8 Times The Walking Dead Proved Humans Are Way Scarier Than Zombies

The Walking Dead famously takes place during the zombie apocalypse, which would lead one to believe that zombies (or, Walkers, as they’re called in The Walking Dead) are the main problem facing humanity. While that might have originally been the case during the initial outbreak, zombies quickly became something more akin to a constant nuisance than a pressing threat. Sure, zombies killed people throughout the entire book, and are a major threat till the very last issue. But, when considering some of the human antagonists in The Walking Dead, the walking dead themselves pale in comparison.

Again, the zombies are a major threat to the likes of Rick Grimes and his gang of survivors, but in each passing Walking Dead story arc, The Walking Dead makes it abundantly clear that other people are the real threat in a zombie apocalypse scenario, not the zombies themselves. Zombies can’t organize, plot, or blend. They are little more than vicious animals who will kill anything they come across. Anyone who goes up against a zombie knows exactly what they’re in for, and they know exactly how to kill them. With people, things become a bit more complicated, and some truly awful people will use that to their advantage.

Bad people can blend in with good people, lurking and plotting in the shadows until the perfect time to strike. They can also organize others to join their sick causes, giving life to an entire gang of cruel and vicious killers. Truly, there’s no shortage of horrible people in The Walking Dead, but some are certainly worse than others. Here’s 8 times The Walking Dead proved humans are way scarier than zombies.

8Shane

First Appearance: The Walking Dead #1 by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore

Shane is the first antagonist of The Walking Dead (besides the Walkers, of course), which is especially egregious given that he was Rick Grimes' best friend before the zombie apocalypse. Not only that, Shane was Rick's partner at the police department, meaning Rick's life was literally in Shane's hands every single day on the job - and vice versa. However, once the outbreak happened and Rick was presumed dead (as he had been shot by a suspect some time before, and was still in a coma during the outbreak), Shane became a heartless villain.

Shane started a relationship with Rick's wife, Lori, and became a surrogate father to Rick's son, Carl - and he didn't want to give that up when Rick returned. So, Shane walked Rick out into the woods alone and planned to kill him, thus securing Rick's family for himself, which is an utterly despicable act, especially from someone who's supposed to be a friend.

7Hershel Greene

First Appearance (as an adult): The Walking Dead #193 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

In direct contrast to Shane, Hershel Greene is the last antagonist of The Walking Dead, and he's honestly not really that bad. So, why is he on this list at all? Well, just because he isn't outwardly evil doesn't mean he's any less of a threat to the series' protagonists - and even humanity as a whole. Hershel was able to grow up in an era of peace in the world, when humanity was rebuilding and there were fewer and fewer Walkers every day. However, there were still some zombies wandering around, and Hershel thought it would be a good idea to capitalize on that.

Hershel ran a traveling show where he put zombies on display for people who had the luxury of never seeing one in-person before could gawk at the undead for the right price. Hershel's carelessness and greed could have plunged the world back into a zombie apocalypse, but he didn't care, so long as he was making money.

6Negan

First Appearance: The Walking Dead #100 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

Negan is perhaps the most iconic villain in The Walking Dead, as he's the one who not only beat fan-favorite character, Glenn, to death with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire (named Lucille), but he's also devilishly charming in the worst possible way. Negan speaks to the worst parts of human nature, from his hateful language to his gleeful violence. In other words, Negan is the guy one hopes never to come across in an end-of-the-world scenario.

When Rick and his crew get captured by Negan and his gang of Saviors, they are brought to their knees and forced to watch as Negan picks someone at random and beats them to death right in front of them - practically singing as he did so. Truth be told, running into a couple of zombies would have been preferable to meeting Negan.

5The Governor

First Appearance: The Walking Dead #27 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

The Governor is probably the first truly twisted villain Rick and the gang come across in The Walking Dead, especially since he initially comes off as an intelligent, caring, and overall benevolent leader. However, nothing could be further from the truth, as the Governor was actually a delusional sadist who kept his zombified niece chained up in his quarters, and he fed her the dismembered body parts of those who displeased him. Not only that, but the Governor was ruthless, and even tracked Rick and the gang to their new home in the prison after they left his community.

Honestly, the Governor might have been the one to finish off Rick and the gang once and for all had it not been for one of his own people turning against him after he ordered them to shoot and kill a woman running with her infant child (Lori and Judith) - that's how dangerous the Governor was.

4Thomas Richards

First Appearance: The Walking Dead #13 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

While the Governor might have been twisted because he fed his zombified niece the dismembered body parts of his enemies, even he's got nothing on Thomas Richards, who is easily one of the most despicable Walking Dead villains in the series. Richards was an inmate at the prison where Rick and the gang took up residence, and he pretended like he was incarcerated for a blue-collar crime. But the truth was that Thomas was a convicted child-murderer, and he proved as much by murdering Maggie's little sisters, Susie and Rachel.

Thomas Richards blended in with the others in the crowd, helping build the prison community, and even seeming like a valuable new member of the gang. However, it was all a facade, as Thomas was secretly just waiting for his chance to kill someone again. At least with zombies people know that they're dangerous just by looking at them, but that was not the case with Thomas, making him even worse than The Walking Dead's Walkers.

3The Hunters

First Appearance: The Walking Dead #61 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

The Hunters are another gang of survivors in The Walking Dead, similar to the Saviors or Scavengers. However, where the Hunters stand out is their affinity for consuming human flesh. Yep, these Walking Dead humans are cannibals, which literally makes the Hunters just as bad as the zombies themselves. Except, the very fact that they're human inherently makes them worse than the zombies, since zombies are undead monsters acting on pure instinct and primal urges with no forethought whatsoever.

The Hunters set traps for people, and have built a small community around cannibalism. In other words, the Hunters know exactly what they're doing by consuming human flesh - and not just as a last resort, either. The Hunters represent a subset of humans who have become the very thing they are fighting against, succumbing to the horrors of their environment, with absolutely no place in a rebuilt society.

2Beta

First Appearance: The Walking Dead #154 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

Beta might just be one of the many members of the particularly repulsive gang called the Whisperers, but he quickly proves himself to be the worst of the bunch. The Whisperers are inherently barbaric, as they have no issue committing atrocious acts against each other (especially against women) to satisfy their own urges. Not only that, but the Whisperers wear the skin of Walkers to blend in with the undead, which is fitting, as their actions as humans have adequately established them as vile monsters. And Beta, who was the second in command, proved to be the most violent and deadly member of the group after he claimed the position as leader.

What's even more fascinating about Beta is that he was a celebrity before the zombie apocalypse. In a way, Beta represents the dramatic fall of human society in the face of a zombie apocalypse, as he was the pinnacle of most people's fantasies in terms of an ideal life, yet he fell further into the proverbial gutter than arguably any other villain in The Walking Dead.

1Sebastian Milton

First Appearance: The Walking Dead #177 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

Sebastian Milton is arguably the most hated 'villain' of the entire Walking Dead series, as he's the man who killed Rick Grimes in cold blood. Sebastian was the son of the leader of the Commonwealth, and when Rick upset the structure of power in that community, Sebastian absolutely lost it. His mother was effectively the dictator, and she was verging on becoming just as evil and corrupt as any other community leader Rick and the gang had tangled with in the past. So, before it got to that point, Rick found a way to get through to the people living in the community, and found a way to achieve lasting peace free of dictatorial rule - and Sebastian didn't like that one bit.

Sebastian killing Rick was akin to a bratty child throwing a tantrum, which makes Rick's death all the more tragic, as it was totally unnecessary and completely preventable. However, The Walking Dead's Sebastian represents how short-sighted and selfish people can be in the face of change, even if that change is ultimately for the better, and the fallout was deadly - which is something that is far more terrifying than zombies.