The 10 Best Characters In Army Of The Dead, Ranked

Upon making its Netflix debut, Zack Snyder’s hotly anticipated zombie epic Army of the Dead instantly skyrocketed to the #1 most viewed title on the platform. While the reviews have been solid but unspectacular, the movie returns Snyder to his horror roots after remaking Dawn of the Dead in 2004.

Boasting the high concept of a vicious zombie horde quarantined in Las Vegas as a band of mercenaries attempt to steal $50 million from a casino in the heart of the city, the film is populated with a diverse ensemble of memorable and not so memorable main characters.

10 Martin

As Bly Tanaka’s rich security expert and right-hand man, Martin (Garrett Dillahunt) felt out of place the moment he joined the mission. Still, as the de facto antagonist within the group of protagonists, he remains one of the best characters in terms of plot functionality.

Martin’s rogue mission entails collecting The Queen’s (Athena Perample) head, which he deems 10 times as valuable as the $200 million casino haul. However, like a silly Bond villain, Martin explains his nefarious plot to The Coyote (Nora Arnezeder), who ends up thwarting his dastardly scheme. Martin’s death via zombie tiger is also the best in the film.

9 The Queen

Although antagonistic in nature, The Queen is one of the best, bloodiest, and most baleful characters in the film. With bloodshot eyes, spastic body contortions, and banshee-like howling, the female alpha is one of the most unique zombies ever created.

In addition to being a sentient zombie with the ability to love, The Queen becomes a somewhat sympathetic figure when it is revealed she is pregnant with Zeus’ zombie offspring. When Martin decapitates her and kills her fetus in the process, Zeus’s vengeance is understandably warranted.

8 Kate Ward

Despite being the female lead, WHO volunteer Kate Ward (Ella Purnell) makes a series of questionable decisions that compromise the entire mission and costs her crew members their lives. Her heart is in the right place, but her selfish actions decrease her overall character.

Ignoring her father Scott’s (Dave Bautista) warning, Kate insists on joining the crew so she can find her friend Geeta (Huma Qureshi) and return her to her two young children. While her actions end up costing her father’s life, she does manage to save Geeta’s two young children in the end.

7 Mikey Guzman

As the zombie dead shot whose viral popularity has Reddit threads dedicated to him, Mikey Guzman (Raul Castillo) is one of the cooler characters in the film. His bravery and tough demeanor make him likable, especially when he sticks up for his friend Chambers (Samantha Win) during a zombie onslaught.

Moreover, the sharpshooting Guzman acts selflessly in at least two instances. First, he spares Chambers a slow agonizing death by blowing up her gas tank after she’s swarmed, and later uses his grenades to sacrifice himself to save the other from a zombie attack.

6 Lilly (The Coyote)

French smuggler Lilly (The Coyote) is a tough-as-nails character who has one of the more unique arcs in the story. At first, she is painted as an irresponsible person for escorting Geeta into the zombie kingdom. Later, she recruits the odious security guard Burt Cummings (Theo Rossi) to be part of the team.

However, Lilly redeems herself in the second half of the movie by stealing the Queen’s severed head from Martin and later destroying the head before Zeus can obtain it. Moreover, Lilly heroically saves Scott and Marianne’s lives by distracting Zeus long enough for them to escape.

5 Zeus

As the primary zombie foe in the film, the almighty Zeus (Richard Centrone) ranks among the best characters in Army of the Dead. The intelligent Alpha zombie leader has every reason to go ballistic after his pregnant lover is decollated and his unborn child killed in the process.

Outside of ordering normal shamblers to patrol the kingdom, Zeus’s scariest moment comes via his introduction when he appears from the shadows and infects Cummings before a throng of his cheering zombie minions. His final rooftop attack provides the biggest action-packed spectacle of the entire film.

4 Vanderohe

One of Scott’s first recruits is Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick), the ultra magnetic and highly charismatic super-soldier who makes it all the way to the end of the story and sets up a potential sequel. In addition to being a stand-up man full of integrity, Vanderohe’s interplay with Dieter is the most entertaining part of the film.

Aside from training Dieter on how to fire weapons, Vanderohe makes a valiant effort in taking on Zeus in the Olympus casino. While overmatched, he survives the nuclear blast by staying inside the vault.

3 Marianne Peters

As the laconic, wise-cracking helicopter pilot with nothing to lose, Marianne Peters (Tig Notaro) is one of the funniest and most memorable characters in the film. Notaro famously replaced Chris D’Elia, shooting all of her scenes alone without the cast months after principal photography wrapped.

Despite being a late addition to the film, Peters stands out with her devil-may-care attitude and hilarious one-liners. As such, she makes it all the way until the end when Kate’s dubious decision costs her her life.

2 Scott Ward

The most identifiable lead character in the film is Scott Ward, the single-father reeling over the death of his wife who struggles to connect with his estranged daughter, Kate. The short-order chef who aspires to open his own restaurant is pressed into duty by billionaire Bly Tanaka.

As Scott rounds up a team to steal the money from the Olympus casino, he must also repair his relationship with Kate as well as his former flame, Maria (Ana de la Reguera). He is the most sympathetic figure in the film and the one the audience is asked to root for the most.

1 Ludwig Dieter

By far the best character in Army of the Dead is the adorable German safecracker Ludwig Dieter, who has become so popular that he is already set to star in the spinoff movie, Army of Thieves.

Dieter begins his arc as a timid soldier with zero experience firing a weapon. As he sharpens his marksmanship under Vanderohe’s tutelage, Dieter becomes a hilarious showoff who proves he is more than just a safecracker. However, it’s Dieter’s ultimate sacrifice of giving his life to save Vanderohe in the end that makes him so heroic and lovable.