VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton WRITTEN BY: Andrew Tejada
To survive a walker world, you have to go into breast mode like Rick from “The Walking Dead.” Our countdown includes fighting Pete, taking on a horde, taking out Tomas, and more!
#10: Cutting Down Prison Walkers
“Say the Word”
When Rick gets the news that his wife lost her life, he is overwhelmed with a sense of loss. He decides to process his feelings by picking up an ax and hacking away at walkers trapped in the prison. Rick manages to take down a ridiculous number of them single-handedly in extremely dark hallways. While that sounds intimidating on its own, what really makes his rampage frightening is that he doesn’t speak a single word the entire time. We know there are many different ways people can process grief. But we’re pretty sure that Rick’s insane ax spree is the most intimidating coping method we’ve ever seen.
#9: Fighting Pete
“Try”
Shortly after arriving in Alexandria, Doctor Pete welcomes Rick with an ominous greeting. And upon observing how Pete abuses alcohol and mistreats his family, Rick becomes wary of him. The tensions between the two rise until they finally boil over in a climactic fight scene. It doesn’t matter that the doctor is bigger or that they both crash through a window. Rick is so focused on reducing Pete to a pulp that he pushes away his son Carl when he tries to stop the fight. Rick ultimately decides to let the doctor live another day. However, as soon as Alexandria’s leader Deanna decides she wants Pete gone for good, Rick doesn’t hesitate to put him down.
#8: Taking Out Tomas
“Sick”
Rick forms an uneasy deal with a group of prisoners led by a man named Tomas. The officer agrees to help the felons take out some walkers in exchange for food. When they are all fighting together, Tomas tries to get rid of Rick while making it look like an accident. But after Rick survives these attempts on his life, he immediately and violently takes out Tomas. A prisoner named Andrew tries to retaliate. But Rick chases him down and leaves him at the mercy of walkers. No matter how tough these prisoners were, even they were helpless against an angry Rick. Betraying him is the biggest mistake any survivor can make.
#7: Escaping Terminus
“No Sanctuary”
Things weren’t looking good for Rick after he arrived in Terminus. He’s bound, gagged, and held captive by a group who see humans as gourmet meals. But he turns things around with a piece of wood. While the villains are distracted by an explosion, Rick cuts himself free and takes out two of them. He frees his allies, cuts down walkers, and ambushes a gun-toting Terminus resident. Rick uses the stolen gun to shoot his way through the living and undead enemies until he’s reunited with his family. His success fills him with so much adrenaline that he wants to head back into Terminus to finish off the residents. While Rick couldn’t get revenge…yet… he could still celebrate pulling off a badass escape.
#6: Defeating the Spiked Walker Winslow
“New Best Friends”
While preparing to battle the saviors, Rick finds himself at the mercy of a group called the Scavengers. Although he attempts to make an alliance with their leader Jadis, she refuses to negotiate until Rick proves himself. She then pushes him into a junkyard pit and makes him fight a walker covered in spikes named Winslow. Rick doesn’t have any weapons and can’t touch his foe without injuring himself. But after getting some advice from Michonne, he sends the garbage around him toppling onto Winslow. He then picks up a piece of glass and finishes the spiky walker off for good. Rick’s victory in this impromptu gladiator match is one of his most impressive accomplishments.
#5: Ambushing Negan Solo
“The Key”
In the middle of the Savior War, Rick decides to try to end the conflict early by ambushing their leader Negan. When they both crash their cars, Rick walks out of the wreckage and starts shooting immediately. He ignores walkers completely while pursuing Negan into a dark building. Their ensuing fight is filled with hard hits, near-misses, and plenty of taunts. Although Rick manages to light Negan’s signature weapon on fire, he still isn’t able to take down the head savior in this fight. Rick shows incredible determination and courage during his single-minded pursuit. His hard work would later pay off when he overcame pain, and the odds, to beat Negan in their one-on-one rematch.
#4: Fulfilling a Harsh Promise
“Four Walls and a Roof”
One of the most despicable “Walking Dead” villains was the head of Terminus, Gareth. Rick promised to dispatch him during their first confrontation. After escaping Rick’s wrath once, Gareth makes the fatal mistake of going after the heroes again. Rick decides to lure the villain into a trap. He’s barely able to contain his quiet rage as he confronts Gareth with harsh truths. Eventually, Rick can’t hold back anymore and reaches for a weapon he promised to end Gareth’s life with. Knowing that Rick planned this visceral scene is really, really intense and unsettling. But you can argue that his actions are understandable for a villain as despicable as Gareth.
#3: Taking On a Horde
“No Way Out”
It turns out that Rick’s prison rampage was just a warmup for Alexandria. After the city is overwhelmed by walkers and Carl is severely wounded, Rick decides to take on the horde by himself. Armed with nothing but a hatchet, he wades into the walkers and cuts down every single one he sees. Even when Rick is completely surrounded with no hope of escape, he refuses to stop swinging at them again and again. His insane display of courage and endurance eventually inspires other Alexandria residents to rise up and fight the horde with him. But we have a feeling that if you gave Rick enough time, he could have taken care of all of them by himself.
#2: Destroying a Bridge While Wounded
“What Comes After”
As a large horde of walkers descends on his friends and family, Rick volunteers to lead the undead army away. Unfortunately, he suffers a severe wound after his horse throws him off. Although Rick loses a lot of blood, and keeps hallucinating, he still tries to lead the walkers away from his loved ones. He eventually makes it to a bridge. After somehow gathering the strength to take a few walkers down with a hatchet, he uses his gun to ignite sticks of dynamite. The resulting explosion destroys the bridge and takes out a huge amount of walkers. But the most incredible part of this amazing feat is that he survives both his wound and the explosion. Is Rick Grimes just immortal?
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Clotheslining Walkers While Driving
“Rock in the Road”
Hitting Bob With a Car
“Coda”
“Mercy”
Dispatching “Negan” Without Hesitation
“The Same Boat”
Taking Down Two Threatening Bar Patrons
“Nebraska”
#1: Desperately Biting Joe
“A”
A peaceful moment between Rick and Michonne is completely shattered when Joe and his gang of Claimers show up and hold the heroes at gunpoint. Joe makes it clear that he will assault and likely end the lives of everyone there. When Rick fails to gain the upper hand with a headbutt, he does the only thing he can think of. He bites Joe. This act leaves Joe’s crew so shaken that Rick, Michonne, and Darryl are able to turn the tide and overwhelm the gang. Rick’s bite marks the moment that he fully embraced his most savage and animalistic instincts. It was also when we knew he was willing to put his humanity aside to save the ones he loves.
