Character sheet for The Return of the Living Dead.
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Humans
Burt Wilson
Portrayed By: Clu Gulager
The main protagonist. The levelheaded owner of the Uneeda Medical Supply warehouse where the Trioxin canisters were delivered to by mistake years before the events of the film. When his employee Frank tells Burt of the gas exposure, he quickly arrives and takes charge in the efforts to control the mess and ultimately, put a stop to the resulting zombie apocalypse.
- Bad Liar: The best lie he can come up with about the chopped cadaver pieces is that they’re rabid weasels…with a totally straight face.
- Benevolent Boss: He seems to have good relationships with his workers, on and off the clock, given his amiable nature and his plan to attend Frank’s 4th of July barbecue. Even when Frank and Freddy release the Trioxin, he doesn’t hold it against them on a personal level and is instead more frustrated with them than angry. When the chemical begins make them ill (unknowingly zombifying them), his first instinct is to seek medical help for them.
- Big Good: As the overarching protagonist, he displays the most resolve and heroism.
- Combat Pragmatist: He always grabs the nearest weapon or weapon-like item within his reach, from pipes to baseball bats, to kick zombie ass.
- Cool Old Guy: He's, without question, a total badass with nerves of steel in his efforts against the zombies.
- Despair Event Horizon: He quietly but briefly falls into this when he hears the zombies slaughter the police over the phone.
- Determinator: Burt won't let anything stop him from his goal to defeat the zombies and save his fellow survivors. However, he’s forced to abandon Tina and Ernie when the zombies rush the squad car he and Spider are driving but vows to send help their way.
- Knight in Sour Armor: The stress of being the group's leader causes him to be quite snappy at times.
- Oh, Crap!: Burt has this sort of reaction when he and Ernie learn of the dead rising from their graves, and even more so, when Tina tells him that Tarman is in the warehouse.
- The Leader: Once he is reintroduced to the plot after a brief appearance in the opening prologue, Burt takes center stage for the rest of the film, leading the fight against the zombies.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His phone call to the army in a final effort to get help, connects him to Colonel Glover who orders the missile strike on Louisville, effectively killing everyone including Burt himself.
Ernie Kaltenbrunner
Portrayed By: Don Calfa
A good-natured mortician and close friend of Burt’s. He is implied to be a Nazi, or at the very least, fond of Nazi culture. He becomes entangled in fighting off the zombies after Burt, Frank, and Freddy seek his help in disposing of a subdued cadaver. However, he unknowingly spreads the Trioxin further when he cremates it just as it happens to rain.- Distressed Dude: He gets injured while trying to barricade a zombified Freddy, rendering him unable to make a run for the cars with Burt and Spider.
- Everyone Has Standards: Played with; When Burt initially lies about the subdued cadaver pieces being rabid weasels suggesting to cremate them, Ernie is appalled by the idea of burning live animals. However, he’s not against killing the supposed weasels by killing them first via gunshots.
- The Smart Guy: The most rational of the adult survivors, and possibly the most intelligent overall. This works to his advantage momentarily as he manages to capture a corpse and question her as to why the zombies are after brains.
- Straight Man: He's the most serious-minded of the adult survivors, even more so than Burt.
Spider
Portrayed By: Miguel A. Nuñez Jr.
A good friend of Freddy’s, who primarily aids Burt and Ernie in their efforts against the zombies.- Big Brother Instinct: He’s quite protective of Tina, often comforting her during all the chaos.
- Black Dude Dies First: Subverted; He survives up to the very end of the film, only to be killed with everyone else in the nuclear blast.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments.
- Mr. Fanservice: He’s rather handsome and wears an outfit that shows off his muscular physique.
- Nice Guy: Spider is generally a cool, amicable person. He does have an aggressive side, but it doesn’t come out until the shit hits the fan.
- Oh, Crap!: He has several of these reactions throughout the film.
- Only Sane Man: Amongst the punks.
- The Nicknamer: He’s the only person to refer to the basement zombie as “Tarman”, alluding to his sludgy look.
- Those Two Guys: Seems to be close with Scuz.
- Token Minority: He’s the sole African-American amongst his friends.
- Took a Level in Badass: He’s mostly laidback but once the zombie apocalypse begins, he doesn’t hesitate to fight back with his fellow survivors.
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Zombies
Tarman
Portrayed By: Allan Trautman
Voiced By: Unknown actors
A horribly disfigured zombie drenched in a slimy black substance that was originally sealed away in the Trioxin canister, only to be revived and freed upon Frank's mishap.- Bald of Evil: He's completely hairless, even before he's reanimated.
- Blob Monster: He's a relatively tall skeleton covered in black goo.
- The Determinator: Tarman will stop at nothing to get his brains. Running away or locking yourself in closets won’t deter him much, he’ll just look for a way to get you. Blocking off the basement won’t do any good either. He’ll simply stand and wait at the top of the steps until someone opens the door.
- The Dreaded: The surviving punks are understandably more terrified of him than any other zombie.
- Emerging from the Shadows: The method in which he makes his entrance.
- Evil Sounds Deep: In most home media prints of the film, he speaks in a demonic guttural tone.
- Forehead of Doom: Tarman has a pretty sizable head.
- Icy Blue Eyes: His eyes are a bright sky blue, and never blinks due to his eyelids melting off.
- Obviously Evil: His appearance is so weird and off-putting it just screams "evil".
- One-Man Army: He can be considered this due to his unnerving problem solving ability.
- Sticky Situation: He leaves slime on everything he touches.
- Too Dumb to Live: Waiting at the basement door proves to be his downfall. Tarman anticipates another helping of brains, only to suffer a humiliating defeat when Burt knocks his head off with a bat. Given that this cannot kill him, he’s merely left blinded, unable to pursue the survivors any further.
- Vocal Dissonance: His original speaking voice heard in the theatrical release (and later prints) has a much higher, goofier tone that makes him sound comedic in contrast with his freaky outer appearance. The well-known deep dub sounds far more menacing, and accurate to how he looks.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: The confused way he looks down at Tina, after she falls through the steps in a botched flee attempt, strongly implies that he’s thinking this.
