12 departed Walking Dead characters ranked by who we'll miss most
It’s a unique approach, but it works. AMC’s The Walking Dead has become one of the most popular shows on television by playing fast and loose with main characters—knocking off more than a dozen during its brief two-and-a-half-season run.
Most of the cast from the show’s first season is long gone, either by their own doing or from zombie attacks in the aftermath of the apocalypse. No one is safe, and that’s what makes it so compelling. Fan-favorite characters die on an almost weekly basis, and we can't get enough of it.
So which characters do we actually miss out of all those corpses along the way? We’ve put together a list of 12 long-gone Walking Dead cast members below, ranked from who we miss the least to the most.
Take a look and remember all the friends gone by before the show returns this Sunday.
And of course: Spoilers ahead!
View Images
Here is a list of Walking Dead characters ranked from who we miss the least to the most:
Ed (Adam Minarovich)
As much as some fans might hate Lori, Ed was just terrible. An abusive, sexist, truly awful guy. After the apocalypse, he thought that made him god over his family, and he obviously used the power in a very bad way. Most viewers cheered when Shane beat the crap out of him, and it doesn’t seem like anyone shed a tear when he became walker bait.
Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies)
She was at the center of the love triangle that kept the show hopping for two seasons, and most fans hated her for it. She was confused and conniving, and a character you really loved to hate. Though she went out on a great note sacrificing herself for the baby, most fans were happy to see all that tired drama die with her on the prison floor.
Jacqui (Jeryl Prescott)
Jacqui was sweet and a great character that hung around the fringes contributing to the group. But, her heart was never in it, and that showed when she chose to stay and go out with a bang at the CDC explosion.
Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince)
Though we didn’t get to know Otis that well, he seemed like a truly stand up guy. He volunteered to go on what proved to be a suicide mission (thanks to Shane) to help save Carl and would’ve been a valued member of the group had he made it.
Oscar (Vincent Ward)
Oscar had a lot of potential, and it was great to see him grow from an untrusted convict to a key member of the team during the first assault on Woodbury. But the writers decided to knock him off to up the stakes, and we’ll never know how things might have gone.
Jenner (Noah Emmerich)
This was the guy who had, well, at least some of the answers. He was a great character wrapped up in mystery, holding on to a few shreds of science in a world filled with zombies. He was one of the few men who knew the truth, but much like Jacqui, he couldn’t live with it. Too bad, because his scientific knowledge could’ve definitely come in handy down the line.
Jim (Andrew Rothenberg)
Jim was mostly a background character, but he was a great contributor to the group. He helped keep the cars running and was always quick to defend when walkers wandered into the camp. It was that urge to help that got him bitten during a zombie attack, and the gang had to eventually drop him off to let him turn on the way toward Atlanta in season one.
Sophia (Madison Lintz)
Oddly enough, Sophia’s greatest story arc happened entirely while she was off-screen. Rick & Co. spent the first half of season two searching for the missing girl, who had been a sweet little lady who was Carl’s only playmate in the group. Sadly she was turned shortly after her dissapearance early in season two, as the group found out when she stumbled out of Hershel’s zombie-filled barn.
Amy (Emma Bell)
Amy was the tether that kept Andrea grounded, but when the little sister bit the big one (well, was bitten by a dead one), Andrea went off the deep end. Amy was a great counterpoint to the new world order, showing a young woman trying her best to hold on to a life that doesn’t exist. She met a brutal end, much like the old world.
Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn)
The moral compass to the gang of Atlanta survivors, Dale kept everyone from going off the deep end. He could sense when someone was trouble and tried his best to keep the group together as much as possible. The loss of Dale truly ripped the “heart” out of the show (in a good way), setting up the dark war zone that is season three.
T-Dog (IronE Singleton)
Poor, poor T-Dog. He might not have had many lines all the time, but he was always there. Making runs, killing walkers and doing whatever was asked of him. He finally got some character development in season three, which found him stepping up more and more as a leader of the group. You know, right before he was killed by walkers helping the group escape. It was a sad end, but at least he died a hero. With a full scale war with Woodbury on the way, Rick could’ve definitely used his help.
Shane (Jon Bernthal)
Oh, Shane. No character has attracted so much love, and hate, throughout the show’s run than Shane. His relationship with Lori was always ripe with drama, and his selfish approach was always such a great counterpoint to Rick’s leadership. The two struggled for much of the show’s run over who would lead, and those stories were some of the most compelling. His certain brand of crazy is impossible to replace, but there was no way his story could’ve come to a fitting end without a bullet in his brain.
