Move Over Negan, another villain from The Walking Dead, just told the best redemption story in the franchise

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 5.

Choosing the best villain-to-hero twist in the zombie apocalypse is no longer an easy choice after The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan experienced the most dramatic change of any character ever Undead TV shows released in the last 14 years. Originally the most despicable villain the franchise has ever seen, Negan committed crimes against television by beating Steven Yeun’s Glenn to death with a baseball bat – an act from which, for most of the characters, there would be no turning back.

Against all odds, Negan turned into a protagonist viewers could root for right now Undead it ended. The process was gradual, beginning with repentance in a prison cell, continuing through a series of small heroic acts, and ending with important contributions in the battles against the Whisperers and the Commonwealth. Negan’s redemptive story was a compelling narrative of slow redemption, but a second narrative of slow redemption, this time from Daryl Dixon’s film. Undead spinoff, could be even more attractive.

Daryl Dixon Season 2 Episode 5 Perfectly Ends Codron’s Redemption Story

Another successful villain rehabilitation for The Walking Dead

From a ruthless and savage warrior who hunts Daryl and his allies across France, Codron is a reborn man after Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 5, “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir.” Codron’s path to heroism began in Daryl Dixon the season one finale, when the villain reluctantly chose to let Daryl and his friends go free. Since then, Codron has suffered torture at the hands of Genet’s Pouvoir du Vivant and even helped Carol reunite with Daryl. While he deserves a pat on the back for his virtuoso display throughout the first four episodes of Season 2, it’s “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” that really ties the ribbon on Codron’s transformation.

The first scene of note occurs when Codron and his former target, Laurent, talk about ethics over some strawberries. It is here that Codron not only recognizes past mistakes, but also experiences an epiphany about why he committed them, realizing how anger and fear were fueling his rage. The emotion comes from Laurent, who reveals that he already forgave Codron long before the conversation, and now hopes that Genet’s former bandit chef can forgive himself. The line perfectly captures how Codron’s evil deeds in the past still cast a shadow over his current mindset.

Codron then receives another opportunity to demonstrate his repentance, protecting Laurent from the Pouvoir/União alliance. More than simply trying to atone for the past, Codron uses his powers – his strength, cunning, and skill in battle – for good here, rather than terrorizing a child just because a monk decided he was the messiah. The final touch in Codron’s redemption is the moment when he decides not to kill Jacinta. By choosing life, Codron demonstrates that his redemption is not just a change of sides, but in fact a courageous attempt to completely reinvent himself.

Why Codron’s Daryl Dixon Turn Trumps Negan’s on The Walking Dead

The story of Codron was the most satisfying observation

Codron’s redemption may have taken place over a more condensed period of time compared to Negan’s lengthy moral upheaval, but the Frenchman’s quest for peace is no less poignant because of it. Codron being received as one of the Daryl Dixonthe good guys feel totally deservedpainfully bittersweet and surprisingly realistic for a show about dead people coming back to life. The same could be said of Negan’s redemption in Undeadof course, but Codron’s story has an important advantage.

The most frustrating aspect of seeing Negan abandon his evil ways was how Undead continually teased, and still teases, the return of Negan’s evil side. At the beginning of Undead Season 11, long after his redemption had begun, Negan deliberately left Maggie to die during a mission. The same episode saw Negan invoke Glenn’s name in such a controversial way that Jeffrey Dean Morgan tried to cut the line for fear of losing the “goodwill” Negan had won over viewers up to that point (via electronic warfare).

The Walking Dead: Dead City then continued on that path, with Negan showing much less remorse for killing Glenn compared to his final emotional scene with Maggie in Undeadend of the series. This problem refuses to die, with Dead City season two even promises the return of Savior-era Negan complete with bat, leather jacket and whistle.

Negan’s post-villain history in Undead suffered because the show never found the decision to simply let Negan have his redemption. At several points, the allure of bringing back the loud, brash, rabble-rousing Negan proved too strong to handle. Undead resist, and Morgan’s character fell a few steps down the ladder of atonement as a consequence.

Daryl Dixon Don’t make that mistake with Codron. Negan may have a habit of taking one step forward and two steps back in his efforts to become a better man, but Undead: Daryl Dixon allows Codron to flow naturally from troubled terror to gentle giant through a much more direct and satisfying arc. As a result, Codron’s remorse feels much more genuine, and the audience can invest in his actions as a protagonist without fear that those actions will decline the next time an opportunity to be diabolical presents itself.

Sources: electronic warfare