Zombie Research Society
For every horde of zombies scratching and clawing to eat all of humanity, there are inevitably a few heroic humans who step up to the challenge of saving themselves and their fellow survivors. Most aren’t very successful, but it’s the effort that counts.
Here is a list of the top six zombie heroes from film and television:
#6) MARTIN, DEAD SNOW (2009)
In the Norwegian zombie romp Dead Snow, a group of university students heads off to an isolated mountain cabin for spring break only to be attacked by frozen Nazi zombies. Martin is the unlikely hero who will do whatever it takes to survive, even cut off his own arm to keep from getting infected.
#5) RICK GRIMES, THE WALKING DEAD (2010-)
Small town sheriff Rick Grimes leads a ragtag band of survivors in a land destroyed by a catastrophic zombie plague. As he struggles to keep it together on the small screen, the show he helms continues to break all-time ratings records in the real world. That alone is worth the #5 spot.
#4) LIONEL COSGROVE, DEAD ALIVE (1992)
Lionel is living in New Zealand with his domineering mother when he falls in love with a local girl. Shortly thereafter, his mum is bitten by a Sumatran Rat-Monkey and slowly turns into a ravenous zombie. Lionel commits himself to taking care of her at any cost, but the bodies just keep piling up!
#3) TALLAHASSEE, ZOMBIELAND (2009)
Played by Woody Harrelson, the Zombieland character Tallahassee is all business. He would rather be killing zombies than doing just about anything else–except eating Twinkies. With an endless supply of weapons, cars and fuel, Tallahassee slays more ghouls than anybody else on this list.
#2) BEN, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
As he only person who can keep a clear head on his shoulders in Night of the Living Dead, Ben spends as much time fighting with other idiotic survivors as he does with the undead menace outside his front door. He falls one short of the top spot because in the end he falls short of his ultimate goal.
#1) SHAUN, SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
Shaun of the Dead tells the story of two slacker friends who are totally unprepared when England is overrun by zombies. As the title character, Shaun takes charge of a small group and leads them to his favorite pub. Sure almost everybody dies following his direction, but at least he saves his girlfriend.
Who else should be on this list? Which heroes did we miss? Who is your favorite of all time?
I know I’ll probably get some flames for this, but what about Mila Jovovich’s character in the Resident Evil movies? She kicked ass and looked hot at the same time, shouldn’t that count for something? Just one man’s opinion, flame responsibly.
Sometimes I wish The Walking Dead wasn’t set in a universe where the concept of the living dead wasn’t in pop culture, so Shane could have seen Zombieland and taken a leaf from Tallahassee’s book. Someone needs to teach that boy that focusing on survival doesn’t mean being a heartless jackass. Rule 32: Enjoy the little things.
I think Shane learned his lesson last episode
Sergeant Doyle from 28 Weeks Later! He wrecked zombies all day long! Yes he did die, but not by zombies. It was the toxic gas that did him in I’d assume.
He was also single-handedly responsible for destroying the entire planet, because he saved the boy who spread the infection to the rest of the world. Not so heroic in the end…
Mark is right. Michonne from the walking dead comics is the stand out hero
Agreed, except this is a list of best heroes from film and TV only…
Ive always liked Carlos Oliveras character from the Resident Evil Films
I agree…Peter (Ken Foree) needs to be on this list….So should Jim (Cillian Murphy) He kicked ass in 28 Days Later….
Ash! Just be sure he writes down any incantations he might need to remember later.
Not a zombie movie!
I think Evil Dead is more along the lines of demonic possession, not zombies
I love the list, but would like to see Ana added from the 2004 Dawn of the Dead
Ana would be an awesome sidekick. Not only does she go toe to toe with 300lb zombies armed with only a fire poker, she can also apply first aid 🙂 Next best would be Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson). Man, there should be a Zombie apocalypse “Dream Team” discussion
I know I’ll catch flack for this, but no Ash from Evil Dead? I know Deadites are more demons than zombies, but hey, they infect dead bodies and use them to spread their disease.
Also, I thought this was a ‘Zombie Hero’ list initially, so I was expecting Stubbs the zombie and Xombie to make this list lol.
The Evil Dead is not a zombie movie, but Ash is a great hero!
We do also have a list of 6 most likeable zombies that is a sort of zombie “hero” list. You can find it here:
https://zombieresearchsociety.com/archives/9745
I know you listed Rick Grimes but Michonne stands out in the Walking Dead comic.
I would rather have Peter (Ken Foree) from Dawn of the Dead by my side during The Zombie Apocalypse than any of the above. Except Shaun maybe. At least he knows where to get a pint and some pig snacks.
I’d have to say Aurore from The Horde! She is the epitome of “Hell hath no fury…” Going hand to hand (and killing) zombies, as well as killing her own partners, even prior to turning. She is also the only one that, despite the distraction of the sudden zombie outbreak, completes the mission her and her partners came to do!