The main series and the subsequent spinoffs have introduced vile individuals who have thrived since the outbreak. Many people’s true natures came to light when law and order became obsolete. The main series, Governor, portrayed by David Morrisey, has always been the most ruthless of all. The new spinoffs have introduced new big bads with more to come who could knock the Governor from his throne.
The Governor, the ruler of the town of Woodbury, was a tyrant who slaughtered outsiders with no remorse and wouldn’t give a second thought to killing his followers, man, woman, or child if they appeared to step outside his rules or ideas. He put on a good front of being a generous man whose main objective was to see the town and residents prosper. The dark side and true nature of the man was ruthless and vile, unworthy of redemption. He destroyed large groups to eliminate any threat while accepting individuals, which allowed him to keep control.
When he encounters Rick Grimes’ (Andrew Lincoln) group, he knows they are a force, so he becomes obsessed with destroying them. His obsession with seeking revenge against Michonne (Danai Gurira) became his downfall.
The undead were nothing compared to the threat of the Governor and his focused determination to destroy Rick and everyone within his group. He never balked at doing horrific things and was one person who never seemed to be redeemable or even cared to try to become so.
Many villains were formidable, and below are some of the best, along with the ones who could knock the Governor off his throne as the most ruthless in TWDU.
The Walking Dead – Negan
Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was the most charismatic villain, and while he was responsible for many horrific acts, he proved himself redeemable by bettering himself and changing his ways. He is still considered one of the top villains, as his former acts destroyed many lives.
Negan’s story continued in TWD Dead City spinoff, where he attempted to do right by Maggie but, in the end, became a captive of the Dama (see below).
The Walking Dead – Alpha
Samantha Morton did an outstanding job bringing the comic character Alpha to life. Leader of the Whisperers, a group who wore skin masks of the undead, Alpha was a cold-hearted woman who didn’t hesitate to kill anyone and treated her own daughter, Lydia (Cassady McClincy), in a highly unmotherly way. At her root, she was a manipulative person, and during Tales of the Walking Dead, more was revealed about her past, adding to the horrible acts she committed since the outbreak.
The Walking Dead: Dead City – The Dama
The Dama, portrayed by Lisa Emery, was a villain introduced in the first season of Dead City. She didn’t enter the story until the end of the season, but this woman appears to have The Croat (Željko Ivanek), who at first appeared to be quite a villain, under her control. She then sets her sights on Negan as a possible second in command. She even took a toe from Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) son Hershel (Logan Kim) to remind him and others what she is capable of.
Dead City has been renewed for a second season, so it will be exciting to learn more about her.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live and World Beyond – Major General Beale
The limited spinoff TWD: World Beyond introduced Major General Beale, a high power within the CRM (Civid Republic Military). Although never seen, he was a force to be reckoned with who ordered the bombing of communities, which resulted in the destruction of over 100,000 people. In the upcoming The Ones Who Live, he will be featured and played by Terry O’Quinn and will likely become the villain of this series.
The Dama and Beale are ruthless enough to come toe-to-toe with the Governor and have the potential to become some of the universe’s evilest villains.
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