The Walking Dead: 16 Best Villains, Ranked

Highlights

• The Walking Dead proves that the true danger in an apocalypse lies with the living, as other humans are often more brutal and sadistic than the mindless walkers.
• The Walkers, or zombies, maintain a threatening presence throughout the show and have caused the deaths of many beloved characters.
• The show features various groups of villains, such as The Claimers, The Wolves, The Scavengers, and The Reapers, each presenting unique threats to the main characters.

Despite AMC’s The Walking Dead primarily being a zombie show, the undead are surprisingly not the only threat that the living face. Through its long tenure of 11 successful seasons, The Walking Dead proves that the true danger in an apocalypse lies with the Living. Other humans proved to be more brutal, sadistic, and calculating than any mindless walker.

Villains are often designed to be hated and to make the main characters appear lawful and righteous. However, audiences can still admire their characters, and some of the big bads in the series ended up with cult followings, like Negan. The TV show features many antagonists whom Rick and his group of Survivors must face off against, but here are some of the best villains in The Walking Dead AMC series.

Updated April 21, 2024, by Mara Cowley: While the main show The Walking Dead is as dead as the zombies shuffling through each episode, the fanbase is still very much alive, with many still debating the best characters and episodes of the original show and watching the spin-offs that continue the stories of fan favorites such as Michonne, Daryl, and Negan. The Walking Dead truly delivered some of the best villains that have ever graced the television screen, and they continued to show up until the end of the show. With many great Walking Dead villains to choose from, crowning one as “the best” is a tough choice for many fans, but all can agree that no show has bad guys of the same caliber.

This article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead.

16 Mitch Dolgen

Willing To Go To Extremes To Save His Own Skin

• Actor: Kirk Acevedo
• Notable Episodes: Season 4, Episode 7: “Dead Weight,” Season 4, Episode 8: “Too Far Gone”

Mitch only appeared in two episodes of the Governor’s arc in The Walking Dead, and yet, he stands out as one of the major villains in the show. Though he might have been overshadowed by the Governor, Mitch Dolgen still demonstrated immense greed and callousness in episodes 7 and 8.

He barely grieves his own brother’s untimely death and is willing to rob and kill any other Survivors he comes up against just so he can be sure of his own survival. Thankfully, Mitch met his end at the hands of Daryl before he could do even more harm to people just trying to survive.

15 Ed Peletier

An Abusive Father And Husband With No Saving Graces

• Actor: Adam Minarovich
• Notable Episodes: Season 1, Episode 3: “Tell it to the Frogs,” Season 1, Episode 4: “Vatos”

Though his stint in The Walking Dead was relatively short, Ed still set himself out as a majorly hated character through his actions. Masterfully portrayed by Adam Minarovich, Ed spends the short amount of screen time he has as a point of friction within the group, constantly harassing and berating his wife and even acting as a menace toward their daughter. Though never explicitly stated or shown, it is even implied he had a predatory relationship with Sophia, which only solidifies his status as one of the worst characters in the show.

However, Ed soon gets his comeuppance in Vatos, as a group of Walkers infiltrate his tent and devour him, turning him into one of them. For a character as grotesque as he, it sure is a fitting send-off.

14 Pete Anderson

His Kind Demeanor Hides His True Nature

• Actor: Corey Brill
• Notable Episodes: Season 5, Episode 14: “Spend,” Season 5, Episode 15: “Try”

Ed isn’t the only abusive family man in The Walking Dead, with Pete filling that role in Season 5. Despite acting as the surgeon of Alexandria, his bedside manners certainly need some work as he is prone to drinking and violence.

Though his abuse of his wife Jessie soon comes to light, and he receives his just desserts from a vengeful Rick, he acts friendly and polite at first, which only makes him a more devious villain.

13 The Walkers

The Most Common Threat In The Show

• Key Characters: Sophia, Shane, Hershel, Sasha
• Actors: Madison Lintz, Jon Bernthal, Scott Wilson, Sonequa Martin-Green.
• Notable Episodes: Season 6, Episode 1: “First Time Again,” Season 6, Episode 9: “No Way Out,” Season 11, Episode 23: “Family”

No list of The Walking Dead‘s many villains would be complete without mentioning the most consistent antagonists of the whole show: the Walkers. Although they can be slow-moving, they have maintained a threatening presence from the first season, especially when grouped up in herds.

Walkers have gathered a significant kill count throughout the seasons, causing some of the goriest deaths, like Noah being torn apart in front of Glenn. Many of the show’s best characters have died at the jaws of a zombie or succumbed to the later infection it spreads, like Carl being bitten while helping Siddiq. The final season proves that the undead are still a deadly threat.

12 The Claimers

Take Whatever They Want By Any Means Necessary

• Key Characters: Dan, Billy, Harley, Tony, Joe, Len
• Actors: Keith Brooks, Eric Mendenhall, JD Evermore, Davi Jay, Jeff Kober, Marcus Hester.
• Notable Episodes: Season 4, Episode 15: “Us,” Season 4, Episode 16: “A”

This notorious motorcycle gang is encountered by Daryl in Season 4 after the group becomes separated following the Governor’s attack on the Prison. The group has a strange set of rules; if someone wants something for themselves, they have to yell “claimed.” Although the Claimers aren’t in the show for very long, they reach a level of depravity and senseless violence that is rarely seen in The Walking Dead.

In the episode titled “A,” Rick, Michonne, and Carl are captured by the Claimers while Daryl is beaten up. One of the Claimers was threatening Carl with an assault that was extremely uncomfortable for audiences to watch. This led to Rick committing one of the most violent acts in the show by ripping out his jugular with his teeth, causing blood to splatter across his face and jacket.

11 The Wolves

Relish In Carnage

• Key Characters: Owen, Edward.
• Actors: Benedict Samuel, Jesse C Boyd.
• Notable Episodes: Season 6, Episode 4: “Here’s Not Here,” Season 6, Episode 8: “Start to Finish,” Season 6, Episode 9: “No Way Out”

Mysterious, primal, and desperate to create an army of the walking dead, The Wolves are an antagonistic group introduced in Season 5 of the show, characterized by a W carved into their foreheads. They relished in the violence of the new world order the zombie apocalypse had created. They used zombies to craft booby traps for anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Season 6 saw The Wolves make their move against the Alexandria Safe-Zone, attacking it while Rick and other members of the Survivors were away at the Quarry. They crashed a truckload of zombies into the town, causing havoc among its residents. Morgan had a stark dichotomy with the leader of the Wolves, convinced they could be amicable without bloodshed. Although the Wolves’ leader turned over a new leaf before he died, his group’s senseless lust for violence caused the deaths of many unnamed Alexandrian citizens.

10 Jadis & The Scavengers

Betrays Rick And The Group

• Key Characters: Jadis (Anne), Tamiel, Brion, Farron, Winslow
• Actors: Pollyanna McIntosh, Sabrina Gennarino, Thomas Francis Murphy, Anja Akstin, Gino Crognale
• Notable Episodes: Season 7, Episode 10: “New Best Friends,” Season 7, Episode 16: “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life,” Season 8, Episode 10: “The Lost and the Plunderer”

The Scavengers, or the Garbage/Trash People as they were sometimes referred to, were yet another faction of survivors that revealed themselves in the seventh season of the show. The Scavengers had an astonishing amount of numbers.

Following the kidnapping of Gabriel and the successful ambush of Rick and the party, Rick impresses Jadis by killing an armored walker, and they agree to join forces to take down the Saviors on the condition Rick and his group deliver weapons. But when the time comes for them to kill the Saviors, it is revealed that it was all a ploy, and the plan goes out with a bang as the Scavengers turn on the group. Though she later changes sides, her earlier acts of villainy make her and her faction stand out as one of the most dangerous.

9 The Reapers

Prey On Other Survivors And Settlements

• Key Characters: Pope, Leah Shaw, Carver, Washington, Boone, Mancea, Deaver, Powell, Wells.
• Actors: Ritchie Coster, Lynn Collins, Alex Meraz, Ethan McDowell, Zac Zedalis, Dikran Tulaine, Jacob Young, Eric LeBlanc, Robert Hayes.
• Notable Episodes: Season 11, Episode 2: “Acheron: Part 2,” Season 11, Episode 4: “Rendition”

Season 10 brought a brand new hostile faction in the form of the Reapers, a small but organized group that preys on other parties and established settlements under the orders of their ruthless leader called Pope, to whom every Reaper is devotedly loyal. As one might expect, with a name like Pope, he is a spiritual man who follows his own twisted doctrine of Christianity.

Despite having small numbers, the Reapers are a threat because of their skill, being able to oppose and subdue larger groups, such as Meridian, the settlement Maggie resided in. Their skills and the deep bonds between the Reapers mean they can effectively coordinate attacks while also giving each of them something to lose. In that regard, this villainous group is the one that is closest to the survivors.

8 Gregory

His Cowardice Endangered Others

• Actor: Xander Berkley.
• Notable Episodes: Season 7, Episode 5: “Go Getters,” Season 9, Episode 1: “A New Beginning”

The Hilltop Colony seemed to have everything going for them. The location had defensible walls and plenty of supplies, but the main caveat was that it was run by the cowardly Gregory, who was always all too eager to please the Saviors, bowing to their every whim and brown-nosing with each visit.

From the very first moment Gregory appeared on-screen, he grated on the nerves of viewers with his demeanor. He seems to look down on Rick and his group, and he also tries to get a little too friendly with Maggie. When tensions with the Saviors rise, Gregory immediately disavows the group, ordering them to leave Hilltop simply so he can save his skin. Leaders of any community should look after their people first and foremost, but with Gregory, it was clear he only ever cared about himself. His comeuppance could not come soon enough.

7 Terminus

Lures Survivors In To Cannibalize Them

• Key Characters: Gareth, Mary, Alex, Sam, Albert, Mike, Greg, Martin, Theresa.
• Actors: Andrew J West, Denise Crosby, Tate Ellington, Robin Lord Taylor, Benjamin Papac, Chis Burns, Travis Young, Chris Coy, April Billingsley.
• Notable Episodes: Season 4, Episode 16: “A,” Season 5, Episode 1: “No Sanctuary”

Terminus seemed like the perfect new beginning for Rick and his group in Season 4, as there were plenty of signs pointing in its direction on the road to supposed salvation. However, the safe sanctuary of Terminus was a ruse, as it was all a ploy to lure in fresh victims for the people of Terminus to chop up and eat for sustenance.

This cannibalistic group was bloodthirsty, and the new world order made them that way. The Terminus group did have a tragic backstory, as they had fought back against the original leaders of Terminus who abused them. They took revenge on the world by killing and eating humans, which later proved to be their downfall. Gareth and his men kidnapped Bob and ate his leg. Bob revealed that he had been bitten, and they had eaten tainted meat. They definitely got their just deserts.

6 Shane Walsh

Descended Into The Grips Of Violent Jealousy

• Actor: Jon Bernthal.
• Notable Episodes: Season 1, Episode 3: “Tell it to the Frogs,” Season 1, Episode 5: “Wildfire,” Season 2, Episode 10: “18 Miles Out,” Season 2, Episode 12: “Better Angels,” Season 9, Episode 5: “What Comes After”

Without a doubt, Shane Walsh is one of the best antagonists and villains featured in The Walking Dead. Starting off as Rick’s best friend and fellow officer on the police force, Shane seemed like a good man at first glance, as he tried to save a comatose Rick when the outbreak began. He even barricaded his hospital room so the dead couldn’t get in.

Sadly, Shane believed Rick to be dead and had an affair with Lori while taking care of Carl like his own. Unfortunately, this illusion was shattered when Rick reunited with his family in Atlanta and took it upon himself to become the group’s leader, effectively replacing him. Seeing Rick and Lori back together drove Shane mad with jealousy, and the tension between Rick and Shane grew as a result. Shane’s aggressive behavior and ill-thought-out plans ultimately caused his demise at the hands of Rick.

5 The Commonwealth

Police Brutality And Classism Run Rampant

• Key Characters: Pamela Milton, Sebastian Milton, Lance Hornsby, Mercer, Maxxine Porter.
• Actors: Laila Robins, Teo Rapp-Olsen, Josh Hamilton, Michael James Shaw, Margot Bingham.
• Notable Episodes: Season 11, Episode 1: “Acheron: Part 1,” Season 11, Episode 7: “Promises Broken,” Season 11, Episode 10: “New Haunts,” Season 11, Episode 16: “Acts of God,” Season 11. Episode 23: “Family”

The latter seasons of The Walking Dead introduced the Commonwealth. Once they were welcomed into the walls of their city, it was like they had stepped into paradise, as the Commonwealth boasted resources the characters had never seen previously, even having forgotten luxuries such as ice cream.

But, the Commonwealth quickly revealed itself to be dystopian beneath the veneer of civility. Police brutality and classism were rampant, with people’s places being based on what they were previous to the outbreak. The acting Governor, Pamela, worked to keep the autocratic oligarchy in place, and her son Sebastian showed himself to be a brat who, unfortunately, had to be respected and bowed to due to his status. Lance Hornsby was arguably one of the worst of the bunch, his snake-in-a-suit smugness boiling the blood of many fans. The Commonwealth was a villainous force to be reckoned with and one of the greatest in the show.

4 The Whisperers

Learned To Weaponize Herds And Can Blend In Among Them

• Key Characters: Alpha (Dee), Beta, Keith, Dante, Mary, Frances, Lydia
• Actors: Samantha Morton, Ryan Hurst, Brad Fleischer, Juan Javier Cardenas, Thora Birch, Emily Lane, Juliet Brett, Cassady McClincy, Scarlett Blum, Havana Blum.
• Notable Episodes: Season 9, Episode 11: “Bounty,” Season 9, Episode 12: “Guardians,” Season 9, Episode 15: “The Calm Before,” Season 10, Episode 9: “Squeeze,” Season 10, Episode 14: “Look at the Flowers”

Alpha and Beta were the two leaders of the group known as The Whisperers, introduced towards the end of Season 9. Donning the rotten flesh of deceased corpses as disguises, the Whisperers are a nomadic group that keeps moving alongside hoards of the dead with no set place to call home.

The Whisperers proved to be a threat to all the surviving communities as they massacred several loved and long-term cast members, including Tara and Jesus. Alpha mounted her victim’s heads to spikes to serve as a cruel warning to anyone who threatened to oppose her. Alpha fully embraced the brutalist nature of the apocalypse, and she even abandoned a newborn baby to serve as zombie food because the crying posed a threat.

3 Simon

Sadistic And Brutal, Even By Negan’s Standards

• Actor: Steven Ogg.
• Notable Episodes: Season 6, Episode 16: “Last Day on Earth,” Season 8, Episode 8: “How It’s Gotta Be,” Season 8, Episode 12: “The Key”

Though Negan is the main star of the Saviors, his right-hand man, Simon, is a villain in his own right, left in charge of dealing with Hilltop and gathering their tribute. Simon is a truly sadistic individual who is all too happy to exercise violence against others, seen as too brutal and violent, even by Negan.

He serves as one of the primary antagonists in seasons 6, 7, and 8 and takes it upon himself to subjugate the residents of Hilltop following the successful elimination of one of the group’s outposts. He terrorizes Hilltop and Alexandria with fear and brutality. His methods often clash with Negan’s, as he demonstrates even greater blood-thirst than the bat-wielding leader and thinks the Savior should simply execute all the other factions. With his sadism, unpredictability, and penchant for wanton murder, Simon could even be scarier than Negan as a villain.

2 The Governor

Charisma And Honor Hide His True, Brutal Nature

• Actor: David Morrissey
• Notable Episodes: Season 3, Episode 3: “Walk With Me,” Season 3, Episode 5: “Say the Word,” Season 3, Episode 7: “When the Dead Come Knocking,” Season 4, Episode 8: “Too Far Gone”

One of The Walking Dead‘s most iconic villains is definitely Philip Blake, aka The Governor. He is a charismatic anti-hero with a savior complex who brings people into his community, Woodbury. At first, he seems like a great guy when he saves Andrea and Michonne from wandering the wilderness. However, his sadistic nature is later revealed as he is shown to keep his zombified daughter chained up alongside the reanimated heads of some of his victims.

The Governor committed the most despicable act of violence in the show as he brutally decapitated the moral compass of the Prison group, Hershel Greene, with no hesitation. The farmer’s two daughters, Maggie and Beth, helplessly watched from the sidelines. Many fans cheered while The Governor got his comeuppance, which is the mark of a great villain.

1 Negan

Kills Fan Favorites With His Own Hands

• Actor: Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
• Notable Episodes: Season 6, Episode 16: “Last Day on Earth,” Season 7, Episode 1: “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” Season 7, Episode 7: “Sing Me a Song,” Season 10, Episode 22: “Here’s Negan”

No villain will ever top the complexity of Negan, expertly played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He was the worshiped leader of the Saviors, as he saved people from the damnation of surviving the zombie apocalypse. He is an egomaniac with a quick wit and heavy sarcasm, making him an ironically likable character despite his dastardly deeds.

From the first minute he appeared on screens in Season 7, audiences knew that Negan would be the cruelest villain on The Walking Dead. Wielding Lucille, his trademark bat swanned in barbed wire, Negan violently murdered two beloved characters, Glenn and Abraham, breaking the hearts of long-time fans. Although he later turned the tables and became a good guy, Negan remains The Walking Dead‘s best villain.