8 TV Villains Who Redeemed Themselves

8. Merle Dixon - The Walking Dead

Merle’s presence is still missed on The Walking Dead, because while he might not have been a good guy, he at least had a wicked sense of humour. He’s introduced in season one being a sexist, racist jerk, but soon disappears after he chops his own hand off to escape some zombies.

He reappears as a henchman for The Governor in season three, and is more than willing to commit violence on his behalf. Only when he realises his brother Daryl is on Rick’s side does he take stock, and is reluctantly forced to play nice. This lifestyle doesn’t quite suit him, and since he feels he doesn’t deserve to live among civilised people, he instead tries to kill The Governor to save them.

His one-man suicide mission doesn’t succeed sadly, but he gets close, and this action is enough to earn him some redemption for his past deeds.