Who’s the best villain of the series? Tens of thousands of votes by fans like you have finally decided of all time (so far), and that villain is…
Shane!
Shane crushed The Governor in the final round in an 88%-12% landslide. As shocking as his victory over tradition villains like The Governor and Negan seems, Shane WAS the original Walking Dead antagonist. As Emma12 pointed out in our Final Round discussion, “Shane is loved so much as a villain because he wasn’t the same as people like Negan and The Governor. They were so obviously a typical villain from the beginning (but) Shane had closer personal connections to Rick, his family and the group.”
Good call, Emma. Shane didn’t fit the traditional villain mold but he DID become dangerous inside the group when he decided Lori and Carl belonged to him and did anything to protect that. But does protecting people you love classify you as a villain? “I think that one of the really cool things about the show was that there were not going to be good guys and bad guys, no ‘heroes and villains,’ Shane actor Jon Bernthal told Starcasm a few years ago. “We were really trying to make this as authentic and real a piece as we could. And I think what’s so important for that is to have characters that are always trying to do what they think is right all the time.”
Although Bernthal didn’t view Shane as a classic villain, the character still spun out of control and became too dangerous for the group. The Walking Dead routinely features characters where the line between good and evil is blurred…which is why we added Rick into the original bracket because some could argue he’s also a villain. Check out our entire villain bracket from each round below and tell us what YOU think about Shane winning.
Rick is not a villain which is why he received the fewest votes! TWD may think it’s cool to try to blur the lines between good and bad but, most people who watch view Rick as good. If you change that you change the reason why many people watch!
The diffrence between Rick and Shane (and other villans) is, he doesn’t sacrifice the innocent for the greater good, they are the greater good. He kills when he needs to, and that’s why he isn’t a villan.
I agree to a point. I don’t believe we should ‘gloss’ over times when Rick has actually murdered someone (Lamson, Premo, hell even Pete!) It is a disserve to the man we know Rick actually is (still that ‘Protect N Serve’ cop). He has made both moral and tactical mistakes but he is still not for killing just to be killing… some things still horrify him, he is not INDIFFERENT to suffering and can be brought back to his roots… PROTECT N SERVE!
Bro I knew Shane was going to win this. But honestly the governor should’ve for this reason why. In the comics: the governor had one up on Rick and know how this world works. But he was also sadistic. Bent on rape torture and intimidation. He’s the soul reason I hate the Glenn of the comics cause he made him seem like such a bitch. Raped Michonne and REMOVED RICK’S HAD. It’s people like him this world should’ve been worried about. If he would’ve got to the power status Negan did things would’ve been bad. I’m the show: Governor although not as sadistic still gruesome and hell-bent. Fell off lost a community and regained a whole Ithaca group and a tank. Took over without anybody knowing. He was a bad MF. Shane story arc is good for the series show and comics wise but it’s predictable. Average for life. Like of course that would happen if a zombie outbreak happens and you wind up being with somebody who was close to a Close one. Show and comic you seem that COMING. Yet the governor is who originally showed us that this world they’re in now is not safe. BUT EITHER WAY IT GOES I’M LOVING THE SHOW AND THE COMIC RIGHT NOW. R.I.P TO ANDREA!!!!! Omg. R.i.P. My bae Sasha. SashaSlayer. Omg 168 come. Season 8 come. Man Kirkman give me a job. Anything for walking dead I’ll do it. Can’t fix my skybound account email but I’m reached at javeondeondre@yahoo.com even if not keep up the great work. I’ll remain a super fan