Despite a recent drop in ratings, The Walking Dead remains the most-viewed cable series on television. With its ninth season underway and having been renewed for a tenth season with spin-off films in the works, it shows no signs of slowing down. Part of the enduring popularity is due to the stellar cast and endearing characters we’ve grown to love—or love to hate—over the years.

With The Walking Dead comics introducing a host of rich and interesting characters, the television adaptation has had the weighty responsibility of transferring big personalities onto the screen. Aware many viewers are familiar with Robert Kirkman’s long-running comic series, The Walking Dead is notorious for toying with expectations, often changing characters’ personalities or storylines to keep us on the edge of our seats. Beware, spoilers follow as we rundown the characters who are most different in the show compared to the comics.

10 10. Carl

Carl Grimes leans on the door of a car while wearing an eyepatch and hat

Viewers were shocked when Carl Grimes revealed that he had received a deadly walker bite in season eight. He’s integral to building the new world in the comics, and the show will need to get creative with portraying his biggest story arcs. So far, it looks as if Judith will take his place in befriending Negan, while Henry may be the one to land our heroes in trouble ahead of the Whisperer war.

Related: Walking Dead: Chandler Riggs Imagines Carl’s Role Post-Rick

Carl grows up fast in both versions. In the show, however, he hardens quickly and coldly. He tells Carol she’s stupid for believing in God after finding Sofia (un)dead, he causes Dale’s death, kills his own mother, shoots a surrendering boy, and is even unflinching in the presence of Negan and the Saviors—all causing continued strain on his relationship with his father. The letter he left for Rick was the catalyst his father needed to keep building and a glimpse of the ambitious but caring Carl from the comics. He was the one who envisioned a new, peaceful world—it’s a world he can help build in the comics, but had the chance snatched away from him on the show.

9 9. The Governor

TWD's The Governor

Brian Blake is a straight-up villain. The ruler of Woodbury doesn’t worry about hiding his true colors. Ashamed of how cowardly he was when the outbreak started, he adopted his brother’s name (Philip) and bullish persona, making himself the Governor. He forced himself to commit unspeakable atrocities to adapt to the new world, and seemed to relish in the violence he inflicted on people. When the Governor first meets Rick, he swiftly chops his hand off—there’s no mistaking who the bad guy is here.

In the show, however, Philip Blake is warm and charismatic when Andrea and Michonne first discover Woodbury. On the outside, the settlement and the Governor seem warm and approachable, but underneath hides terrible darkness. More like a cult leader who can draw people in and charm their way out of any situation than his comic counterpart, David Morrissey was incredibly sinister as the man who felt he was destined to rule over others.

8 8. Heath

heath-twd

One of Alexandria Safe-Zone’s original residents, Heath is a supply runner in both versions of The Walking Dead. His personality is somewhat similar too: caring but cynical, someone who tends to look at the bigger picture before charging ahead and is happy to challenge decisions he doesn’t agree with.

He’s a key player in Alexandria: he tries to kill Negan, fights against the Whisperers, and joins the newly-formed Militia in the aftermath of the Whisperer war. He loses a leg along the way and forms a firm friendship with Glenn, each of them sharing similar values. But Heath disappeared after just five episodes of the show. While Corey Hawkins left to star in FOX’s 24: Legacy, fans of the show and comic were left to speculate as to what actually happened to Heath. Rumour has it he was traded by The Scavengers, so it’s possible he’ll return in the movies to fulfill his character’s legacy.

7 7. Dale

Although accompanied by his trusty RV in both the comics and the show, Dale’s character saw some big changes on-screen. In the comics, Dale is a wise man who works for the group’s survival. He devises defense strategies for camp perimeters, strips Rick of his leadership status when he becomes too aggressive, and actively looks for new settlements. Dale loses part of this drive in the adaptation, instead appearing as an interfering busybody. The moral center of the show, he spends a lot of his time watching the group closely. He sees through Shane’s intentions, confronts Hershel about the barn walkers, and begs Rick not to kill Randall.

On the page, Dale also finds happiness in a relationship with Andrea, and the pair adopt Billy and Ben. Their on-screen relationship is strained, moving from a father-daughter-like bond to a tense friendship. Dale also dies in two different—but equally stomach-churning—ways. In the comics, he’s taken by cannibal group, The Hunters, leaving Dale to cackle that they’re eating “tainted meat” as he reveals a walker bite—a fate met by Bob in the show. On TV, Dale is disembowelled by a walker and put out of his misery by Daryl.

6 6. Morgan

morgan-twd

In season one, Morgan is a near carbon copy of his comic counterpart. He struggles with the loss of his wife and tries his best to care for his son. We meet him again later only to discover his son turned. In the comics he joins Rick and his group at the prison and sporadically bursts into fits of self-harming behaviour, hurting himself instead of others. He never recovers from the loss of his family, and tragically doesn’t realize that he wants to live until it’s too late.

Morgan’s on-screen journey has been just as emotional. Shutting himself away from society, he set out on his own and became a cold-blooded murderer who would kill anyone who crossed him, including innocents. After Aikido training to control his impulses, he found his way to Alexandria and the Kingdom where he vowed never to kill again. But his thirst for revenge against the Saviors caused him to break that promise. With his rage causing him to hallucinate, he decided he shouldn’t be around people and left the settlements. More recently, he has made his way to Texas, and Fear The Walking Dead, where he’s beginning to find new purpose in life.

5 5. Andrea

Andrea received some of the worst treatment in being adapted for the screen. One of the comics’ central characters, she’s a tough as nails sharpshooter who eventually wins the heart of Rick Grimes. One of Alexandria’s strongest defenders, she’s independent, practical, and has willingly put herself in danger to save others countless times. Rick once told her that she was the only person he trusted to defend Alexandria’s walls—a sharp difference from Michonne snapping that Andrea slows her down in the show.

There’s no semblance of comic Andrea to be found in TV Andrea. She leans instead of supports and follows instead of leads. Her sharpshooting skills are non-existent and her capabilities with a gun are ridiculed. Her loyalty is gone too, becoming a guard for Woodbury, even shooting at Rick and her friends. Her ultimate death in the comics is heart-breaking because of the emotional attachment readers developed for such a heroic character; her death in the show is heart-breaking because of the wasted potential.

4 4. Tyreese

Tyreese from the Walking Dead

Rick’s right-hand man in the comics, Tyreese was a strong and capable fighter, unafraid to take action up close with melee strength, favoring a hammer for cracking walker skulls; he single-handedly fought his way out of a massive herd. He was unpredictable at times, often acting emotionally rather than rationally, which led him into trouble, including a bloody fist-fight with Rick. Ultimately, he was a larger than life character who wore his heart on his sleeve, unlike the withdrawn Tyreese we meet in the show.

Quiet and caring, he’s more introverted in the show and doesn’t react as instinctively. His sister, Sasha, tends to take on his braver traits from the comics. Fortunately, changes in the adaptation meant we got more Tyreese: surviving past the war with the Governor and the prison’s collapse, he ends up on the road to Terminus with Lizzie, Mika, and baby Judith, proving himself to be a gentle giant with a heart of gold.

3 3. Jesus

We never really did see Jesus’ full potential on screen. Incredible warrior and trusted advisor in the comics, he is one of the original residents of Hilltop. He is confident in his combat abilities, easily dealing with threats—even managing to best Abraham and Michonne in fights. He’s a stealthy escape artist, having broken himself out of captivity, and his tracking ability is useful for sourcing and observing potential new threats. He’s also mild-mannered with a strong sense of justice, with his logical approach to new obstacles and conflict being valued by community leaders.

While we get a glimpse of his rational thinking and quest for fair justice in the show, we barely scratch the surface of his true character. He appears more aloof, particularly when thrust into leadership roles. We only get one glimpse of his heroic fighting abilities—just before he’s cut down by a Whisperer. And we’ll always be left wondering if his friendship with Aaron could have turned into something more.

2 2. Carol

Carol on The Walking Dead

While Andrea may have lost the elements that made her a great character in the adaptation, Carol gained incredible traits in the show. Left by her husband to care for herself and her daughter at the beginning of the outbreak, Carol hides a dependent and unstable personality behind a calm appearance in the comics. She leans heavily on others, particularly Tyreese who she dates for a while. Becoming increasingly paranoid that she’s being shut out of the survivor group, she alienates Sofia by attempting suicide, attempts to start a polyamorous family with the Grimes’, and eventually feeds herself to a walker as it shows interest in her.

This doesn’t sound anything like the Carol we’ve come to love in the show. Although she began as an introvert, being freed from her abusive relationship and losing her daughter left her alone in the group, but gave her the chance to find herself and own her independence. She’s resourceful, quick-thinking and does whatever needs to be done for survival, no matter how cold. Now one of just two surviving members from the Atlanta camp, she’s a survivor in every sense of the word.

1 1. Sophia

It’s hard to imagine what the future could have held for the shy, likable girl who shuffled out Hershel’s barn full of walkers in season two as we barely get to know her. Thankfully, the comics answer that for us. Now the longest surviving female character, Sophia has grown up in a difficult world. After losing her mother, she accepts Maggie and Glenn as her adoptive parents and shuts out all memories of Carol. But just like her mother, she fears being forgotten and left alone and fiercely defends those she cares about, particularly Maggie.

She’s had the opportunity to grow into her own person in a harsh world, which has toughened her, just as it hardened Carl—but Sofia has maintained a certain softness which helps her open up to new opportunities. She’s beaten up bullies at the Hilltop to defend her friends, fought against the Whisperers, and has even helped rebuild. While some insecurities still haunt her, she’s growing into a confident young woman that TV Carol would be proud of.

Next: Walking Dead: A Series Built On Death Can Still Only Endure So Much Loss