This week’s episode brought us a lighter (and much needed) Richonne adventure that still managed to move the plot forward. Our characters’ power may not have drastically shifted but we updated their status (and impending power moves) anyway. Enjoy our latest power rankings below:
1. Negan
Negan may not have been in this episode but his furnace stunt last week proved enough that the Babe Ruth of Walking Dead villains is still worthy of the top spot. Side note – most Babe Ruth nicknames work for Negan: The Sultan of Swat, the Behemoth of Bust, The Big Bam?! Come on!
2. Simon
We may not have gotten our toxic dosage of the voracious Simon in a while but as far as anyone’s concerned he still serves as Negan’s second-in-command as well as second in our power rankings.
3. Rick
Rick isn’t just regaining his footing as a leader, he’s evolving into a new man. Between plundering supplies and deer hunting from a ferris wheel Rick is gradually recognizing what it will take to bring ALL the communities together to fight Negan. Not only that, but he’s reckoning with his regrets and letting himself love again. Don’t take this to mean he’s a softie – he will still march into your junkyard to throw down the gauntlet of what’s whart.
4. Ezekiel (+1)
Ezekiel may not have been in this episode but we bumped him up after realizing he still runs The Kingdom whereas Maggie just still KIND OF runs The Hilltop. Therefore, he receieved a boost.
5. Maggie (-1)
Like Ezekiel, Maggie’s been absent for a few episodes but still commands enough clout at The Hilltop. Look to see more of her in the coming weeks.
6. Jadis
If Jadis’ leadership was half as good as her speech is terrible, she’d probably have a Savior-sized following of trash people chanting, “We are Jadis.” Although she may not command Negan’s numbers, she still holds a comfortable handle on The Scavengers (and Rick). “Oh, you found 63 guns? Cool, but I want 10 more, AND some food, AND a haircut!” Damn, Jadis! Way to out-negotiate Rick.
7. Michonne
Let’s make something clear – there would be no Rick without Michonne. Nearly identical to Andrea from The Walking Dead comics, Michonne’s level-headedness and quick thinking constantly steers their group into the right direction. Although her purpose extends way past lifting up Rick, Michonne is ESSENTIAL to the success of Alexandria and maybe, the other communities.
8. Dwight
Dwight seems to be breaking. Even though he threw someone else under the bus/into the furnace, received semi-closure with Sherry, and returned to his post at the top, it’s obvious he can’t take much more of the Savior life. Now that Sherry’s gone and Negan has a new mullet-headed play toy our face-scarred comrade seems out of place. The question is – will he find a deeper purpose at The Sanctuary or take a note from his ex-wife?
9. Eugene
Eugene skyrocketed up the rankings last week after being appointed the top scientist/doctor/rubber glove-exploder of The Sanctuary. As we discovered a couple seasons ago the only subjects he is an expert at are one-liners, face cover-sobbing, and defecting to save his own ass. So for now, he has power, can play video games at will, and entertain the wives. But inevitably he’ll need to prove his worth in a bigger way.
10. Daryl
The last we saw Daryl he was beating up Richard, lying to Carol, and leaving for The Hilltop. We’re excited for you to see him return to his old crossbow-wielding no-nonsense days, but until then we can’t boost him any higher in the rankings.
11. Father Gabriel (+1)
Can we talk about how amazing Father Gabriel’s been lately? Great! Quick summary: he’s led Rick to the Scavengers, helped them broke a deal, and dropped serious knowledge on Rosita before his suicide mission. He’s come a LONG way since ratting out Rick’s group to Deanna and we think he has more room to develop! The man has FINALLY learned what it takes to survive this apocalypse and we’re loving it.
12. Jesus (-1)
As we’ve said ad nauseam, Jesus derives his power from bridging the communities together (and that’s great!). BUT, since Gabriel’s been doing the most lately and we haven’t seen Jesus in a minute we bumped ol’ ninja hands down a peg.
13. Gregory
Gregory remains on this list for the same reason Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert is considered a leader of the team. Sure, they’re TECHNICALLY in charge but we know who’s really running the show (Maggie/LeBron). Side note: LeBron would be phenomenal as the leader of the The Hilltop. Just think about how much better he would make everyone!
On the Bubble: Tara, Rosita, Sasha, Carol, Morgan.
Notable Loss: Carl. Sorry, kid. But we haven’t seen you since the Mid-Season Premiere and that’s not a good thing. We know, you’re a badass and can hold court when you want to, but until we see more of you than Judith we gotta knock you off.
How do YOU about our Walking Dead power rankings following this week’s episode? Who do YOU predict will have the biggest jump or drop next episode?? Tell us in the comments!
