As The Walking Dead nears the end of its final season, it’s also closing a chapter to its most confusing and pointless villains — the Reapers. The zombie apocalypse series has thrown everything it can at its viewers, with 11 seasons and over a decade of countless characters and walkers, but as more villains are introduced and removed, the less interesting they become. On paper, the Reapers have what it takes to make their mark on TWD, but their unfortunate timing within the series pushes them to the “forgettable” pile.

The Walking Dead is no stranger to switching villains in and out. Once the Governor met his demise, the cannibals wreaked havoc for a good few episodes. Then the innocent and naïve people of Alexandria had their own affairs, which led to Negan’s never-ending arc of vile jokes and philosophical dilemmas. Finally, the creepy, yet fascinating Whisperers haunted fans’ screens only to be succeeded by… the Reapers. Described as a group of former mercenaries turned religious zealots, the Reapers are the main antagonists of Season 11A of TWD. What they lack in size, they make up in strength and skill, as all of the close-knit members are military-trained and exercise their talent in stealthy attacks. Their will to live isn’t for survival per se, but for their leader’s interpretation of Christianity and the belief that God chose them to live.

Unlike former antagonists, the Reapers had no proper introduction to the series, even if they were created originally for the television series, but there’s no doubt that villains adapted from the comic books have an advantage already. Shane Walsh, the Governor and the Whisperers all have well-established story arcs because there was already great material to pull from. But even so, original villains have become a staple of what makes The Walking Dead an unforgettable series. The Terminus cannibals, while slightly inspired by the Hunters from the comics, are the core of the Season 4 finale and Season 5 premiere, two episodes regarded as the highlights of the show, and the Wolves from Season 6 gave a heart-pounding episode that almost saved the season. Given this, there is really no excuse that the Reapers should be falling behind on Walking Dead standards, but their dull introduction already led them to their fate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, production for Season 11 got pushed back for months. In response, the writers of the show developed six bonus episodes to fill out the time-gap. The stories of these six episodes initially seemed unimportant to the overall series, acting as backstory for Maggie’s return and answering questions such as: What was Daryl doing during those six years after Rick’s disappearance? What if Aaron and Gabriel played Russian roulette? Who was Lucille, and why did Negan name a baseball bat after her? The majority of these episodes could’ve been their own spin-off series, until Season 11 confirmed that the mysterious hidden figures Maggie has been feuding with have found their way as the temporary main villains. And as a nice refreshing twist, Daryl’s lover from his centric episode, “Find Me,” is one of these Reapers, and a high-ranking one. But if many fans opted out of watching these so-called “bonus” episodes, Season 11A’s storyline makes little to no sense.

Another reason why the Reapers are hard to follow is because there is a much more interesting villain brewing at the same time. The Commonwealth is the endgame for The Walking Dead, both for the comics and the television series. Their introduction has been theorized since as early as Season 8, with helicopters and random road signs indicating the safe-haven city was in reach. But it wasn’t confirmed until Season 10 when Eugene hit the right signal on the radio and began communicating with a woman named Stephanie from the Commonwealth. It became clear from this moment that anything other than the Commonwealth storyline would be filler, even if characters such as Daryl, Carol and Maggie were victims.

As Eugene’s group consisting of Ezekiel, Yumiko and the newly excited Princess arrive at the civilization, its suspicious nature provides an intriguing narrative that all is not what it appears to be. It’s a stark contrast to what the main group back home is dealing with as their main objective isn’t exposing the dirty secrets of the sophisticated bureaucracy, but just to get food for the people of Alexandria. The stakes don’t seem any different than what Rick and the crew have had to deal with before, and in fact, it seems like a tired trope that wore out many seasons ago.

The concept is interesting enough to follow, but unfortunately, doesn’t work as there are already better ones. Most recently, the zombie post-apocalyptic video game The Last of Us Part II featured a religious cult named the Seraphites — better known as the Scars by their enemies. The eerily realistic game manages to capture the essence of abusing religion for higher status and control in a developing world full of the dead, and TWD‘s Reapers lack that influence. Their only way of expressing their religious beliefs is their word, and their actions only speak when throwing traitors in fire. Other than that, their clothes, lifestyle and language are all drawn from their military background, which isn’t exactly a new story for The Walking Dead.

To play the Reapers’ advocate, they’re not the worst villain that has ever graced the small screen. While outliving his predecessors, Negan’s time as a villain lost its groove soon after he made his startling introduction. His disadvantage actually came from being overly profane and frightening in the comics, and his TV counterpart was the constant act at his own comedy club. The Atlanta hospital group from Season 5 led to one of the saddest deaths in Walking Dead history, but only posed as a sub-plot.

The Reapers still have a chance, however. Leah is alive and fighting against Maggie’s invasion of Meridian, taking over Pope’s place. If there is any redemption of the Reapers becoming memorable villains, it all lies on Leah and her relationship with Daryl while competing with the monumental expectations of the Commonwealth.