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The Walking Dead Villains: Who’s The Worst? Part 9

By Liam O'Leary

Samantha Morton as Alpha - The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Samantha Morton as Alpha - The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 11 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC /
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Ryan Hurst as Beta – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC
Ryan Hurst as Beta – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC /

Beta

We’ve seen some sketch henchmen over the years in The Walking Dead: Mitch, Martin (That guy), Jared, but, Beta may take the cake.

What makes Beta so bad, really, is Alpha. Now, I know that might sound strange, but, bear with me. I’m not saying that Beta is innocent or redeemable in any way: He isn’t. What I am saying is that, he is horrible because Alpha is horrible, and he is her willing enforcer.

Look at it this way: There were people within the upper echelons of the Nazi regime who didn’t do anything violent, but were still despicable human beings because they knew what was going on, and were more than happy to see it all come to fruition. That is Beta: He is the man who sees all of the awful things Alpha does, and is more than happy to help her carry it out.

Ryan Hurst as Beta, Samantha Morton as Alpha - The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 12 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Ryan Hurst as Beta, Samantha Morton as Alpha – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC /

You see, it takes a certain kind of person to knowingly sit at the right hand of a cruel, violent, despicable person, and enthusiastically follow their orders and serve as their brutal enforcer: A person without a conscience. Beta is such a person.

What’s funny about Beta is that we don’t actually see him do very much that’s especially evil, but, it’s the fact that Alpha does and, not only does Beta not express even the slightest disagreement or even doubt about Alpha’s decisions, but, actively reassures her that the awful things she does are for the good of “the pack”.

You might think that this is because The Whisperers have their own moral code, which they clearly do, but, Alpha doesn’t even adhere to it, as evidenced when another Whisperer, Sean, accuses Alpha of “…Changing the rules, again.” after Beta swoops in and restrains him when he challenges Alpha, and, yeah, it’s Alpha going against her own rules, but, again, Beta is right there along with her. Even in The Whisperers’ ultra-survivalist, neo-tribal world, far removed from the morality of the pre-apocalypse one, Beta still unflinchingly follows Alpha, even if it goes against the very rules The Whisperers live by.

When you’re the right hand of The Devil, you’re just as vile, because you know what evil is being perpetrated, yet carry right on doing it.

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