Who would you be in a zombie apocalypse? Throughout a show like The Walking Dead, we see some incredible characters go bad, become good, and become stronger. The AMC show aired its first episode in 2010 and will air its final episode this month. After an incredible 11 seasons, The Walking Dead has finally come to an end, and there are a plethora of characters that have made their marks in our minds. Now, we all love protagonists like Rick, Daryl, and Michonne. However, there is no show quite like this one without some good villains.

The best villains in shows and movies are the ones that are more than just a bad guy or a road bump. The villains in The Walking Dead are the kind of villains that we love to hate. Villains like the Governor and Dawn are completely unhinged and were a threat from the very beginning. Then, there are also villains like Shane and the ever-so complicated Negan, whose characters shift into people fans barely recognize, in good ways and bad. Looking back on the last 12 years of this show, we have rounded up and ranked the best villains in The Walking Dead.

9 Jadis

Jadis is not the most threatening character on the outside. However, at this point in The Walking Dead, just the whisper of harm toward Rick had us all on the edge of our seats. Jadis is played by Pollyanna McIntosh, and this character, much like every character this show grants screen time to, has a lot of depth to her. Other than the fact that she had a loyal bunch on her back, she did not hesitate to play mind games with Rick, something not a lot of these villains have successfully done.

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8 Dawn

Dawn, although a more contained villain, was unhinged from the minute she hit the screen. Sometimes, the most dangerous people in this world are the ones who live in delusions, and boy, Dawn knew exactly how to do that. Played by Christine Woods, she is introduced in The Walking Dead when a group from the hospital takes Beth back with them to Atlanta. During an exchange of people (two of her officers for Carol and Beth), Dawn ends up shooting Beth, killing her in front of the group. Now, karma is instant with Dawn, but for the emotional distress she caused with Beth's death, she is on this list.

7 The Wolves

It is easy to get desensitized to blood and guts of killing walkers. Audiences sometimes forget that this is in fact a horror show and when the mystery of The Wolves came up, it was definitely scary. In the world that The Walking Dead created, coming across new groups, ones like The Wolves, is terrifying. The threat is heightened, and the knowledge of death on the horizon creeps up on you. The Wolves are one of the prime examples of a group that has no humanity left. They are ruthless, barbaric, violent, and a force to be reckoned with.

6 Gareth / Terminus

The people of Terminus were horrific for one reason only: they hid behind a smokescreen. Terminus was presented to our group as a sign of hope when they were run out of the prison. However, when they showed up, Terminus was actually full of cannibals. Yes, it is not just the dead that have a taste for human flesh. Apparently, so do Gareth and the people of Terminus. Terminus was never a sanctuary and seeing some of our most beloved characters like Glenn, Rick, and Daryl about to get their throats slit, we were all counting on the downfall of the place.

5 Shane

Sometimes the worst (and best) villains are the ones that are one of us. Shane's villain arc is one of the most interesting things to watch in The Walking Dead. Shane (Jon Bernthal) was Rick's right-hand man, his best friend, his brother. However, whether it be their differences in decision-making or losing Lori and Carl to Rick, he slowly becomes angry, violent, and a threat to the entire group. Shane's fall came slowly because of what he offered as an ally to the group. However, his end was clearly inevitable, and, of course, Rick had to be the one to do it.

Related: The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira is Co-Writing the Rick & Michonne Spinoff

4 Merle

Oh, Merle. Talk about a menace from the minute his existence was made known. Merle, played by Michael Rooker, is the one and only Daryl Dixon's older brother, and an absolute pain to deal with. Along with being unapologetically racist, vulgar, and rude, Merle is the kind of guy to turn on anyone and anything in the blink of an eye. We do have to commend his character for being loyal to his brother to the bitter end. However, his actions on that rooftop, with the Governor, and at the prison make him a villain that really creeps up on you.

3 The Governor

The Governor gives of serial killer vibes. This guy put on a pretty face for his community, but behind closed doors, he was deranged. The Governor killed people without a second thought. He keeps walker heads in his office, his dead daughter locked up chained in a cell, and what was probably his worst crime of all: he killed Hershel. The Governor's reign as the main villain lasted for a while, but the second wave, the real war against the prison, split up our group and lost them their home. Now, The Governor's background is extremely complex. However, the source of his actions was inexcusably unhinged.

2 Alpha, Beta & The Whisperers

Alpha (Samantha Morton) and Beta (Ryan Hurst) were really something else in The Walking Dead. Alpha and Beta were the main leaders of a group called The Whisperers. This group lives outside of any walls or an established community, disguised as some of the dead. This kind of show throws unpredictable and shocking deaths in our faces. However, we rarely see a case of mass murder for some main characters happen all at once. Members of the communities had their heads mounted on stakes as a delay warning for them to not mess with the Whisperers. Let's just say, the message was loud, and our tears fell.

1 Negan

Negan is the most formidable villain that our group ever faced. Whenever a new threat arose, we as the audience never saw our group lose complete control. We never saw Rick give up the way he did when Negan had them cornered. Negan was a villain full of charisma and charm. He wore a threatening smile on his face, spoke rationally, and had complete control over his people. He took down the group, Rick, and Daryl with ease. Also, at the end of season 6, fans of The Walking Dead were given the biggest cliffhanger in the series' history. This cliffhanger ultimately ended up with the death of Glenn and Abraham by a bat full of nails and some crazy swings from Negan. After this, Negan has a character shift, and he becomes even more complex as he makes his way as part of the group.