5 Ways To Make The Walking Dead Spin-Off Series Work

2. Add Dimension To The Villains

A guy who kills a group of people because he enjoys killing a group of people is just evil. He's a bad guy who needs to be taken out. A character like this demands to be the focal point of the protagonist's attentions. Heath Ledger's take on the Joker in The Dark Knight is a great example of this. The dude is bad and he's got to go...period. When the backdrop of your story is a world plagued by walking, mindless (and motivated) cannibals, a villain shouldn't detract from that over-arching threat. The ideal villain in this scenario would be someone whose moral compass is so unwavering, that they would willingly sacrifice a child or two for the survival of a larger group. If you let a kid die on purpose, you're a villain. If you let a kid die on purpose because you are suffering emotional traumas of your own and you cope with it by remaining unflinchingly steadfast in your mission to keep humanity alive...you're a complex and more empathetic villain. The Governor has all of the makings to be this kind of baddie, but comes up short because of his clear enjoyment for simply wiping out the perceived competition.