner
* CoupDeGrace: Rick shoots him twice in the shoulder and gut, then finishes him off with a bullet to the head.
* FatSlob
* {{Jerkass}}
* PermaStubble
* UrineTrouble: It's his inappropriate choice of places to tinkle which drives the point home that he and Dave are probably not good news.
----
!!Randall (Michael Zegen)
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/randallWD_1957.png]]

Another member of Dave's group, Randall is a local who went to school with Maggie, and claims he only joined up with Dave and his people because he had no other choice. He is captured by Rick's group, forcing them to try and figure out what to do with him. [[spoiler:Shane lets him loose and breaks his neck as part of his plan to kill Rick, but Randall returns as a walker and is put down by Glenn]].

* AmbiguouslyEvil: We never quite find out whether he's truly dangerous or not before he's [[spoiler: murdered by Shane.]]
** [[spoiler: But the Talking Dead season 2 finale reveals the original draft of the season 2 finale had him escape and kill Hershel. ]]
* [[spoiler: [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie And Then Randall Was a Zombie]]]]
* {{Badass}}: He manages to take a walker down despite having his hands tied.
* BoundAndGagged: How Rick and Shane keep him for most of "18 Miles Out".
* ButtMonkey: He gets impaled through the leg when he fails jumping off a roof, gets trussed up in a car, left for dead accidentally by Rick and Shane and told repeatedly to shut up by them. Then he gets tortured by Daryl and [[spoiler:nearly executed. And then he gets his neck snapped and becomes a walker]].
* CanonForeigner
* CarFu: He crushes a walkers head in while driving in "18 Miles Out".
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal. Twice if you count that [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie And Then Randall Was a Zombie]] and gets stabbed in the head by Glenn. ]]
* MotorMouth: Notes this himself, telling Shane he talks a lot when nervous.
* [[spoiler:NeckSnap]]
* RoofHopping: He tries this, and fails spectacularly.
* SayingTooMuch: When Daryl is interrogating him, he mentions that his group raped two teenage girls in front of their father, but insists he did not participate. [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Daryl doesn't believe him]].
* WrongGenreSavvy: He thinks that telling Rick and Shane that he knows Maggie means that they'll spare him due to the connection and a sense of empathy. Actually it makes the argument that they should kill him even more convincing, as that means he knows where the farm is.
----
!!Nate (Phillip DeVona)

Another member of Dave's band.

* BitPartBadGuy
* CanonForeigner
* DeadpanSnarker:
-->'''Nate''':''"We're looking for Dave and Tony and nobody checks the damn bar?"''
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Sean gets shot he decides to abandon him and drive away and calls on Randall. When Randall falls on the gate and his leg gets impaled on a gate, Nate abandons him as well.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Unlike Randall and Sean, he wasn't willing to go back to the rest his group without killing Rick, Glenn, and Hershel for killing Dave and Tony even after Rick explains to him what happened. After Sean got wounded and Walkers began approching, he decided fleeing was a better idea.
----
!!Sean (Keedar Whittle)

A member of Dave's group who gets killed in the confrontation with Rick, Hershel, and Glenn.

* BitPartBadGuy
* CanonForeigner
* EatenAlive: Nose first
* GangstaStyle: He shoots his gun like this, which may have saved Glenn's life.
* RedShirt
----

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other Survivors]]

!![[spoiler: Michonne]] (Danai Gurira)

A mysterious hooded survivor who saves Andrea after the attack on the farm.

* ActionGirl
* BigDamnHeroes: Her debut, saving Andrea from a walker by cutting its head off.
* InTheHood
* KatanasAreJustBetter

[[/folder]]

* [[spoiler: GuttedLikeAFish: By a walkers hands.]]

* TheBigGuy

* CreepySouvenir: Daryl begins a collection by making [[spoiler: a necklace of the ears of the zombies he killed]] while searching for Sophia, as an indication to himself how tough and strong he is. It might also have had the practical use of masking his living scent.

* HiddenDepths: Shown to have this side to him in Series 2. He's the most confident that they will find Sophia alive and even comforts Carol.

* HeroicSacrifice: After getting bitten, she stays behind to let the walkers eat her while her kids escape.

!!'''Rick Grimes''' (Andrew Lincoln)

!!Rick Grimes

->'''Played By:''' Andrew Lincoln

!!Lori Grimes

->'''Played By:''' Sarah Wayne Callies

!!Carl Grimes

->'''Played By:''' Chandler Riggs

!!Shane Walsh

->'''Played By:''' Jon Bernthal

!!Glenn

->'''Played By:''' Steven Yeun

!!Andrea

->'''Played By:''' Laurie Holden

!!Dale Horvath

->'''Played By:''' Jeffrey [=DeMunn=]

!!Daryl Dixon

->'''Played By:''' Norman Reedus

!!Maggie Greene

->'''Played By:''' Lauren Cohan

!!Morgan Jones

->'''Played By:''' Lennie James

!!Duane Jones
->'''Played By:''' Adrian Kali Turner

!!Leon Basset
->'''Played By:''' Linds Edwards

!!Hannah

->'''Played By:''' Lilli Birdsell (Melissa Cowan as a walker)

!!Andrew

->'''Played By:''' Rick Otto

!!Jamie
->'''Played By:''' Madison Leisle

!!Billy
->'''Played By:''' Griffin Cleveland

!!Mike Palmer

->'''Played By:''' Rex Maynard Linn

!!Merle Dixon

->'''Played By:''' Michael Rooker

!!Amy

->'''Played By:''' Emma Bell

* [[spoiler:CuteLittleFangs]]: Accidentally revealed if you're paying attention while she's on the boat in "Vatos".

!!Carol Peletier

->'''Played By:''' Melissa [=McBride=]

!!Sophia Peletier

->'''Played By:''' Madison Lintz

!!Ed Peletier

->'''Played By:''' Adam Minarovich

!!Morales

->'''Played By:''' Juan Gabriel Pareja

!!Jim

->'''Played By:''' Andrew Rothenberg

!!Jacqui

->'''Played By:''' Jeryl Prescott Sales

!!Theodore Douglas/T-Dog
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tdogWD_4040.png]]
->'''Played By:''' [=IronE=] Singleton
->''"I'm the one black guy. [[GenreSavvy You realize how precarious that makes my situation?]]"''

T-Dog is a member of the original survivor group. He feels that that he doesn't really have a place in the group, and seeks to find a way to prove himself to the others.

* ActionSurvivor: All of them are of course, but T-Dog is the only guy in the original group who's not a badass survivalist or ex-cop.
* BatterUp: Several times in the first season.
* TheBigGuy
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Lampshades this early in the second season, after he becomes delirious due to a fever. He comments to Dale that both of them would be the first ones to go if their situation ever got bad enough, and thinks that he'll be "lynched". Averted in that he's outlived several members of the group so far.

* CarFu: How he takes out a walker in "Beside the Dying Fire".
* TheCynic: Possibly the most cynical character in the series.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DropTheHammer: He dispatches a few walkers this way.
* FingerlessGloves: He starts wearing some at the end of the second season.
* TheKlutz: Deconstructed and PlayedForDrama. His dropping of the keys to Merle's handcuffs is frequently referenced, and he sliced up his arm when there was a herd of walkers nearby.
* MustMakeAmends: He felt terrible about dropping the key to Merle's handcuffs, even if the guy was racist, figuring that no one deserved his fate. He decided to go with Rick, Daryl, and Glenn to help rescue him, but by the time they got to the roof, Merle had cut his hand off and disappeared.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Heck, he only mentioned his real name while ranting under the effects of drugs and a fever!
* OutOfFocus
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After the [[spoiler:farm falls to the walkers]], T-Dog escapes with Lori and Beth. He wants to head to the east coast, and is only convinced not to when Lori and Beth both threaten to leave unless he tries to find the others.
* TokenMinority: Often accused of being this in season two by fans and reviewers who felt his character was extremely underused.

!!Guillermo
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guillermoWD_4388.png]]
->'''Played By:''' Neil Brown Jr.

Guillermo is the leader of a group of survivors at a nursing home who protect the elderly residents from the walkers.

* AlmightyJanitor: He was the literal head custodian of the nursing home.
* CanonForeigner
* GangBangers: Subverted: he and his crew were faking it to appear tough.
* HeroOfAnotherStory
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Deleated material from the second season premiere shows the nursing home overrun and everyone dead, but this was cut when the premiere was heavily changed following Frank Darabont being fired. As such, the question as to what happened to Guillermo and his people is [[AbortedArc unlikely to ever be answered]].
----
!!Dr. Edwin Jenner

->'''Played By:''' Noah Emmerich
->"[[spoiler: This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event.]]"

!!Hershel Greene

->'''Played By:''' Scott Wilson

!!Beth Greene

->'''Played By:''' Emily Kinney

!!Otis

->'''Played By:''' Pruitt Taylor Vince

!!Patricia

->'''Played By:''' Jane [=McNeill=]

!!Jimmy

->'''Played By:''' James Allen [=McCune=]

!!Dave

->'''Played By:''' Michael Raymond James

!!Tony

->'''Played By:''' Aaron Munoz

!!Randall

->'''Played By:''' Michael Zegen

!!Nate
->'''Played By:''' Phillip DeVona

!!Sean
->'''Played By:''' Keedar Whittle

!![[spoiler: Michonne]]
->'''Played By:''' Danai Gurira

* GenreSavvy: When [[spoiler: Jim]] begs her not to tell the others that he's infected, she does so immediately.

!!Dr Edwin Jenner

!!Beth Greene
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bethWD2_9102.png]]
->'''Played By:''' Emily Kinney

Hershel's youngest daughter, and the girlfriend of Jimmy.

* AngstComa: [[spoiler:Following the barn walkers being shot and being attacked by her own undead step-mom.]] She snaps out of it, but starts thinking about suicide.
* CanonForeigner
* DespairEventHorizon: Crosses it following [[spoiler:the barn massacre of the walkers.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: She doesn't believe there is any hope left in the world, and tries to convince Maggie that they should kill themselves together. [[spoiler:When she tries, she only makes a shallow cut on one wrist and can't go through with it.]]
* [[TheGenericGuy The Generic Girl]]
----

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bethWD_44.png]]

* [[spoiler: KilledOffForReal]]

* CombatPragmatist: Wields a ''Crossbow'', recognising that he can both hunt food for the group and silently stealth kill any Walkers he encounters without bringing a dozen more down on his head. He also attempts to recover fired bolts if he can, allowing him to conserve ammunition.

* BerserkButton: Threatening his family, stopping him reaching his family, trying to steal his family etc.

* AntiHero: Type III, although he has a tendency to view himself as a Type V

* CoolOldGuy: 'Triggerfinger' shows that Hershel is a fair shot, and he later prepares to amputate a man's leg while zombies are approaching on all sides.

* TheHero: Easily the most unambiguously heroic character in the cast. Begins getting {{Deconstruction deconstructed}} in the latter half of season two.

* TheHero: Easily the most unambiguously heroic character in the cast.

!!Maggie Greene
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maggieWD_8634.png]]
->'''Played By:''' Lauren Cohan

Maggie is Hershel's oldest daughter, and the most welcoming member of the farm to the group. She quickly establishes a relationship with Glenn.

* ActionGirl
** FauxActionGirl: After making her explosive entrance [[BigDamnHeroes stunning]] a walker, she's done nothing but remain on the farm and freak out the one time she gets attacked by a walker on a scavenging trip.
* AgeLift: From around 17 in the comic to 22 in the show.
* {{Badass}}: Smacking a zombie in the head with a baseball bat while charging it mounted on a horse is the most inventive attack on a zombie we've seen so far.
* BatterUp
* BobHaircut
* [[spoiler:CallingTheOldManOut]]
* DawsonCasting: Maggie is 22, while actress Lauren Cohan is 29.
* FarmersDaughter: {{Lampshaded}} by Glenn.
* FieryRedhead
* HorsebackHeroism
----

* BadassGrandpa: He sure knows how to use his [[FanNickname God shotgun]]

* LastStand Trues for one in the secod season inale but gets rescued at the last moment.

-->'''Dave''':''"We're looking for Dave and Tony and nobody checks the damn bar?"''