13 Most Compelling Backstories In The Walking Dead

1. Daryl And Merle Dixon

Daryl and Merle are textbook examples of an anti-hero and a straight up antagonist. Merle played this role early on, then re-entered the story during the Woodbury arc. Younger brother Daryl, meanwhile (Norman Reedus), has become the star of the show. While there was no particular moment where he overtook the likes of Glenn and Rick, it may have very well been the Sophia story line, when Daryl put everything he had into the search for Carol's daughter Sophia, who, it turned out, had been dead all along. That at least helped push Daryl into the forefront of the show. What viewers would no doubt love to see more of is the per-apocalypse relationship between the two. Merle helped raise Daryl, after all, but it's clear that, like their real father, he was something of an absentee parent - and not a very good one when he was present. Then there's the pair's parents themselves: the alcoholic father, and mother, rife with her own problems, who died in a house fire. To continue his path to redemption, such as it is, Daryl is going to have to face his past eventually - so hopefully this is one back story that fans get to see before the show ends.