Summary
Surviving inThe Walking Deadtakes more than just luck; it requires a great deal of bravery, resilience, and a willingness to fight for others. However, not every character lived up to that standard. Some chose cowardice over courage, abandoning their allies, making selfish decisions, and putting others in danger just to save themselves.
Throughout the series, cowardice has been depicted in various forms. Some characters hid behind their allies while avoiding danger at all costs, while others betrayed their own people multiple times to ensure their own survival. Out of them all, these are thebiggest cowards inThe Walking Dead.
8Gabriel Stokes (Formerly)
The Man Who Abandoned His Congregation
Before his growth and character development, Gabriel was one of thebiggest cowards inThe Walking Dead. It was revealed that he locked his congregation out of his church, condemning them to horrific deaths while he remained safely inside. His cowardice didn’t stop there, however, as he also abandoned Michonne, Carl, and Judith, only to return when he encountered a large group of walkers.
Desperate to conceal his cowardice and past sins, Gabriel attempted to turn the people of Alexandria against Rick and his group, the only ones who knew the full extent of his betrayal. However, over time, he became one of the group’s most courageous and loyal members. Despite this redemption, his past actions cannot be overlooked.
7Eugene Porter (Formerly)
The One Who Lied
Similar to Gabriel,Eugene was a massive coward before his character development. Using his intelligence to manipulate others, he falsely claimed to be a scientist working on a cure, deceiving Abraham and Rosita into protecting him. His lies put others in danger and led to the confirmed deaths of eight survivors who died trying to get him to Washington.
He remained a coward for quite some time but slowly began finding his place in the apocalyptic world. His saving grace was that, once exposed, he never pretended to be brave, openly admitting his cowardice on multiple occasions. Ultimately, he did find his courage and caused Negan’s defeat.
6Spencer Monroe
A Man With No Guts
Initially,Spencer appeared to be a brave survivorand a key member of Alexandria. However, when the community was surrounded by walkers, his true colors emerged. Despite not showing fear of the undead, he selfishly hoarded supplies for himself while hypocritically urging others to be mindful of everyone’s needs.
Throughout his time on the show, Spencer frequently challenged Rick and the others' decisions without ever contributing in a meaningful way. After Negan arrived in Alexandria, Spencer immediately began sucking up to him, hoping to win his favor and have Rick killed so he could take over as leader. His cowardly scheming ultimately backfired, but at least he showed some guts in the end.
5Jared
The Cowardly Savior
The only way to describe Jared is as a cowardly bully. Throughout his time on the show, he targeted weaker characters and only did so when surrounded by his fellow Saviors. After he shot and killed Benjamin, ten-year-old Henry confronted him, and Jared pathetically hid behind his allies, unwilling to face any real consequences.
Unlike some of his fellow Saviors, Jared had no regard for human life and relished any chance to kill. This made his eventual death even more cowardly, as he begged and pleaded with Morgan for mercy just moments after mocking Benjamin’s demise.
4Pete Anderson
The Cowardly Surgeon
From the moment Rick and his group arrived in Alexandria, both he and Carol sensed something was wrong with the Anderson family. It was soon revealed that Pete was abusing his wife, Jessie, and their two sons. Not only was this a cowardly act in itself, but Pete used his position as Alexandria’s only surgeon to escape the consequences.
Hiding behind his status and privilege, Pete refused to take responsibility for his actions. Like most cowards, he lashed out when confronted, ultimately attempting to kill Rick. In the end, however, his inability to own up to his actions led to the needless death of Reg before Rick finished him off.
3Sebastian Milton
The Commonwealth’s Hated Son
As the son of Commonwealth leader Pamela Milton and grandson of former President William Milton, Sebastian constantly hid behind his family name in order to escape consequences. Perhaps his most cowardly act was sending Commonwealth citizens into a walker-infested house just to retrieve money for him, showing his complete disregard for human life while refusing to face any danger himself.
Throughout his time on the show, whenever he was called out for anything, Sebastian hid behind his mother, both metaphorically and, at times, even physically. When Eugene exposed him to the people of the Commonwealth, Sebastian chose to attack Maxxine instead of Eugene, knowing that Eugene would easily defeat him. Even in his final moments, he pleaded for help from the very same people he would have easily sent to their deaths.
2Nicholas
Alexandria’s Biggest Coward
Nicholas might have been the most selfish character inThe Walking Dead. From the moment he was introduced, Glenn and the others could see his cowardice. It was revealed that Nicholas and Aiden got their previous group killed by abandoning them in fear, which is exactly what Nicholas then did to Noah and Aiden, a decision that led to their brutal death.
Even after Noah and Aiden’s deaths, Nicholas was too much of a coward to own up to his actions, instead blaming Glenn and attempting to kill him to cover up his mistakes. Though he later tried to redeem himself, when he and Glenn were surrounded by walkers, Nicholas took the easy way out, shooting himself in the head andnearly getting Glenn killed in the process.
1Gregory
Gregory is arrguably thebiggest coward inThe Walking Dead. From his introduction, both the viewer and the show’s characters could see what kind of man he was, especially once the Saviors were revealed. Throughout the Savior War, Gregory constantly switched sides depending on who he thought would win, making him one of the most shameless cowards in the series.
When Maggie and Sasha sought refuge at Hilltop, Gregory immediately tried to sell them out to the Saviors in order to save himself. During the height of the war, he aligned with Negan and even stole Gabriel’s car in a panic, leading to Gabriel’s capture. After the war, Gregory attempted to assassinate Maggie to reclaim his leadership, and in true cowardly fashion, he manipulated someone else to carry out the act instead of doing it himself.
