Seminal zombie apocalypse thriller The Walking Dead may have a truncated first season, but the show’s first six episodes certainly pack a punch. Even more importantly, they introduce many of the main characters whose journeys we follow across the subsequent 10 seasons of the series.
It’s fair to say that most of The Walking Dead’s best characters are introduced in season 1, which tracks the immediate aftermath of zombie “walkers” taking over the planet, from the perspective of people in the greater Atlanta area of the southeastern United States. The season’s plot unites disparate groups of survivors, to form a single nucleus of core characters.
Alongside the perilous danger posed by walkers longing for the taste of human flesh, the season explores interpersonal dynamics between those who are still living. The apocalyptic scenario into which survivors have been hurled causes fissures to appear in relationship, but also allows for new bonds to form.
Those who’ve seen the show before have to face some harsh realities when rewatching The Walking Dead season 1, too, particularly when it comes to the unfulfilled potential of certain characters the season introduces to us. For several of those featured in this list, the first season proves to be their series highlight. For others, though, it’s just the beginning.
Ed Peletier
A Violent & Abusive Husband
If he weren’t so inconsequential, Ed Peletier would be one of The Walking Dead’s most hated villains. An abusive husband who oppresses, controls, and beats his wife, Carol, Ed gets his just deserts before season 1 is over with. He has no redeeming features as a character, simply serving as the catalyst for Carol to unlock her dark side.
Miguel
The Loudmouth Kid Of The Vatos
It’s the appearance of Miguel in episode 4 that introduces us to The Walking Dead’s retirement community, run by the Vatos gang to which he belongs. An unruly teenager who seemingly endangers anyone he comes into contact with, he still has his charms, and provides some comic relief during Rick, Glenn, and Daryl’s return to Atlanta.
Morales
A Likable Member Of The Group
While he may have ended up becoming one of Negan’s vicious underlings, Morales is far from a villain when he first appears in The Walking Dead. Without being especially remarkable as a character, he’s just a fundamentally decent person who looks after his family and lends a hand defending the group from walkers when required.
Guillermo
He Listens To His Grandmother
The leader of the gang taking care of a retirement community in Atlanta during the fourth episode, Guillermo is one of the best Walking Dead characters with minimal screentime. The way he pivots from ruthless gangster to obeying his elderly grandmother in an instant is positively heart-melting, and could have begun one of the show’s most intriguing subplots.
Jacqui
A Quiet But Calming Presence
Jacqui’s decision to stay with Dr. Edwin Jenner at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) kills her off too soon into The Walking Dead, but we still catch glimpses of a bigger character waiting to be born. For instance, her observation that the women of the main group have been lumped with domestic chores cuts through perfectly.
Merle Dixon
The Walking Dead’s 1st Real Antagonist
Before The Walking Dead turns Merle’s relationship with his brother Daryl into something more complicated, he fits the bill as the show’s first genuine antagonist. A racist hothead who threatens the rest of the group in Atlanta before Rick stops him, Merle seems to have gotten what was coming to him, until it transpires that he’s escaped without his hand.
Jim
The Family Man Who Lost Everything
One of season 1’s most tragic figures, Jim is the member of the group most visibly afflicted with grief and post-traumatic stress disorder after watching his family be eaten by zombies. To make matters worse, he gets bitten himself just a few episodes in. Even if he doesn’t feature much in the show, he certainly deserves our empathy.
Daryl Dixon
Better Than His Brother But Not Fully Transformed
Season 1 of The Walking Dead casts Daryl Dixon as a potential villain of the piece, but we begin to witness his transformation into a more selfless and reasonable person by its conclusion. Daryl isn’t like his brother, Merle, as becomes increasingly obvious in later seasons. In the first six episodes, however, he’s still a relatively minor and antagonistic character.
Carol Peletier
A Long-Suffering Wife & Mother
Only in the moment when she bludgeons her dead husband’s skull repeatedly do we get a glimpse of Carol Peletier’s darker side in The Walking Dead during this first season. Otherwise, she’s the put-upon wife to a monstrous abuser, whose personality doesn’t yet flourish at this point of the series.
Carl Grimes
He Shows Strength Beyond His Years
Carl Grimes shows signs of being The Walking Dead’s strongest character even in these early episodes of the show. His standout moment of season 1 is when his mother asks whether he’s worried about his father, before admitting that she is. It’s Carl who ends up reassuring her, by reminding her of all Rick has managed to survive already.
