What is a good show without some bad guys? The Walking Dead and its spinoffs provided plenty of villains to go around, from CRM soldiers to community leaders.
From mothers to cannibals and even right-hand men. But don't be fooled, these bad guys were far from redeemable.
In fact, they terrified us so much that we are still scared of them. Which villains from The Walking Dead Universe still haunt your dreams?
Alpha/Beta (TWDU)
Starting our list is the duo, the leader of The Whisperers Alpha and her right-hand man, Beta. The Whisperers were probably the most terrifying, both in appearance and tactics.
By disguising themselves as walkers, they blended in to near perfection, becoming the enemy our heroes never saw coming. Both Alpha and Beta were brutal, with little to no regard for human life, deeming weakness unacceptable.
While we did not know much of Beta's life before the apocalypse aside from his country singing career, Alpha was always this dark and twisted being, killing her own husband in front of their daughter, Lydia (whom she also debated killing as we saw in Tales of the Walking Dead). While Alpha and Beta both met their ends, we cannot forget the countless innocent lives they stole in the process, which included Ozzy, Alek, D.J. Frankie, Tammy Rose, Adeline, Rodney, Tara, Enid, and Henry.
The Governor (The Walking Dead)
Talk about a villain with no redeeming qualities. The Governor led Woodbury with such charisma, surely no one would question it, right?
Well, it didn't take long for his true colors to reveal themselves as an unbridled rage brewed and clouded his judgment the moment he felt threatened by Rick Grimes. Quick-witted and fond of mind games, The Governor went to any length to ensure victory.
His drive for control and power cost him a majority of his community (he literally killed a bunch of his own people when they refused to fight Rick). What makes The Governor worthy of our list was that when he had the opportunity to start over, falling in love and being a dad again to an adopted daughter, his anger and quest for revenge came back in full force.
His return destroyed the prison, thus separating Rick's group. Lest we forget, he was the sole man responsible for brutally killing Hershel in front of everyone, even his daughters.
Thankfully, Michonne gets the final word, killing him once and for all.
Gareth (The Walking Dead)
The apocalypse can bring out the worst in people, as was the case for Gareth and his group at Terminus. After Rick and his group separate due to The Governor's attack, hope seemed lost until they came across messages over the radio and on signs, regarding Terminus.
Everyone has the same idea to meet there, only for it to be a trap. What started as a thriving community, Terminus got overrun by some of the most horrible people imaginable.
But Gareth and his family took back the community and punished those responsible. As a result, they figured the best course of action was to purposely lure people in as food to later eat.
Yes, Gareth and the people of Terminus were cannibals, a horrifying evolution where people become just as appalling as the walkers themselves. While cannibalism was bound to show up eventually on The Walking Dead (as it seems to in any post-apocalyptic television show or film), this was quite the shock for audiences who had thought they had already seen the worst in people.
But like every villain on our list, Gareth and the remainder of his community are killed by Rick and his group within the walls of a church.
Simon (TWDU)
We cannot deny that Simon was far worse than Negan. This might not have been obvious from the beginning (after all, Glenn and Abraham's deaths have left audiences scarred for a lifetime).
But over time, as we learn more about Negan's past and reasons for his actions, we also learn more about Simon, Negan's right-hand man. Specifically, his penchant for disobeying Negan which led to him killing all the men and teenage boys at Oceanside, killing all of Jadis' people living in the junkyard, and flat-out planning a coup to overthrow Negan.
What a pal! Negan wasn't a saint, but compared to Simon, he at least had a moral compass and code.
Simon wanted to do as he pleased with his plans to betray Negan, ultimately costing him in the end. Between his creepy, threatening smile, disregard for others, and flat-out enjoyment in defying Negan's orders, Simon was one bad guy we did not want to cross paths with.
Virginia (Fear the Walking Dead)
We see a few similarities between Virginia and Alpha, including their pattern of murdering well, anyone (including members of her own family). She too was a mother and leader, but unlike Alpha, actually tries to make an effort.
And unlike Lydia, Dakota, Virginia's daughter, had blood on her hands, especially that of John Dorie. In fact, it is his death that leads to Virginia's demise when June (John's wife) kills her in revenge.
She was a deadly combination of unpredictability and danger, who made countless wrong decisions but remained a threatening villain we would never want to meet.
Theodore "Teddy" Maddox (Fear the Walking Dead)
Before the apocalypse, Teddy ran a doomsday cult. Not enough evidence to secure his spot on our list?
How about the fact that he was a serial killer who killed 23 women! Yes, Fear the Walking Dead went there.
Now that's not to say that other villains on our list didn't have those same characteristics, but there was no doubt, no question about Theodore "Teddy" Maddox.
Thankfully, he dies at the hands of Dakota upon realizing he had been lying to her.
CRM (Civic Republic Military) (TWDU)
The scariest aspect of the CRM was how much power and influence it had. The CRM or Civic Republic Military became the biggest threat in TWDU, which, one could argue, is bound to form in any post-apocalyptic setting.
The very organization created to restart the world and lead the survivors towards a new civilization is the same one that is slowly and most often intentionally killing it. We're talking whole communities...
We're talking foreign branches weaponizing walkers. We're talking a new world order hellbent on being the only superpower, placing their needs before everyone else's.
But yet they will always claim to know best. They are a massive entity, having appeared throughout TWDU, most often associated with Jadis.
Yes, the same Jadis who once led a group of people living in a junkyard who could barely speak properly. Yes, the same Jadis whose real name was Anne, who had a short romantic relationship with Father Gabriel.
And yes, the one who also donned the worst haircut of all time. At this point, there is no guarantee that the CRM is destroyed, but they are at least disbanded.
Stream all seasons of The Walking Dead on Netflix.