The Walking Dead: 10 Ways Carol Has Changed Since Season 1

Every show has its underdog, and for AMC’s mega-successful zombie drama The Walking Dead, that underdog is none other than Carol Peletier. The character was first introduced in the third episode of the series’ pilot season, “Tell It To The Frogs”. At this point, actress Melissa McBride was only credited as a guest star, and Carol was a character who easily blended into the background.

Things could not be more different now, a decade after The Walking Dead aired its first season. Carol is now one of the most beloved and iconic characters on the show and is one of the two remaining original characters left on the show, the other being Daryl Dixon. Carol has gone through one of the most notable evolutions on the series, developing and changing in many ways since the first season.

10 She’s A Professional Zombie Killer

Season 1 Carol would not come within ten feet of a firearm, while the Carol fans know and love now is one of the most seasoned fighters on the show. This development in Carol’s character is certainly a satisfying one, and it’s something that happened over the course of multiple seasons.

Carol went from trying to scare away walkers by waving a stick at them in the season 2 finale, “Beside The Dying Fire”, to singlehandedly obliterating Terminus in season 5’s “No Sanctuary”. Carol’s skills only continued to grow after that, and she continues to make her OG fans proud.

9 She’s Not Afraid To Speak Her Mind

Carol was portrayed as being meek and quiet for the majority of seasons 1 and 2, but as the months of the apocalypse went on, she began to find her voice. It was empowering for many fans to watch this formerly timid character gather up the courage to defend herself and speak her mind.

An early instance of this was when she stood up to Merle in season 3 episode 15, “This Sorrowful Life”, proving once and for all that she was no longer afraid to put in her two cents.

8 She Abandoned Her Religion

One of the major aspects of Carol’s character in the early seasons of the show was her devotion to her religion. She was often seen praying for the well-being of others, including her daughter before Sophia’s demise was revealed in season 2 episode 7, “Pretty Much Dead Already”.

Following Sophia’s death, Carol was shown to slowly lose her faith, and today, this part of her character is almost completely forgotten.

7 She Grew Out Her Hair

The Walking Dead‘s ninth season saw Carol in a leadership position at the Kingdom, in a relationship with Ezekiel, and acting as a mother to Henry. After Rick’s disappearance heralded a six-year time jump in the show’s universe, Carol was shown to have gone through a transformation.

Having had her signature pixie cut for the entire course of the show, seeing Carol with long flowing hair was a major change. In season 9 episode 10, Henry revealed that Carol had always kept her hair short due to her former husband, Ed’s abusive nature.

6 Her Wardrobe

At the quarry in season 1, Carol lived under Ed’s wrath and much of what she did was controlled by him. Following Ed’s death in episode 5, “Wildfire”, Carol was free to be independent, and this meant she was free to dress the way she wanted as well.

In the season 2 premiere, Carol was shown admiring an outfit as she mused to Lori, “Ed never let me wear nice things”. Since this moment, Carol’s wardrobe notably changed and continued to evolve with her character throughout the seasons.

5 She’s Her Own Hero

Carol is not one to rely on other characters to save her. Her independence has grown significantly since the early Walking Dead seasons, and she’s one of the most self-sufficient, resourceful characters on the show. Most recently, Carol got into a dangerous situation in season 10 episode 14, “Look At The Flowers”.

As she struggled with her inner demons (manifested as ghost Alpha following and taunting her), Carol was forced to come to terms with her crises and ultimately save herself and return to Alexandria.

4 She Stands Up To Men

Carol was hard-pressed to stand up to anyone in the earliest seasons of The Walking Dead, but the struggles she would go through made her stronger and unafraid to defend herself against others, something she’s had to do multiple times.

By season 3, Carol was not one to be taken advantage of, and as time went on, she only got stronger and less afraid to stand up to men that might remind her of her deceased husband.

3 Her Morals Have Changed

Carol was not one that audiences would have called a killer in The Walking Dead‘s first few seasons. Carol had never killed a living person up until season 4, but that all changed with the infamous Karen and David storyline. When Carol killed the ailing residents out of a need to protect everyone else, the way the audience perceived her changed quite a bit.

Carol is no assassin, but she is pragmatic and unafraid to do what needs to be done. She’s struggled with this for years on the show, but she often takes the sensible route and gets things done, more so than many other characters.

2 She’s Not Afraid To Enter Romantic Relationships

Carol went without a significant other for several seasons after Ed’s death. In season 6, she had a short lived fling with Alexandria resident, Tobin, and she has of course been a part of a beloved, ambiguous, will-they-won’t-they relationship with Daryl Dixon since season 2.

In season 9, Carol was romantically involved with Ezekiel. They were together for years in the show’s universe, and although the relationship ended, it was nice for fans to see that Carol was no longer inhibited by Ed’s past abuse.

1 She’s A Leader

One of Carol’s most impressive feats was leading the Kingdom alongside Ezekiel. During season 9, she was hailed as “Queen Carol”, an inspiring development in her story. To see Carol evolve from a minor character to a major role, and become a leader of a community, was very empowering.

After the fall of the Kingdom, Carol continues to have a major role in the surrounding communities, and at the beginning of season 10, it was revealed that she had become a ship captain and fisherwoman.

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