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Character growth is always present in The Walking Dead series. While zombie killing and battles with human enemies will always be at the forefront, many of the best moments of the series have been the more intimate ones between characters. Rick telling Daryl he’s like a brother to him is one that sticks out.
Few characters grew more than Carl. He started the series as a kid who was scared of almost everything and became one of the leaders of the survivor group. He, above anyone else, showed what would happen to a child forced to live through an apocalypse. It’s impressive that through all his growth, he managed to retain any of his traits from when he was younger.
10 Kept: Shame & Guilt Always Followed The Consequences Of His Actions
Of all the characters in the show, Carl dealt with shame and guilt more than anyone. It felt like whenever he took an action that had a repercussion on the group, he’d be consumed with guilt. He had a penchant for always thinking everything was his fault, leading to battles of borderline depression during the show.
The death of Dale is one incident that nearly causes him to go off the deep end. Thankfully, his father is there to use Dale’s death as a lesson.
9 Outgrew: He No Longer Feared What The World Became
In Season 1, Carl was understandably afraid of what the world had become. He was still a child, so it took him longer to fully grasp what the zombie outbreak had done to everything he once knew. Even when he started to get a better grasp, all it did was make him more scared.
As the show went on, much of that started to fade away, Carl becoming more of an adult who could handle his problems on his own. He’s a prime example of the world shaping the type of person he became.
8 Kept: His Desire To Protect Others Never Left
The desire Carl had to protect others was always there as a kid. He wants what’s best for those around him. As a child, that meant being a positive force that would try to be there emotionally for those close to him.
As he grew older, his actions became brasher, rushing out to save Michonne or helping his father deal with Morgan Jones. In both cases, he was willing to put himself in danger to keep those he loved safe.
7 Outgrew: His Shyness Was Replaced By A Bolder Personality
When Carl first appeared he was a very shy child who only spoke to his family and those he trusted, like Shane. He didn’t like going outside of his comfort zone to speak with strangers. Season 2 started a shift towards a bolder personality, despite some of his internal shyness remaining.
He wanted to take a more active part in the group and not be a liability to those around him. As the seasons continued, the shyness continued to fade away, replaced by a more confident boy.
6 Kept: The Childishness He Had When Having Crushes On Other Girls
One way Carl never really got the chance to mature is how he dealt with the opposite gender. He never got old enough to grasp how to handle his feelings for girls. It started in the third season when he had a big-time crush on Beth Greene and continued through much of the series.
He’s always been awkward around those he’s liked, much like a typical teenage boy would. Even an apocalypse isn’t going to suddenly make a kid have any idea what he’s doing.
5 Outgrew: His Aversion To Firearms
For much of Seasons 1 and 2, Carl wasn’t fond of firearms. Dale’s death got him to the point that he was willing to swear them off completely. It’s an aversion he’s forced to get over during the conflict with Shane, and had he not, the series would have gone in a completely different direction.
By the third season, he’s over the aversion and becomes rather skilled with firearms. It’s a 180 from how he was during Rick’s pep talk to him.
4 Kept: No One Had The Ability To Bounce Back Like Carl
Carl may have well been a rubber band. He went through more in the series than anyone not named Rick and always managed to bounce back. All of the loss and death would weigh on him for a time, but he’d always manage to persevere, something many of the other characters in the series couldn’t claim.
It’s impressive that Carl was able to make it through as intact as he was. Most kids would have folded beneath the hardships within a few seasons.
3 Outgrew: The Softer Sides Of His Personality Became Hardened
Given that he was still a kid, Carl was one of the beacons of hope in the series. He was the type of person the entire group was fighting to protect, the pure soul. Given the circumstances of The Walking Dead, the pureness was bound to get washed away eventually.
Sure enough, the softer sides of Carl’s personality got sharper. By the time The Governor showed up, Carl was just as hardened as many of the other members of the group. Given that he had to put his mother down, it’s hard to imagine him ever keeping any childish tendencies.
2 Kept: Disobedience Toward Rick Only Grew As The Series Went On
As with any kid Carl’s age, he was bound to grow rebellious at some point. By Season 2, when his confidence started to grow, he became more disobedient to Rick’s demands. It only festered as Rick decided to take a backseat as a parent, focusing more on his leadership of the group rather than his kid.
By the end of Carl’s time on the series, he was actively defying his father’s orders, showing a side of himself that was far darker than what he was like in Season 1.
1 Outgrew: The Desire To Be Coddled By His Family
One of the big character developments in Season 4 is Carl’s growing desire to be seen as a man. He doesn’t want to be coddled or treated like a child by Rick. He wants the same say that the other adults do and is willing to voice as such.
He spoke out against Hershel going out into the woods alone and told Rick that he should allow Carol to teach the other kids how to defend themselves. It’s a stark difference from the boy who used to run to his parents for comfort.
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