Negan is undeniably one of the best villains in The Walking Dead history, but unfortunately, the franchise killed off its best antagonist since Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, and I can't help but feel disappointed. The spinoff's second season continued Daryl's chaotic journey through France with Carol also arriving in the European country, and they each crossed paths with the show's main antagonist. Given Daryl Dixon's central villains are capable of defeating the Commonwealth, I assumed taking down the faction and its leader would be a major challenge, but sadly, this wasn't the case.
Instead, the show squandered the potential of the franchise's best villain in years, which is starting to become a theme. The Ones Who Live's ending also saw Major General Beale get killed off with the CRM's threat dying in the process, and while Daryl Dixon's evil group remains standing, they are far less intimidating without their leader. I do think Daryl Dixon's villains teaming up in season 2 is a smart way to keep them interesting, but losing one of the most menacing characters in the show is still a huge letdown, and they will be difficult to replace.
It Feels Way Too Soon For Daryl Dixon Season 2 To Kill Off Genet
Genet Should Have At Least Survived Until Season 2's Finale
Despite the power and the endless number of soldiers she possesses, Genet was killed in Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 4, and I think it's way too soon for the antagonist to be written out. Considering she essentially ruled the entirety of France except for a few resistance groups, Genet had the potential to become the franchise's most intimidating villain with Pouvoir by her side. Her influence and resources make it hard for anything to happen in the country without her knowledge, and her experimentation with variant zombies in Daryl Dixon only adds to how menacing she is.
With all these attributes alongside a genuinely interesting personality, Genet's death should have at the very least been saved for the finale, if not a future project entirely. Daryl missed his opportunity to kill the villain in season 2's premiere, which should have been a wake-up call for Genet and made it even more difficult to get close to her. Instead, she opted to try and take down Carol and Daryl with just a few soldiers to support her despite knowing how dangerous the duo was, leading to her demise.
Although Sabine has taken over as leader of Pouvoir and joined forces with Losang's group, neither of them has the same sort of aura as Genet. Therefore, losing such a strong and assured villain will not only hurt the series going forward but also deny Genet a chance to become the franchise's overarching antagonist. Given she had all the characteristics of a classic Walking Dead villain, killing her off midway through Daryl Dixon's second season feels extremely premature, and I'm convinced it could be a wasted opportunity.
Genet Was The Walking Dead's Best Villain Since Negan
Genet's Group Could Have Been More Impactful Than The Whisperers & The CRM
Her run may have been short in the zombie universe, but I believe Genet was the franchise's best villain since Negan, at least on paper. After Negan was defeated, The Walking Dead's only stand-out villains were the Whisperers, and while both Alpha and Beta were terrifying villains, the concept of their group was superior to either of them as characters. Dead City's villains are also fun, but they feel relatively low-stakes compared to the franchise's other antagonists, hence why Negan appears to be returning to villainy in season 2. Additionally, the CRM failed to live up to its potential.
As a result, Genet has shined since she is a ruthless leader who has managed to take over an entire country. I found her transition from a janitor to Pouvoir's leader fascinating, and I'm sad we didn't get to learn even more about her. Nonetheless, going from an outcast to assembling a loyal group makes Genet's Walking Dead backstory similar to Negan's, and while she isn't quite as charismatic or funny, she's equally brutal.
Making Daryl and Quinn fight variants in front of her followers also resembled elements of the Governor, proving Genet had traits of the franchise's best villains.
Turning humans into variants and torturing traitors showed her sinister nature, but like Negan, she did have a more rational and reasonable side on occasion. Making Daryl and Quinn fight variants in front of her followers also resembled elements of the Governor, proving Genet had traits of the franchise's best villains. Unfortunately, her relatively swift exit may prevent her from being remembered as fondly as other antagonists, but Genet was a great character with tonnes of unfilled potential, and I wish Daryl Dixon had kept her around for longer.
Isabelle Dying In The Same Episode Makes Genet's Exit Even More Disappointing
Daryl Dixon Has Now Lost 2 Of It's Most Important Characters In Just 1 Episode
Losing Genet was already bad enough, but Isabelle's Walking Dead death happening in the same episode is a real double whammy. Alongside losing the show's best villain, we had to say goodbye to its best supporting character, as Isabelle was stabbed by Losang and bled out after having a final conversation with Daryl. Her romantic connection with the protagonist meant her departure was already a huge deal and didn't warrant another major death at the end of the episode, yet the spinoff chose to kill off Genet anyway, adding to the disappointment.
