10 Horror TV Shows Where The Hero Became The Villain
3. The Walking Dead - Rick Grimes
Until the "departure" of Andrew Lincoln in 2018, Rick Grimes remained the focal character of AMC's seemingly endless zombie drama. The series began with Rick as an idealistic and moral man, a heroic individual solely concerned with the protection of his loved ones - until the entire world went to hell as a zombie apocalypse broke out in spectacularly chaotic fashion.
Rick may begun the show as a hero, but the question of whether he left as a villain is more than valid, considering the former sheriff's storyline is as dark as Satan's armpit. Rick consistently exhibits merciless - hell, practically psychopathic - behavior across his series arc. His sadistic dispatching of Terminus' cannibals in Season 5 was arguably the darkest incident to date before sh*t completely hit the fan as the show progressed.
With the loss of family members and friends taking a brutal toll on Andrew Lincoln's grim faced protagonist, The Walking Dead's frontman began an uncontrolled spiral into darkness. Seizing control of Alexandria like a power-mad dictator - Rick-tator? - the former sheriff proceeded to embark upon an unhinged campaign of vengeance against the Saviors as soon as the opportunity presented itself; retribution for Glenn and Abraham's harrowing deaths at the hands of Negan and Lucille.
While glimpses of the hero audiences recognized from Season 1 can still be caught on occasion before his departure, Mr Grimes numbers amongst horror television's most morally ambiguous faces.