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The Walking Dead: Reasons To Love Shane

Shane might act a little crazy every now and then, but who wouldn't while living in the zombie apocalypse? At the end of the day, Shane is the most interesting character on The Walking Dead and deserves your support. Here are 11 reasons to love Shane!

Gregg By Gregg Katzman December 5, 2011
  

It seems like every time I talk with someone about The Walking Dead they end up labeling Shane Walsh as a despicable and villainous man. My response: nonsense, there are plenty of reasons to love Shane! What has Shane Walsh done to warrant such rage? He left Rick in the hospital? He honestly thought his buddy was gone and at least blocked off the room so he wouldn't become zombie chow. Killed Otis? It was assuring Carl's safety! Slept with Lori? Given the circumstances, you wouldn't? Threatened Dale? We all know he was just trolling the old guy. If he wanted to kill him, he would have in the woods! 

The rise of the undead and the slaughter of society calls for a new means of living if humanity wants to thrive. People seem to believe Shane's methods are pure evil, but I beg to differ. In his own way, his actions have (for the most part) been for the greater good of his group. Let's see why Shane is a man worthy of your love.

Beware, this list is packed with spoilers!

 

 

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Shane's Death
Credit: Image Comics
6

Anticipation Of Death

Fans of the original series know TV Shane has blown past his comic counter-part's life expectancy in The Walking Dead. But we know his time is running out. In the comic, Shane lasted less than a dozen issues and ultimately got a bullet to the neck from Carl. Now we're all anxiously waiting to see if Shane will suffer the same emotional fate as his illustrated clone. Keep in mind, Shane gave Carl a pistol during the mid-season finale. I wonder if that'll come back to bite him in the ass... or in this case, neck.

Shane and Lori
Credit: AMC
5

"Comforts" Your Family

Hypothetical scenario: you're happily married with a wife and kid. Then for some unexplained reason, zombies take over and you're killed in the chaos. Would you really want your loved ones to struggle on their own, or would you rather have your more-than-competent best friend look after them and protect them from the swarms of blood-thirsty zombies? Assuming you're a decent person, odds are you'd want said best friend to treat them like his own family. That's all Shane was doing...he just kind of fell hard for Lori. It happens; we're all slaves to our emotions! Just don't come back to life and ruin a good thing, okay?

Dale vs Shane
Credit: AMC
4

Stole Dale's Thunder

Dale has taken quite a liking to Andrea, attempting to be her guardian angel in this world of death and chaos. But no matter how hard he tried to reach out to her, she simply wasn't a fan of what ole' Dale had to say. Shane, on the other hand, got in her pants after teaching her how to shoot and giving her first-hand experience (mind out of the gutter, readers) with how to deal with the undead. Sorry, Dale.  You're a nice guy, but you just can't seem to earn a win.

Shane
Credit: AMC
3

He's A Realist

Some call Shane evil, others call him heartless. I call killing Otis a tragic call he had to make. At the rate they were going, Shane and Otis were facing an unwinnable scenario. They couldn't escape, and being unable to return with the supplies means the innocent child, Carl, would die. The duo went to the zombie-infested area fully aware of the risks, and as disturbing as the twist may be, the violent betrayal saved Carl's life. "But what about Otis!? He was innocent, too!" Sure, he was, but in this situation one man died and two lived. If Shane didn't turn on Otis, all three would have been dead. The Walking Dead's creator Robert Kirkman has even called the incident "a somewhat justifiable homicide." Because of his ability to put emotion aside and make the extremely difficult (yet logical) choices, we love Shane.

 

 

Shane
Credit: AMC
2

Scarier Than The Zombies

While all of the previously listed traits make Shane an interesting character to watch, the thought of living with him in that world would have me hiding from him every day. The notion that a zombie could shuffle up to you and sink its teeth into your flesh while you're sleeping is scary, but Shane viewing you as a weak link is a nightmare. Given the opportunity, he wouldn't hesitate at all to blow out our brains if we're holding back the entire group or putting someone he thinks is more important in danger. Give me a pistol and I'd rather walk into a room filled with zombies than go anywhere near Shane. A human being that scary is a reason we love him... but from a safe distance.

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