Monsters in The Walking Dead: The Blurred Line Between Human and Inhuman
- Joel Rainbow
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
[BCM312 - Assessment 1]
Image: Gene Page/AMC
The Walking Dead is a show built on horror, but this is not purely because of its zombies - or rather “walkers” as they are most often called in the show. While the undead lurk as an ever-present threat, the true monsters in the series, especially as it progresses into the later seasons, are oftentimes the surviving humans. As civilisation crumbles, the show forces its viewer to ask:
“What does it mean to be human
when survival is the only goal?”
The Walking Dead is a post-apocalyptic TV series set around a group who are dealing with the aftermath of a virus that has decimated most of the human population. They struggle to maintain their humanity while trying to survive, exploring themes of morality, leadership, and survival in a lawless world. By examining The Walking Dead through the lens of posthumanism and survival ethics, it becomes clear that the show challenges traditional ideas of morality and humanity, ultimately blurring the lines between the man and the monster.
The Zombies: Humanity Stripped to Its Core
In the series, the zombie outbreak is caused by a virus that affects the brain, leading to a reanimation of the dead. The virus is highly contagious, and once infected, people do not immediately turn into zombies, they die first. However, upon death, they inevitably reanimate unless the brain is destroyed. This reanimation process is not a result of traditional "infection" in the sense of the infected becoming undead, but rather a form of biological malfunction that reactivates the body’s motor functions. This creates an ongoing existential threat, as the survivors must deal with not only the walkers but also the collapse of societal structures and the moral and ethical challenges posed by a world devoid of law and order.
The zombies in The Walking Dead are horrifying, but they are also predictable. Their monstrous nature comes not from evil intent but from a loss of agency - they are stripped of their emotions, memories, and moral compass. In this way, they serve as a reflection of a posthumanist fear: the idea that without our social structures, we are nothing more than biological machines driven by base instincts. This aligns with Braidotti’s (2013, page 2) concept of posthumanism, which questions the stability of human identity in the face of changing conditions. The zombies, in their mindlessness, highlight the fragility of humanism - the belief that people are inherently rational and moral beings.
Image: Comicbook.com
If The Walking Dead only focused on zombies as the enemy, it would be a standard horror story. Instead, it presents an unsettling idea: those who survive may become worse than the undead. The main protagonist’s often come across an antagonist who make it clear that in a lawless world, morality is subjective. Some characters justify their brutality as necessary, but at what cost?
The Governor, for example, presents himself as a leader maintaining order for a small community which have survived, yet his actions - torture, mass killings, and deception - reveal that his survival hinges on controlling others. The main antagonist in Seasons 6-9 is Negan, who in contrast, builds his power through extreme fear and violence, reducing his followers to obedient subjects. Both characters demonstrate Agamben’s (1998, p. 7) idea of the "state of exception" - when societies abandon laws in favor of raw survival, allowing for extreme actions that otherwise would be deemed inhumane.
But even Rick, the supposed hero, crosses moral boundaries. He executes enemies without trial, bites a man’s throat out in a fit of rage, and tells his group to embrace the motto: "We are the walking dead." This moment in particular is crucial - it acknowledges that the survivors, in their desperation, have become as unthinking and violent as the creatures they fear. The collapse of traditional ethics in The Walking Dead forces us to ask whether the true horror lies in the undead or in the lengths people will go to in order to survive. The show mirrors real-world anxieties about political instability, the erosion of law and order, and the rise of authoritarianism, where survival becomes an excuse for cruelty. It also reflects resource scarcity and economic inequality, as characters fight for food, shelter, and power, arguably mirroring marginalised communities struggling for survival in harsh social and political climates today.
The Posthuman Dilemma: What Remains When Society Falls?
Posthumanist theory argues that human identity is not fixed but shaped by external conditions (Wolfe, 2010, page xvi). In The Walking Dead, those conditions - endless violence, loss, and anarchy - reshape people into beings willing to do the unthinkable. The show challenges the idea that humans are inherently better than animals or machines. Instead, it suggests that when pushed to the brink, people revert to something primal, driven only by survival, much like the undead they fight against.
Image: Gene Page/AMC
Beyond its fictional horror, The Walking Dead reflects real-world fears about societal collapse, ethical dilemmas, and human nature under pressure. The show resonates with concerns about authoritarianism, resource scarcity, and the breakdown of law and order. It also raises ethical questions about how much one should sacrifice for survival—whether it's personal morality, community, or even identity.
So, Who Are the Real Monsters?
The Walking Dead dismantles the simple dichotomy of good versus evil by showing that the most terrifying monsters may not be the undead but the living. Through a posthumanist lens, the show critiques the idea that humanity is inherently noble, instead portraying survival as a force that can strip people of their identity and morality. It also highlights how crises, whether apocalyptic or real-world, bring out both the best and worst in people, raising ethical questions about power, violence, and societal collapse. The series resonates with contemporary issues such as state violence, economic disparity, and the dehumanisation of marginalised groups, showing how easily people justify extreme actions when social structures fail. Ultimately, The Walking Dead asks a chilling question: when civilisation falls, will we still recognise ourselves as human - or will we become the monsters we once feared?
REFERENCES:
Agamben, G. (1998). Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life. Stanford University Press.
Accessed via: https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814753378.003.0009
Braidotti, R., 2013. Posthuman humanities. European Educational Research Journal, 12(1), pp.1-19.
Wolfe, C. (2010). What Is Posthumanism? University of Minnesota Press.
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