The Walking Dead practically had a character for everyone, but due to the nature of the show, we also knew that meant not everyone was going to be happy. Some characters were unfairly killed off, others overstayed their welcome a multitude of times, and some barely had enough screen time. We pored through all 11 seasons, choosing seven characters we believe deserved better arcs.
We are excluding all of the spinoffs, including Fear the Walking Dead, focusing on the flagship show that started it all. Who do you think made our list?
Rosita
We begin our list with Rosita, who arrived in season 4 alongside Abraham and Eugene. Upon first impression, Rosita is stoic, firm, and resilient, and more capable than most.
However, her lack of character arc had always frustrated us. With a cast as large as The Walking Dead, some characters will phase in and out.
For Rosita, her character arc can be summed up by how many men she dated/hooked up with before settling with Father Gabriel (Abraham, Spencer, Siddiq). We are not neglecting her strength, far from it; we loved that she was a true hero, but her character arc only finally took off towards the end of the show once she was tied down to Father Gabriel and became a mother to Coco (her child with Siddiq).
The biggest punch to the face was choosing her to be one of the very few characters who do not survive the end of the series. Seriously?
Lori
Lori's unending barrage of hate is exactly why she deserved a better character arc. While we can argue that her marriage with Rick was already rocky right before the apocalypse began, and that Shane already had an eye on her, it's hard to see her positives because of the negatives.
Lori and Shane hooked up in secret after believing Rick was dead. It was a fast rebound, but once Rick returned, Lori went back to her husband, whereas Shane struggled to let her go.
But, Lori and Rick's marriage collapsed again when Rick confessed that he had killed Shane at Hershel's farm. Lori's reaction is rather troubling, considering Rick detailed how Shane was going to kill him.
This destruction follows them through until Lori's death, which leaves Rick mentally distressed for several episodes. Not to mention Carl is forever changed, having aided Maggie in delivering Judith (Shane's daughter) and killing his mother before she turned.
It's tragic, heartbreaking, and rather unfair. But TWD doesn't make light of how dark and depressing things can be during the apocalypse.
Benjamin
The good old bait and switch occurred when TWD decided to prop up and then destroy Benjamin. Lasting only four episodes in season 7, Benjamin had all the prowess, strength, and loyalty one could ask for in a protector during an apocalypse.
Yet the show threw him away, replacing him with his younger brother Henry, who was unfortunately only remembered for his crush on Enid, his brief romance with Lydia, and whose tragic death ended Carol and Ezekiel's marriage (Carol's idea, not Ezekiel's).
Benjamin deserved a far better arc, one that held so much promise for himself and Morgan, who had been training him as well.
Andrea
If there is anyone hated as much as Lori, it's Andrea, and like many of the characters on this list, as soon as her character arc really takes off, it's cut short. Andrea managed to survive and find herself amongst Rick's group, but quickly became a key name on everyone's disliked character list.
Her choice to choose a new life at Woodbury over her friendship with Michonne may have been unwise, as was her lack of intuition when it came to The Governor overall, but Andrea was a fighter for her people, both Rick's and The Governor's. She became resourceful and would rather resolve issues without violence.
Her terrible taste in men (Shane and The Governor) aside, Andrea's fate was sealed in season 3, leaving so much potential wasted, even though she redeemed herself several times over. We'd be lying if it didn't feel like the show didn't know what to do with her beyond season 3.
Leah
If Daryl is not paired with Carol romantically, some audiences automatically hate the character, which means Leah's character arc was doomed from the start. What we found so disappointing about Leah wasn't the first half of her arc but the second.
For some time, it felt as though the only person who could truly understand Daryl would be someone who acted just like him, or at least how he used to be. Untrusting, brash, a lone wolf who could go toe to toe with Daryl and help him become a better man for it.
Leah accomplished that, as Daryl's first official romantic relationship, until miscommunication and doubts ruined it all. And when they finally reunite, the show makes Leah a bad guy, one of Pope's Reapers, who had followed Maggie and the remains of her community back to Alexandria.
Why? Seriously, why did the show do this?
Not that Leah needed to be Daryl's girlfriend in order to stay on the show. She had a lot of value and promise, which was thrown away for one of the worst villain/villain groups of the entire TWD franchise.
Harlan Carson
Harlan's death as a side character was easily one of the worst in the show, for how pointless it was. As Hilltop's medical physician, we all knew it was a matter of time before he died.
In a world where anyone with any medical background is valued, the show sure loved killing them off. Why we think Harlan deserves a spot on our list is because of how likable he became.
His kind and compassionate demeanor, accompanied by his knowledge, was a godsend, as everyone would want those very characteristics of their medical professionals even today. He was a fantastic season 8 addition, aiding Maggie with her pregnancy before Negan came along and swept him up.
He even dies a hero, shot and killed by Saviors while Father Gabriel could only helplessly watch. And like Benjamin, Harlan is replaced by his brother, another medic with no staying power whatsoever.
Beth
Perhaps an underdog in the making, Beth Greene, the little sister of Maggie, was a character who phased in and out since her first appearance in season 2. It was her time spent with Daryl after the collapse of the prison, which separated the core group thanks to The Governor's return, that really got Beth's arc going.
Starting as a caretaker, mostly spending her time with baby Judith (which is no easy job but very rewarding), Beth soon became a fighter, proving her strength to herself and Daryl. This became more evident during her imprisonment at the Grady Memorial Hospital, where her medical experience really began to take hold.
She became braver, smarter, and more cutthroat, completely underestimating everyone around her.
But for reasons that we cannot comprehend to this very day, the show killed her off too, delivering the worst blow to Daryl in years.
His entire mission was to rescue her, and when he failed to do so, it ruined him. For Beth to be the throwaway, shocking death bullet point of season 5 was pointless, reckless, and asinine.
Especially when witnessing how beneficial she would have become at Alexandria.
Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix.