Telltale’s The Walking Dead video game is the very best realization of the franchise. The Walking Dead property spans comics, TV, and even novels, but we have🌠 never been more impacted by the world than in Telltale’s rendition.
When Telltale’s The Walking Dead first hit the scene, it changed the way we look at episodic games. Industry titans had been trying to make episodic gaming work in the video game industry for years. The most notorious example of ‘failed’ episodic gaming is, of course, Half-Life 2: Episode 1 and Episode 2. Two games whose plot has been left hanging for a decade. We are still laughing about the elusive “Half-Life 3.” Thanks to The Walking Dead’s impeccable narrative and characters, Telltale final struck a cord that had audiences checki💟ng in with every episode. It is no surprise how many independent and self-funded studios have taken to the 🔥format.
At the heart of Telltale’s The Walking Dead are its marvelous characters. We challenge anyone with a heart to play through the series without finding a character that pulls them into the universe. Of course, the series’ phenomenal characters don’t preclude the games having a few 🌃duds too. We’re going to be looking at the absolute coolest characters in the series, as well as a handful of stinkers who managed to detract from the otherwise astounding video game narrative.
15 Coolest: Lee Everett
Lee is more than a surrogate for the player; he is a fascinat🐓ing character in his own rig♌ht.
Each and every decision Lee —and you, the gamer— make is a funnel of morality. Lee is one of the most layered characters in modern gaming, balancing player choice with crucial narrative development. He is undoubtedly one of the coolest characters in the series. When there is a leadership decision to be made, Lee steps up to the challenge; making decisions for the group, and balancing it with being a father figure for a young girl. For Lee, Clementine is the last basಞtion of hope in the world, a person unbridled by pessimism and despair. What’s more, Lee has demons of his own to contend with by himself. Dave Fennoy portrays the character flawlessly.
14 Lamest: Ben Paul
It doesn’t matter how much lenience or forgivenesౠs you give them: some people are just✨ always going to disappoint you.
Ben Paul is a shining example of why you can’t trust everyone in a life or death situation. He’s not a bad person, but he is an absolute coward. Ben grabs every chance to save his skin or give himself a leg-up. He is an annoying, scared kid. During the apocalypse, bravery🌌 is an important virtue — Ben has none whatsoever. Ben joins the cast of characters dur🌟ing episode 2 of the first season of the series and proves himself a burden every step of the way. It takes real fortitude not to leave Ben for dead at a moment’s notice, thanks in large part to a strong performance by Trevor Hoffmann.
13 Coolest: William Carver
Everything about Carver is terrifying. He’s the best kind ꧙of♐ villain.
The most unsettling thing about William Carver is that he has a code of honor — and it is as twisted as a moral code can be. Carver believes in survival of the fittest, making him a ruthless and decisive leader. Moreover, his charisma lets him manipulate his flock into obeying his command. He rules over his group of survivors like a twisted version of Lots-o' Huggin Bear from Toy Story 3.
Carver makes his startling introduction in the Season 2 episode A House Divided, where he invades Clem’s home using his physicality to control the🐽 situation. Undoubtedly, Carver is the best antagonist in the series, with an interesting arc and an incredible performance by Michael Madsen.
12 Lamest: Lilly
Lilly is the shit that hits the fan.
Lee and the gang spend day after day wondering if food, gas, or electricity are going to give out — and then there are wild cards like Lilly who end up being the issue. Like in real life, having to play peacekeeper between two people is a chore in any social situation. Lilly is that aggravation incarnate. She is testy, aggressive, and often unreasonable — it is torture to deal with her. Not to mention her racist father who’s always bellyaching about something or other (who remains an angel in her eyes). As strong as her portray by Nicki Rapp is, we would be thrilled if we never heard from Lilly again. S꧃he has caused enough grief for a lifetime.
11 Coolest: Charles
The entire Walking Dead saga —franchise, even🧸— can be distilled down to Charles the vagabond.
Also known as “Chuck,” this homeless man played by Roger Jackson, has a symbolic role in Telltale’s The Walking Dead canon. In society, we ignore the homeless, but when the apocalypse reigns and humanity is on the brink of extinction, 🍬it’s easy to see that every life matters. Chuck is a good person, a selfless person, and as kind a human as the best of the remains of humanity. Charles is a very mysterious character, but there is no ꩵdenying his intentions are pure and that his role in the first season of the series is one of the coolest in the game. Of all the game’s minor characters, Chuck is the one whose backstory interests us the most.
10 Lamest: Duck
“I’m gonna drive the tractor!”
Duck is one dense kid.
If there were a High School yearbook award for “Most Likely to Die in a Zombie Apocalypse” it would have to go to Kenny Jr. (also known as Duck). Especially when you compare Duck, who is ten-years-old, to the then eight-year-old Clementine, the difference is striking. Duck is utterly oblivious to the severity of any given situation. Every time Duck opens his mouth, you just want to strangle the little guy. Max Kaufman is the character’s voice and he does just a tremendous job of playing an aggravating kid. During the third episode of Season 1, Long Road Ahead, Duck plays a game with Lee as a detective — which he might have been too o♏ld for even if he weren’t caught in the middle of the apocalypse.
9 Coolest: Carley
Carley is at the center of one of Telltale’s The Walking Dead’s first major choices. At the end of the very first episode —time is of the essence— and you’re forced to choose between C🌄arley and Doug. Most players leaned towards Carley, which is lucky because Carley is one of the game’s coolest characters. The young journalist calls Lee out on his shit. That forward nature and honesty can lead to a blossoming relatꦏionship if you play your cards right. So many of the characters you meet throughout your journey are irrational and emotion — not Carly. She is one of the few survivors in the first season who behaves like an adult. Coupled with a sterling performance by Nicole Vigil, Carly turns out to be one of the most fun characters to talk with during the game.
8 Lamest: Mark
Telltale’s The Walking Dead is unforgettable. So why can’t we remember who Mark is?
Mark has little to no personality, making him almost entirely forgettable. If you still can’t place him: he has a super cool death at the end of Season 1, Episode 2: Starved for Help. Ring any bells? That is what makes Mark such a lame character, for as exciting as the scenario he finds himself in is, he is still forgettable. There’s just nothing remarkable about his character — he is a generic guy who doesn’t really do anything. Considering how talented the writers behind the series are, it is underwhelming how generic his character is. Like most of the cast of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Mark’s voice ac♊tor, Mark Middleton, does a goodꦅ job making him believable. Still, that can’t save an empty role.
7 Coolest: Kenny
Kenny wears his heart on his sleeve.
Kenny represents the fear in all of us. He is brash and volatile, but also passionate and caring. If there’s one thing you can say about Kenny, it’s that he is human. For all his faults —and he has many— Kenny is a sight for sore eyes. He plays a crucial role in Season 1 and 2. By his return in the second season, Kenny has become a cold and grizzled man haunted by the past. Gavin Hamm✃on does an unbelievable job growing his performance between the two seasons. Of course, Kenny is fiercely loyal to his ✤family (and can absolutely hold a grudge) but he also always remembers who his friends are. And anyone who can love a kid like Duck must have some secret reserve of patience.
6 Lamest: Gabe García
Gabe is the angsty, brash, and obnoxious teen from TellTale’s The Walking Dead Season 3: A New Frontier.
Anyone who has played all three seasons of Telltale’s The Walking Dead has grown accustomed to dealing with kids and teenagers, but no other younglings up to this point have deserved a slap in the face quite like Gabe. He is a walking stereotype of a troubled, brooding teenager. Unlike the quick-witted Clementine, Gabe needs to be parented with reverse-psychology, because he’s too dim-witted to understand something presented plainly. His voice actor is Raymond Ochoa, who captures that teen spirit perfectly — maybe because he is a teenager himself! For as aggravating as it can be to try and parent a bucking teen, we’re excited to see if Gabs shapes up to be a real hero by the end of A New Frontier.