Some of TV’s most terrifying and dangerous villains have been included in The Walking Dead, and many of their first appearances are some of the show’s most memorable moments. For eleven seasons between 2010 and 2022, The Walking Dead followed the adventures of a group of survivors living through the zombie apocalypse. Led by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), this group became an unmatched found family unit, though many different antagonists tried to divide, dismantle, and destroy our group of survivors.
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The Walking Dead has included countless villains over its eleven season run and throughout its popular spinoffs, but a handful of them have made more of an impact than others. In fact, the first appearances of these seven iconic TV villains in The Walking Dead have become some of the series’ best moments, giving more depth to other survivors’ stories, taking us back to the show’s very beginnings, and introducing some of the most twisted and nightmarish villains in history. We’ll never forget these legendary villain debuts from The Walking Dead.
7) Shane Walsh
Following the brief in media res scene that opens The Walking Dead season 1’s premiere, “Days Gone Bye,” we see Rick Grimes and his partner in the King County Sheriff’s Department, Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), bantering in their car prior to the outbreak. This moment of normality was the perfect way to show the chemistry and camaraderie between Rick and Shane – we didn’t then know that Shane would become one of the show’s best villains. Shane’s obsession for Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) turned him into a jealous mess, which culminated in him making an unsuccessful attempt on Rick’s life.
6) Alpha
It’s widely regarded that The Walking Dead dropped in quality after Andrew Lincoln departed the series in season 9, but the introduction of Alpha (Samantha Morton) and the creepy Whisperers helped to soften the blow a bit. This group had its flaws, sure, but Alpha became one of the series’ most sinister and haunting antagonists following her debut in season 9, episode 9, “Adaptation.” This sees her come upon Alden (Callan McAuliffe) and Luke (Dan Fogler) in the woods while they’re tracking other missing survivors, and she eerily delivers just three quiet words: “Trail ends here.”
5) Merle Dixon
Before Shane became a minor antagonist in The Walking Dead’s early seasons, it was Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) who posed an annoyance first. He was later featured as the Governor’s (David Morrissey) lieutenant, but The Walking Dead season 1 introduced us to the racist, misogynistic, and problematic Merle that we instantly hated. His hateful debut gave Rick the chance to quickly show his heroism and authority, making him the perfect leader to the Atlanta survivors, despite his late arrival. Merle’s growth made his eventual death in The Walking Dead emotional, which we wouldn’t have expected back in season 1.
4) Leah Shaw
Before she was outed as a villainous member of the Reapers, Leah Shaw (Lynn Collins) made her debut as Daryl Dixon’s first ever love-interest in The Walking Dead in season 10, episode 18, “Find Me.” This episode filled in gaps in the six-year time-jump after Rick Grimes’ departure, revealing that Daryl (Norman Reedus) formed a bond with Leah – the resident of a cabin and the original owner of Dog, whose allegiance shifted to Daryl after Leah’s mysterious disappearance. After this, it was a shame to see Leah become a bona fide villain in The Walking Dead season 11.
3) Philip Blake, The Governor
Philip Blake was the Governor of Woodbury, but, despite being a strong and commanding leader in front of the town’s residents, he was a twisted, sadistic, manipulative, and scheming villain behind the scenes. His secret persona made him seriously terrifying. He kept Walker heads in tanks, had his undead daughter chained up, played mind games with Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Andrea (Laurie Holden), and caused the destruction of the prison in season 4, and his first appearance, which saw the duo watch him kill soldiers without hesitation, in season 3’s “Walk With Me” summed this up in one brief moment.
2) Gareth & Terminus
There are few villains in The Walking Dead as twisted and nightmarish as the residents of Terminus, who had resorted to cannibalism to survive by the time the separated prison survivors made their way to the end of the railway tracks in season 4’s finale. Gareth (Andrew J. West) led Terminus in their dark and disturbing exploits, and there was something off about him from the very first moments meeting him in “A.” He led Rick and his group into a train car, and, in season 5’s premiere, “No Sanctuary,” threatened to slice their throats and cook them for food.
1) Negan Smith
While he has gone on to become something of a hero – or at least antihero – Negan’s debut in The Walking Dead season 6’s finale, “Last Day on Earth,” will go down in history as one of the most iconic scenes on TV. Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was the leader of the Saviors, who had become opposed by Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom throughout season 6. Negan decided to get the communities in line by gathering the main characters and offing at least one of their members. It was Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) who met their demises at the hands of Lucille, establishing Negan as The Walking Dead’s most savage, dangerous, harrowing, and unpredictable villain in one of the show’s strongest and most graphic scenes.
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