The Walking Dead: Is Beta more dangerous than Alpha?

Alpha is one of the great villains on The Walking Dead, but Beta could be worse

The funny thing about supervillains is that they’re usually not the ones you have to worry about. Sure, they’re evil and they’re dangerous, but it’s their zealots that are truly the ones you have to watch out for. When it comes to The Walking Dead, Alpha was terrifying and it’s hard to imagine anyone being worse than she is. But then there’s Beta.

One of Alpha’s great talents was in convincing people to do her bidding. When you get down to it, why on earth would anyone follow someone like Alpha. How do you go from trying to survive a zombie apocalypse to skinning the zombies and wearing their flesh, forsaking all creature comforts (the ones that are left, anyway) to live in the woods, give up their identities, stop talking and devour the earth like a plague of locusts?

We know from real life that cult leaders are charismatic people who find ways to entice people into the fold by preying upon their weaknesses. Alpha was a master manipulator; she was manipulating her husband and daughter long before the fall of civilization. She gets into your head like Khan’s little worm things on Ceti Alpha V in Star Trek II. She burrows in deep and sets up shop so that you don’t know which way is up until she tells you.

Alpha was terrifying.

Beta might be worse.

The problem with zealots who rise to power is that absolute power corrupts, absolutely. Beta was a loyal follower, but when he started to see Alpha deviating from her own playbook he was immediately skeptical because the leader is not supposed to change the rules. His loyalty was second only to the belief system – which Alpha created – and with Alpha gone he no longer has anyone guiding his actions.

Without Alpha, Beta has no one to tell him what to do. He’s so committed to the dead that he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the herd going even if that means killing his own people. Beta sees nothing but the mission, he’s all or nothing.

Alpha’s lingering feelings for Lydia were a weakness in Beta’s mind. Beta has no attachments.

Alpha established a border, and rules for crossing the border. Beta has no rules.

Alpha might have seen value in keeping certain people alive. Beta sees more value in death.

At the end of the day, Alpha and Beta might be tied in terms of their evil quotient, but in a fight you have more of a chance with someone like Alpha. With Beta, all bets are off. He’s like the shark in Jaws: Once he bites he doesn’t let go and the only way to stop him is to blow him up.

What do you think? Between Beta and Alpha, who is the more dangerous member of the Whisperers? Let us know in the comments!