Characters / Z Nation

Note: Due to the Anyone Can Die nature of the show spoilers will be unmarked.

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Operation Bite-mark

Alvin Bernard Murphy

Portrayed by: Keith Allan

"Hey! It's the apocalypse. Let's have some fun!"

Formerly in jail for postal fraud where he was forcibly injected with a cure against the zombie virus, then bit by several zombies. The Living MacGuffin.

• The Beastmaster: Part of Murphy's status as The Immune is that as he goes further and further hybrid, he grows increasingly into his ability to control and domesticate nearby zombies.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Develops a mindset similar to this.
• Brain Food: Appears to have developed low-level craving for human brains since he was forcibly fed brains by an obsessed zombie fan.
• Brought Down to Badass: In season 4 Murphy loses his usual skin and zombie powers after Zona cures him, though there are hints his powers are not completely gone. That said, his years with people like Warren and Addy rubbed off on him, and he's a very competent zombie slayer all on his own, as it turns out.
  • Empowered Badass Normal: Although he does get his powers fully back in Season 5, and he keeps the skills that he apparently learned from his fellow survivors as well.
• Butt-Monkey: Season two has a reputation as the "Let's Torture Murphy" season.
• Cannibalism Superpower: Eating brains jump started his zombie puppet master powers and later he learned he can absorb the knowledge that is inside brains.
• Character Development: Murphy starts as an overtly sarcastic, abrasive jerk who thinks nothing of locking Doc outside a truck while there are Z's out there. However, as the series progress, he becomes more of a Cowardly Lion figure who, while still snarking about it, is willing to put himself in dangerous situations for the group.
• Compelling Voice: How his powers work on the people he's bitten. They can argue all they want, but their bodies will do as Murphy commands.
• Cowardly Lion: He will, very reluctantly, work to save his friends.
• Cursed with Awesome: Murphy's immune to the virus. Being immune results in him mutating into a zombie-human hybrid. Zombies regard him as one of them and he doesn't seem to need food, rest or drink. However, being a half-zombie results in his skin going grey/blue and wrinkly, weird black tumors growing all over him, his eyes changing color, and his skin shedding.
• The Dandy: Murphy likes to wear flashy outfits not really suited for the apocalypse when he can.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Murphy has a grim appearance due to being a zombie and his status as one of the undead leads to huge quantities of Body Horror. However, he is one of the more heroic character in the series.
• Dark Messiah: By Season 3, he's embraced the role completely, and starts building an army of utterly loyal followers who view him as their savior, though he drops it by season 4.
• Death Seeker: Murphy's inner monologue in "Day One" reveals that, beneath all the bluster, he doesn't want to be the savior of humanity or the "zombie messiah". He just wants to "curl up and die like everyone else". He might have grown out of this by season 3.
• Doting Parent: Becomes this when Lucy is born.
• Exotic Eye Designs: The zombie cure has dissolved his irises, making his eye look spotty and yellow.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Most of the other survivors would stick together at this point out of genuine friendship. If he weren't the salvation of humanity, though, they'd probably leave Murphy to his own devices, if not outright kill him for his many Kick the Dog moments.
• Getting Smilies Painted on Your Soul: Arguably Murphy's most terrifying power is how anyone living whom he bites will start following him around and worshiping him like a god.
• Half-Human Hybrid: As of season 2, he's considered by some to be more zombie than human.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: Will go along with saving humanity until a better offer comes up, then, when that other offer doesn't pan out, go back to saving humanity. At times he even borders on Token Evil Teammate.
• It's All About Me: Ultimately Murphy will throw everyone under the bus if it comes down to saving himself or everyone else. His army of brainwashed slaves speaks volumes, as does his inability to see why no one would want to be a part of it.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Murphy is abrasive and cowardly, and not above more morally dubious actions if it means survival. That said, he begins to come out of it as evidenced by his sadness when he believes Doc to be dead and subsequent joy at finding out he is alive. Even more so in "Resurrection Z", when he saves the crew from Jacob, an insane preacher.
• Odd Friendship: Despite his abrasive personality, Murphy has an odd friendship with Doc, doing things like play poker using Oxycontin pills for chips.
• Non-Action Snarker: Least likely to fight and instead comment on the situation.
• Papa Wolf: He may be a self-serving, egotistical ass, but at least he genuinely loves his daughter.
• People Puppets: Can control zombies and people he's bitten like this with his mind.
• Strapped to an Operating Table: Three times now. First, when he was being forcibly injected with the experimental Anti-zombie vaccine. Secondly, when he was captured by a crazed Zombie fan who initially intended to dissect him, and thirdly in the second season finale on the Zona sub when being interrogated by Merch.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: It's pretty clear that if it weren't for the virus-resistant anti-bodies in his blood, he'd have been kicked out of the group ages ago.
• The Immune: Deconstructed. Thanks to having the only z-virus vaccine, Murphy is immune to zombie bites. As the series progresses, he starts to show signs of mutation, essentially turning him into a halfway zombie that retains his intelligence but is zombie enough that actual zombies ignore him, or at least don't attack him. He can also transmit the vaccine through his blood, as he discovers when a man he bit doesn't turn after dying, but it makes the bitten his slave.
• The Load: His zombie powers have come in useful on more than one occasion for the group, but for the most part, he's more of a burden than a help. Eventually he becomes much more useful in a fight after Season 3.
• MacGuffin Super-Person: The quest to get Murphy to California drives the early plot, due to his being key to the manufacture of a vaccine. He later takes advantage of his status as the only immune human in the world (later shared, for a time, with his daughter) to control zombies, humans, and even attain status in Zona for two years.
• Significant Haircut: Murphy shaves off all his hair after he realizes that the vaccine is starting to have side-effects. He grows it back later, along with a beard.
• Token Evil Team Mate: Maybe not entirely evil, but certainly self-centered and, more worryingly, appears to be developing an empathetic connection with the zombies.
• Took a Level in Badass: Starting in the final episode of Season 3. It first comes out once he realizes that some things, like his daughter, are worth personally fighting for, and he tries fighting The Man. He gets even better in a fight from there.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: As of the season 2 premiere, Murphy is even more of a Jerkass than he already was, seeming completely indifferent to human extinction.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Starting in Season 4, especially after he's given extended interaction with his daughter. He's now a fully committed and loyal member of the team, even if he still snarks the whole time.
• Undeathly Pallor: He wasn't looking particularly healthy in the first place, but from the start of season two, his skin has taken on a decidedly blue color, causing many to mistake him for a Z at first sight. Then in season three when he starts biting everyone his skin loses its blue and becomes albino, with bleached hair to match.
• Villain Protagonist: By season three Murphy is trying to take over the world and rule it, though he drops it by season 4.
• Visionary Villain: Starting season 3 when Murphy decides he is sick of being a tool for everyone else and tries to rebuild the world himself with everybody under his control. He gets over it in the next season.
• Wild Card: He's pretty much the only character we can safely say has Contractual Immortality, as there would literally be no show without him. But, the hints on whether he's ultimately going to be a hero or a villain keep flip-flopping.
• The Worf Effect: While he's still safe from zombie aggression no matter how many zombies are around, he is incapable of controlling more than a small group at any one time.
• Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Is praised generously by the group when he returns with food and water just in time to save Warren. Little do they know, he stole that food and water from a mother and her child. It doesn't take long for the praise to start making Murphy uncomfortable.

Roberta Warren

Portrayed by: Kellita Smith

"Well they ain't sharks."

Former member of the Missouri National Guard. The Leader.

• Action Girl: She was a soldier pre-apocalypse, and she gets into some positively brutal fights.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: While contemplating whether to commit suicide or not, she decides it is not time as she realizes a young girl is being attacked and is in need of protection.
• The Leader: After Garnett's death in "Resurrection Z."
• Mama Bear: If anyone messes with her crew they can expect an ass whoopin'.
• Manchurian Agent: Unbeknownst to her, Zona brainwashed Warren to activate Black Rainbow, not destroy it.
• Mystical White Hair: After her years long nap in ZONA, she emerges with snow-white hair.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: For the first half of season 1 she fills in for the Red, while Garnett fills in for blue.
• Revolvers Are Just Better: Her weapon of choice until the second episode of season two.
• Sassy Black Woman: "That doesn't mean I can't still kick your ass between here and there" - Roberta to Murphy.
• Seers: In season 4 she starts seeing visions that leads her towards The Black Rainbow doomsday device.
• Tomato in the Mirror: The premiere of season 5 has her being pulled out of the wreckage by Cooper, who supposedly saved her life. In the finale, Cooper reappears and tells her that she died in the crash, but her exposure to the Black Rain has made her into something more than human.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Has slowly compromised her morals and taken more extreme measures to get Murphy to a lab. Murphy has called her out on this.

Steven "Doc" Beck

Portrayed by: Russell Hodgkinson

Former psychologist. The Medic.

• Functional Addict: He is an admitted meth cooker and pill popper, whose first instinct when trapped in a ventilation shaft with an angry zombie is to light up a joint. However, he survives the zombie apocalypse quite well.
• I Know Mortal Kombat: Not really a doctor, but he's watched a lot of ER.
• Improbable Weapon User: His preferred method of undead ass-kicking is a pair of ball-peen hammers.
• In-Series Nickname: "Doc". His real name, Steven Beck, has only been mentioned once so far.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With 10K in particular, though Doc is at least a decade older than everyone in the group.
• Not That Kind of Doctor: Or, indeed, ANY kind of doctor.
• Number Two: He's usually the one to lead the group whenever Warren isn't around. She knows that she can trust his judgment.
• Odd Friendship: With Murphy.
• The Medic: His medical qualifications consist of having watched the most episodes of ER. However, he's still the teams go-to-guy when it comes to medical issues.
• The Stoner: Not only for "Z Weed", but meth, pot, and other herbal inhalants too.
• Team Dad: He's a paternal, if somewhat quirky, presence to the group at large.
• Undying Loyalty: Warren explicitly trusts Doc with her life:
  "There are a few things that I've learned to trust in the apocalypse... Steven Beck is one of those few."

Addison "Addy" Carver

Portrayed by: Anastasia Baranova

Former college student. The Big Girl.

• Action Girl: She gets into some of the most brutal close-range fights out of the group, and her signature weapon is a spiked baseball bat.
• Batter Up!: Her signature zombie-killing move is to beat in their heads with a battered, bloodstained aluminum baseball bat- that's been fitted with metal spikes and a taser.
• Battle Couple: With Mack.
• Broken Bird: She reveals that she's been despondent ever since Lucy's death.
• The Bus Came Back: She returns to the group in the middle of Season 5, reuniting the original core Five-Man Band of Warren, Murphy, 10K, Doc, and herself.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: In the pilot, and in a few early season episodes, she is seen recording the deaths of the zombies she kills with a handheld camera. This is dropped by the middle of season one.
• Eyepatch of Power: She gets one between seasons three and four.
• Gadgeteer Genius: At least where communications tech is concerned.
• Honorary Aunt: Lucy starts calling her Aunt Addy shortly after learning that she knows her father although she isn't her aunt. Once Lucy grows into a young adult, this relationship becomes more of a Cool Big Sis dynamic.
• Mama Bear: She gets very attached to Lucy, and goes through some of the most brutal beatdowns in the series against The Man for her trouble.
• Number Two: Of the group, behind Warren; the crew starts to defer to her decisions shortly after Vasquez leaves.
• Parental Substitute: Once she saves Lucy from The Man, she acts as this for her, training her on how to survive in the Z Nation.
• Put on a Bus: She saves Lucy from The Man, but then is separated from the main group. Word of God is that she is still alive, and will be returning for Season 5.
• The Smart Guy / The Heart: While she could be considered the most emotionally-driven of the group, she also serves as their tech support. On several occasions her tech skills have been crucial to the groups survival and have allowed them to remain in semi-regular contact with Citizen Z.
• Unstoppable Rage: Nearly delivers a No Holds Barred Beat Down to Murphy when his actions inadvertently get Mack killed.

10K (Ten Thousand/Thomas)

Portrayed by: Nat Zang

"Fracking Zombies"

Son of a survivalist. The Gunslinger.

• The Ace: He's a badass sharpshooter.
• An Arm and a Leg: Gets his right arm below the forearm lopped off in an attempt to stop a Zombie bite from turning him.
• And I Must Scream: After he is bitten by Murphy. 10K has his own thoughts, but Murphy controls his body.
• Badass Normal: When he's not racking up zombies for his headcount he's a fairly regular guy.
• Boom, Headshot!: As the group's sniper, he frequently blows a zombie or unfriendly survivor's head off from a distance.
• Brats with Slingshots: 10k, the youngest of the group, has a slingshot as a backup weapon. It's a decent ammo saver, and it helps that he can unfailingly shoot zombies right through the eye.
• The Cutie: For such a hardcore zombie killing machine, he is very adorable and innocent.
• Friendly Sniper: Very nice and innocent, and deadly with a projectile weapon.
• Handicapped Badass: Once he gets outfitted with a hook, he figures out how to shoot again.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Not only is 10K impressively good with his rifle, he can kill zombies with a slingshot.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With the much older Doc.
• It's Personal: Claims that he will eventually kill Murphy, in revenge for Cassandra being bitten.
• Life-or-Limb Decision: Though not his choice. Red cuts his arm off to save him after a Zombie bite. It works.
• Pretty Boy: Very much. Doc, at one point, describes him as having "boyish good looks."
• Sniper Rifle: A sniper rifle is his favorite weapon.
• Verbal Tic: Counting his zombie kills aloud.

Simon "Citizen Z" Cruller

Portrayed by: DJ Qualls

NSA agent directing Operation Bite-mark from his base in the Arctic; doubles as a radio DJ. The Mission Control.

• Early-Installment Weirdness: The pilot presented Simon's "Citizen Z" persona as a cool, confident, shades wearing, music playing DJ. That pretty much disappeared after the pilot, though people still make reference to him playing music.
• Go Mad from the Isolation: Occasionally, he shows signs of cracking from the sheer loneliness of his situation. His dog, and his occasional communication with Operation Bite-mark help, but he still has his moments.
• Heroes Love Dogs: Acquires a Siberian Husky early on in season one.
• Lovable Nerd: For an NSA agent he's quite friendly and geeky.
• Nice Guy: Extremely friendly and helpful when he can be.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sends out a bounty call for Murphy, which unknowingly causes most of the group to end up caught in the cross-fire between several gangs.
• Recruiting the Criminal: Simon was a former hacker that was incarcerated and freed by the US government in exchange for him helping them combat the growing zombie menace.
• Voice with an Internet Connection: Due to his connection to the NSA mainframe he can access pretty much any computer, telephone or electronic device on the planet. Often he uses this to communicate with Operation Bitemark and on occasion provides helpful (or not so helpful) information about escape routes and, on one occasion, broadcasts Flight Of The Valkyries to help attract a horde of zombies.

Kaya

Portrayed by: Ramona Young

A young Inuit girl living with her Uncle Kaskae and grandmother near the Northern Light listening post. She and her family rescue Simon when he sets off into the Arctic for supplies, eventually becoming a vital member of the team.

• Action Girl: She turns out to be very handy in a fight when she needs to be.
• Ascended Fangirl: She is a massive fan of Citizen Z. Not only does she convince Simon to start his broadcasts again, she also becomes his co-host, his lover, the new Citizen Z (as "Kaya in the Sky-a"), and the mother of his child.
• Genki Girl: She's very easily excited, which makes her a natural fit for Simon, who tends toward the same excitable tendencies.
• Mama Bear: The second that her kid gets put in danger by some Zona thugs, she grabs a gun and starts firing.
• Mission Control: For Warren's group in the States, alongside Simon. While Simon is away, she runs the show solo.
• Rescue Romance: She saves Simon from freezing to death and instantly falls for him.

Red

Portrayed by: Natalie Jongjaroenlarp

10K's on-again-off-again Love Interest. Had an adopted brother named 5K.

• Action Girl: She's very competent in a fight, having been one of the longest-running survivors (even making it to Newmerica).
• Color Motif: In addition to her red hair, Red always wears something bright red.
• Guest-Star Party Member: Red sometimes joins the group, but never stays with it for long. However, as of Season 5, she seems to have finally settled with them for real.
• Lady of War: Red, as opposed to the more rough and tumble women in the group, tends to dress much more elegantly. It doesn't stop her from kicking ass.
• Parental Substitute: A parental sisterly substitute for 5K.
• Sole Survivor: Of the Mercy Labs survivor group.

Georgia "George" St. Claire

Portrayed by: Katy O'Brian

The de facto leader of Altura, and one of the strongest proponents for Newmerica.

• The Ace: She is a gifted combatant and a skilled statesman.
• Action Girl: She's able to fight ably alongside Warren and the rest of the group with no issues.
• All-Loving Hero: She is able to find compassion and empathy for humans and Talkers alike.
• Bifauxnen: She dresses very androgynously, in addition to going by a shortening of her real name, Georgia.
• Boyish Short Hair: She has her hair cut in a very cropped, butch style.
• Gender-Blender Name: She goes by "George," which is short for Georgia.
• I Owe You My Life: Mutually with Warren: the two saved each other when the outbreak started, and have a deep friendship and respect for one another.
• The Stoner: Not originally, but Doc gives her some weed to help numb the pain from a sprained ankle. She ends up loving it, and spends the rest of the episode getting baked.
• Took a Level in Badass: George went from a meek university student to one of the leaders of the human (and Talker) world after the apocalypse, in addition to being a phenomenal fighter.
• Tragic Keepsake: After she finds Dante's dismembered body, she keeps his trademark sunglasses and begins to wear them as her own.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: One of George's defining character traits: she firmly believes in Newmerica, and it's a quality that Roberta tries to keep instilled in her despite all of the problems founding it causes.

Former Members of Operation Bite-mark

Mark Hammond

Portrayed by: Harold Perrineau

A member of the remnants of the US military, charged with getting Murphy to the lab in California. Is killed in the first episode after meeting up with what would turn into Warren's group.

• Black Dude Dies First: Maybe done deliberately so the audience would assume Mack is the leader, to make his death a surprise.
• Dead Star Walking: Harold Perrineau was probably the most famous cast member initially, which is why his death is so shocking.
• Rugged Scar: Got a jagged white scar between the prologue and the start of the first episode proper.
• Sacrificial Lion: So you know just how dangerous all the zombies are.

Charles Garnett

Portrayed by: Tom Everett Scott

Former member of the Georgia National Guard. Takes over as The Leader after Hammond is killed.

• Crusading Widower: He had a wife and daughter, but their fates are unknown, presumed dead.
• The Generic Guy: Maybe because he was just going to die anyway, but besides his infatuation with Warren he didn't have much in the way of characterization.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Takes a bullet for Murphy so the mission can continue.
• Sacrificial Lion: Was killed after six episodes just to reinforce that Anyone Can Die.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Warren, which tragically was about to be resolved when a zombie outbreak occurred and Garnett was shot.

Mack Thompson

Portrayed by: Michael Welch

Former hockey player. Addy's boyfriend.

• Back for the Dead: Gets Put on a Bus with Addy during the penultimate episode of season one, only to be killed off in the second episode of season two.
• Battle Couple: He and Addy have been a formidable zombie-fighting team ever since the zombie apocalypse started.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Could come across this way at times, especially when Citizen Z (who has a fairly noticeable crush on Addy) starts to communicate with the group more frequently.
• Foreshadowing: In season one, he jokes that if he ever needs mercy, he hopes it'll be Addy who puts him down. In season two, she's forced to do just that.
• Hockey Fight: In a flashback, its established that Mack was a member of a hockey team and was about to get into one of these, but the zombie apocalypse stopped the fight and enabled him to meet Addy.
• Lovable Jock: He was a hockey player before the outbreak, but he's a pretty nice guy.
• Put on a Bus: Temporarily at the end of season 1.
• Satellite Love Interest: Beyond being deeply in love with Addy Mack did not have much characterization.
• Undying Loyalty: Towards Addy.

Dr. Marilyn Merch

Lisa Corononado

The scientist who invented the vaccine tested on Murphy.

• Commuting on a Bus: Is forced to flee without Murphy and Hammond on a helicopter before its made obvious he is immune and spends the next couple seasons popping up now and then while the main characters try to reach a place to extract Murphy's blood.
• Morality Pet: Hammond's nicest moments come while dealing with her at the beginning of the episode.
• Sole Surviving Scientist: As society fell, she's the one who found a cure, and in the first scene of the series no less.

Cassandra

Portrayed by: Pisay Pao

Life unknown before the zombie outbreak, but she was used by a different survival group as bait for gullible travelers before joining up with Warren's group.

• Came Back Wrong: Murphy bites her to save her from dying of infection. It doesn't go so well.
• Dark and Troubled Past: She survived the early days of the zombie apocalypse by joining a group of survivors in a trailer park. Unfortunately, they turned out to be cannibals and forced her to work as a prostitute in order to lure other survivors in to be eaten. She is on the run from this group when they meet her.
• Go-Go Enslavement: When Cassandra becomes Murphy's slave he dresses her up in a gold tank top and matching short-shorts, go-go boots, and a fur coat. Because he's tacky like that.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: While trying to kill 10K, he impales her through the mouth with a knife and finally kills her.
• The Renfield: After she is bitten by Murphy she becomes very loyal to him, but reduced mental capacities.
• Undying Loyalty: To Murphy after he resurrects her.

Hector "Escorpion" Alvarez

Portrayed by: Emilio Rivera

Member of The Cartel, tasked with hunting down Murphy so The Cartel can monopolize the zombie vaccine cure. After he does and it all falls apart (as usual), and feeling pretty bad about all the things he'd done as an enforcer, Hector joins with Warren's group.

• Arch-Enemy: Vasquez's arch enemy, though he didn't know Vasquez was gunning for him.
• The Atoner: Hector joins the group to make up for what he did.
• Came Back Wrong: Is injected with the solution made by Curien after his death. His eyes open but they don't have the color of the other hybrids.
• The Heavy: During season two. While Escorpion is not in charge of the cartel, he is main threat facing the group.
• Heel–Face Turn: When he can't stand what he did anymore. Vasquez almost shooting him but relenting probably helped.
• Mark of Shame: He has a tattoo of Vasquez's daughter on his arm, to remind him of what he did.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: In "Down the Mississippi," he presides over the trial of Sketchy, Sleazy, and 10K for stealing the truck of some human traffickers working for him, and using it to con an entire town. Despite working for a criminal group, he holds a fair trial and even allows the defendants the opportunity to defend themselves, while silencing anyone who interrupts. And while he does ultimately sentence them to death, he only does so after being provided absolute evidence of their guilt.
• Redemption Equals Death: Dies after pulling a genuine Heel–Face Turn. But based on Came Back Wrong, apparently not...
• That Man Is Dead: When Escorpion starts going by his normal name again to distance himself from his past.

Javier Vasquez

Portrayed by: Matt Cedeño

Former member of the DEA until his wife and daughter were killed by Escorpion. Became a Bounty Hunter in the apocalypse.

• Amazon Chaser: If his interest in Warren is any indication.
• Arch-Enemy: Escorpion, whom Vasquez chases across the country.
• Dark and Troubled Past: His wife and kid were killed right in front of him and drove him on a revenge quest.
• Face–Heel Turn: When he returned in Season 3, he was apparently insane and had forgotten about Operation Bitemark and considered himself Escorpion.
• Go Mad from the Revelation: Unfortunately being unable to kill Escorpion apparently drove Vaquez mad, because when he shows up in season three he's running a violent gang and calling himself Escorpion.
• The Lancer / The Big Guy: Is one of the best zombie killers on the team, but also acts as a contrast to Warren, particularly where Murphy is concerned.
• Politically Incorrect Hero: Is mildly sexist at times.
• Put on a Bus: After he is unable to kill Escorpion the gang just leave Vasquez alone in a bar to drink, then he is last seen running into the woods fighting off zombies.
  • Bus Crash: Returns in season three, only to be stabbed by Warren the next episode.
• Sixth Ranger: Joins the group in season two, but seems to have been accepted easily enough.
• What You Are in the Dark: When he finally had a repentant Escorpion and has him at gunpoint Vasquez is unable to kill him.

Sgt. "Sarge" Lilley M. Mueller

Portrayed by: Grace Gilliam

A US army sergeant travelling with her father. After he dies Lilley tries to convince the group to travel to the safety of Numerica.

• Actiong Irl: She's a good zombie fighter.
• Flat Character: Lilley doesn't have a lot going on for her besides being a competent military officer.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: When 10K's ex-girlfriend Red re-enters the scene, she's willing to back off.
• Killed Off for Real: Shortly into Season 5 to save 10K and Red's lives, by way of pulling a grenade to blow up a bunch of zombies attacking them.
• The Lad-ette: Lilley is super butch, to the point one might thinks she's gay until she jumps 10K in the season 4 finale.
• Like Father, Like Son: In the military just like her dad.
• Only Sane Woman: Compared to the rest of the group, she at least questions following Warren, but isn't a jerk about it like Murphy.
• Tank-Top Tomboy: Once Lilley starts travelling with the group by herself she starts dressing more casually.

Sun Mei

Portrayed by: Sydney Viengluang

Army scientist from Beijing sent to bring Murphy back to China to create a vaccine. The Smart Girl.

• Action Girl: The girl is China's answer to Roberta; she knows how to fight, shoot, and kick ass.
• Badass Bookworm: She's a scientist who's capable of shredding through Z hordes.
• The Bus Came Back: She is separated from the main group at the end of Season 3 and returns in season 5 working as a doctor in Newmerica.
  • Back for the Dead: She is killed later in season 5 after discovering a cure for the zombie virus.
    • Fling a Light into the Future: She gets the team to preserve her brain after she dies so Murphy can eat it and learnt he zombie cure.
• Ensign Newbie: She was put in charge of the retrieve Murphy mission despite her inexperience.
• The Leader: Of a separate group of survivors after the events of Season 3.
• Naïve Newcomer: Despite her military training, since Beijing was successfully walled off Sun doesn't have much experience in the wasteland.
• Sole Survivor: Sun traveled to America with an entire battalion. They were all killed.
• Sole Surviving Scientist: Sun is the only known scientist left in the world with the knowledge to make a vaccine out of Murphy's blood.

Other Sentient People

Sketchy McClain

Portrayed by: Mark Curr

A recurring Con Man Operation Bite-mark keeps running into, along with his business partner and friend Skeezy.

• Arms Dealer: His original job. Most notably Sketchy is the one who sold Addy her baseball bat.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Skeezy.
• Once a Season: He and Skeezy get one episode a season.
• Take That!: His appearance in "Election Day", where he pretends to be a fear mongering "President of the Apocalypse" who promises survivors, to build a wall to keep the zombies out, then takes all their resources and scram, is a shot at Donald Trump.

Dr. Walter Kurian

Portrayed by: Donald Corren

The scientist who created ZN1 zombie virus and doomed the world. He wants to find Murphy and create a zombie cure, and will kill anyone who gets in his way and work with anyone to get what he wants.

• Big Bad: Of season one.
• Greater-Scope Villain: He is the one who created the zombie plague and caused the apocalypse, albeit unintentionally.
• Mad Scientist: Because honestly, who intentionally makes a zombie virus?
• Oracular Head: Thanks to a treatment devised from Murphy's blood and Roberta's machete.
• Professor Guinea Pig: He is injected against his will with his experimental vaccine to see if it works. It does, sort of.

Lucy Murphy

Portrayed by: Cora M. Abdallah, Bea Corley, Madelyn Grace

Murphy's half-human, half-whatever-Murphy-is daughter. Lucy can also control zombies.

• Action Girl: Addy trains her to be a competent zombie hunter once she grows into young adulthood.
• Guest-Star Party Member: She briefly joins the group for the first half of Season 4, only to sacrifice herself to save her father's life, much to his and the team's grief.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Rapid ages herself into old age to save Murphy, and perishes soon after.
• MacGuffin Girl: Just like her daddy.
• Rapid Aging: She seems to immediately jump ahead several years every couple of months. Also counts as Wise Beyond Their Years because she's acts her age even though she's less than two years old. Revealed in her final episode to be a side effect of her bite.
• Spoiled Brat: Because her guardians are under Murphy's thrall and she has an entire planet of mindless slaves to play with, Lucy is a little too use to getting what she wants. She grows out of it as she grows up, especially when she's under Addy's care.
• Too Kinky to Torture: A non-sexual example. When The Man tasers Lucy to try and get her to shut up, she just giggles and tells him to do it again while smoke comes out of her head.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Because she's been able to control zombies since she was born, Lucy is completely unafraid of zombies. She doesn't understand why other people would be afraid of zombies.

La Reina

Portrayed by: Gina Gershon

The head of the Zeros cartel looking for Murphy to obtain the vaccine for her in order to make her the ruler of the world essentially.

• Big Bad: Of Season two.
• Faux Affably Evil: Can act very friendly but if you go against her, she will have you killed brutally.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Escorpion uses a spear-like object to impale her through the mouth.
• Red Baron: Only known as La Reina (The Queen in Spanish). Her husband who was the head of the cartel was named Gonzalo but he died and she took over.

"The Man"

Portrayed by: Joseph Gatt

A mercenary who tracks down people for Zona. His latest target is Murphy.

• Affably Evil: He is not needlessly cruel unless he has to be. He also never raises his voice and is polite for the most part even while killing people.
• Badly Battered Babysitter: Once he gets a hold of Lucy, she starts driving him absolutely insane. Once she ages up to a teenager, he can only mutter, "great, now I have a teenager..." in exasperation.
• Bald of Evil: Does not even have eyebrows, leading to the derisive nickname "Mr. Clean".
• Big Bad: Of Season three. He is working for the folks at Zona but he is the direct antagonist for Roberta and her group.
• Cassandra Truth: He promises Lucy that he's going to keep her safe, and that nothing will hurt her. Based on how decadent and peaceful Zona is, and how nicely Murphy and Warren had been living for two years there, The Man was absolutely telling the truth. It's just that he's so dangerous - and Zona hadn't established itself to be trustworthy to begin with - that nobody believed him.
• Knight of Cerebus: What makes him scarier than all the other villains on the show. He does not engage in Evil Is Hammy, is totally unflappable, and is the best fighter on the show bordering on superhuman.
• No Name Given: The group just calls him The Man, and he never offers his real name.
• One-Man Army: He is completely unshakeable as a fighter. He survives two fights against Addy (who's by and large the best physical fighter in the group save for Warren), disarms Warren after a quick fight, takes out Murphy quickly, and is able to knock out Doc before he can get a shot in. He would have gotten away with Lucy had Addy not tackled him over a cliff.
• The Unfettered: He will get his target, he will jury rig a radiation suit to get his target.
• Would Hurt a Child: When he kidnaps Lucy, he tasers her to shut her up. When that doesn't work, he puts a sack over her head and chokes her until she agrees to keep quiet.

The Founder

Portrayed by: Michael Berryman

Leader and founder of Zona.

• Ambiguously Human: No one says anything to indicate the Founder is anything but human, but there's something wrong with him. His skin is mottled and his skull appears to be partially caved in. It could be because of Murphy's cure, but no one else in Zona looks different.
• Bald of Evil: Very bald, very nasty.
• The Elites Jump Ship: The beginning of season 4 features a Crapsaccharine World that he founded for the richest people in the world to flee to during the zombie apocalypse. They are willing to sacrifice everyone else left in the world to preserve their own survival and prosperity.
• Greater-Scope Villain: As the head of Zona the Founder is responsible for a lot of problems the group had to deal with.
• Minor Major Character: He doesn't appear until the fourth season, and then only for two episodes and a flashback, but as the leader of Zona he is really important.
• Obviously Evil: He owns a lot of weird skull-themed objects for starters.

Wrecking Ball

Portrayed By: Bill Voorhes

• Nephewism: He's mainly accepts by his group because their boss is his uncle.
• The Stoner: Smokes weed made from zombie compost, motivating Murphy to go looking for the lab that grew it when he finds out.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Leaves his first episode accompanying Murphy and Cassandra, then is never mentioned again.