The Walking Dead is an American horror-drama series that depicts a war for survival after a worldwide zombie apocalypse. The show was created by Frank Darabont and is based on a comic book by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore.
The Walking Dead premiered on AMC on October 31, 2010. The series consists of 11 seasons with over 177 episodes as of August 2024.
Since The Walking Dead has been running for more than 13 years now, it has had many actors. They continue to add excitement to the show by introducing different storylines and numerous twists and turns in their characters' fates.
Even though the show has been touted as one of the best 21st-century shows to watch, bringing in positive responses from the audience, there are times when the show has attracted criticism from viewers.
The viewer's experience can be made or broken depending on which character is featured in a particular episode. Some characters in the show manage to get under the viewers' skin. This article will examine the top 10 most hated The Walking Dead characters.
Ranking 10 most hated characters in The Walking Dead
1) Lori Grimes
Lori is one of the most hated characters in The Walking Dead. Fans dislike her because she started dating Shane, believing Rick was dead. Viewers thought they could let this pass as an unintentional act, but her refusal to leave Shane even when Rick returned left fans bewildered.
Lori has always remained suspicious of Rick and wanted Shane to stay as a backup to protect her children. Fans of the show believe that Rick would have been better off without Lori after the zombie apocalypse.
2) Andrea
After Lori Grimes's death, a new antagonist, a murderous sociopath, was introduced to the show. What fans hate most about her character is her sense of superiority, which makes her believe she is always right.
In season three, Andrea is separated from her friends and joins the fight for survival.
Michonne takes her under her wing, but she falls for the Governor's charisma and lies, no matter how many times Michonne warns her to avoid her suggestions, to the point of altogether abandoning her.
If the way her storyline was wrapped up on screen wasn't enough, Andrea's character was so hated that fans wanted to see her character killed off rather quickly.
3) The Governor
The Governor is portrayed as a violent and evil character with psychopathic and delusional tendencies. He represents himself as a selfless community leader and a family man who is also a widower. His character in the series is less frightening and violent than in the comics.
As the leader of Woodbury, the Governor perceived Rick's group as a threat and tried to destroy it numerous times. The Governor is the driving force behind most of the deaths in The Walking Dead, including the death of Hershel, one of the series' most popular and beloved characters.
The Governor's primary goal in the series was to portray a villainous character, and he succeeded at this by leaps and bounds, becoming one of the most hated characters on the show.
4) Nicholas
Nicholas is on the most hated list because of his polarizing nature. He is not a villain. However, viewers of The Walking Dead dislike him because of his cowardly nature.
Fans can't get over his character because he almost got Glenn killed twice. Another example is when he made a supply run to the warehouse with other group members. He could have saved Aiden, but he willingly left Aiden to die and ran for his life.
5) Simon
Simon is a psychopath with a murderous intention. He is also responsible for slaughtering all of the Heapsters. He later goes on a killing spree in Oceanside. Simon's brutality and cruelty attract hate from fans.
6) Gareth
Fans remember Gareth's character for all the wrong reasons. Gareth is the leader of a group that practices cannibalism, luring passersby into their gates with the promise of shelter and food.
Fans do not like him because of his practices and beliefs. For example, he says that if one is a butcher, the other must be a cow. Gareth's character leaves an eerie impression on the show's fans and is not well received.
7) Negan
Negan's character comes across as strong and terrifying. He is not shy about using violence to get things done his way, and fans dislike him for his violence.
Nevertheless, Negan is intelligent; he realizes that people are resources and will physically punish them if things do not go his way. But that doesn't mean he's afraid to kill.
The Walking Dead fans dislike Negan because he killed Abe and Glenn and because of the sins he committed against the survivors of Alexandria.
8) Richard
Richard is an annoying character, and there is no stopping him from wanting to fight the Saviors, but when he hatches a plan to attack Carol, he makes room for his name on the most hated list.
Richard wanted to start a fight between two communities and die in the middle of it, trying to portray himself as a hero trying to save the Kingdom.
He makes both communities the saviors anyway, and the kingdom fights until Jared fires but kills Benjamin instead of Richard. Richard does not die a martyr's death but is killed by Morgan with his bare hands.
9) Ed Peletier
Ed Peletier plays Carol Peletier's abusive husband. He only appears in two episodes of The Walking Dead, so fans do not get much time to connect with his character. But his attitude towards his wife and daughter is enough to stir controversy.
10) Sam Anderson
Sam is introduced to Rick's group when his people enter the Alexandria safe zone. Sam is Jessie Anderson's youngest son. As a child, he naturally possesses childish tendencies, such as promising Carol to keep her secret if he gets freshly baked cookies.
Even in a time like when zombies are on the hunt, his childish tendencies come across as annoying, which isn't well appreciated by the viewers of the show.
All seasons of The Walking Dead are available for fans to watch on Prime Video.
