The hit zombie apocalypse series on AMC made fans fall in love with the genre again. Over the ten seasons so far, viewers had some ups and downs with the show. The Walking Dead's protagonists are absolute television favorites, and the show gained millions of dedicated fans over the last decade. However, the show's villains are just as well written, complex, and intriguing as its heroes.

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Despite his short presence, Joe, the Claimers' leader, became one of the most iconic villains of TWD. His character was both hated and beloved at the same time because of his brutal but straightforward demeanor. Thanks to this cruel group of survivors, season 4 of TWD was even more exciting than the previous three.

10 Jeff Kober Helped Create Joe's Iconic Style

Joe, The Walking Dead

Joe has always divided TWD fans because he had the kind of personality viewers either loved or hated. While he was a despicable human being, he was also stylish. His black shirt with embroidered skulls and roses inspired countless of the best TWD cosplayers over the years. However, only a handful of fans may know that Jeff Kober, the actor who portrayed Joe, played an important part in picking out that shirt and his boots.

Prior to his dress fitting, Jeff pointed at the now fan-favorite shirt and boots because he felt those are the best choices for his character. He and his stylist instantly agreed, a new iconic TWD look was born.

9 Fans Walked Up To Jeff Kober Saying "Hurt Daryl & We Will Riot"

Joe, Daryl, The Walking Dead

Fans can make an actor's life beautiful, but, sometimes, they can be their worst nightmare. The Walking Dead fans may have heard that some fanatics went as far as biting the lead actors.

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But, what happens if you are the bad guy in a beloved show? Jeff Kober mentioned in an interview that fans approached him saying “if you hurt Daryl, we will riot." He didn't take the threats too seriously but made it clear to him just how intense TWD fans are when it comes to their favorite characters. Fortunately, the world never had to see a fan led TWD riot since Joe didn't harm Daryl.

8 One Of TWD's Most Gruesome Deaths

Rick Grimes, The Walking Dead

Joe’s is among the best deaths in The Walking Dead. First of all, Joe was only present for four episodes, yet he had a strong impact on the viewers. Most fans were seriously frustrated by him.

Secondly, the way he was killed off is one of a kind in TWD history. Rick is cornered by The Claimers, who plan to kill Daryl and rape Michonne and Carl. However, Rick gathers his strength and head-butts Joe. At the end of their fistfight, Rick finds no other solution but to bite a piece out of Joe’s neck and let him bleed out. Andrew Lincoln, the actor who portrayed Rick, took this scene so seriously that he had raw chicken and fake blood in his mouth to make the bite look as realistic as possible.

7 Joe Had A Lot In Common With Daryl

Daryl, The Walking Dead

Joe was a very controversial character with plenty of flaws. While Joe didn’t show much sympathy for Daryl, they actually had plenty in common. The two seem to be complete opposites of each other, however, they could have become friends before the Walkers.

Both of them were hunters and outdoorsy people pre-apocalypse. Perpahs that’s why Joe accepted Daryl as one of The Claimers so fast. Joe actually thought very highly of bowmen like Daryl and those who can aim with bows accurately.

6 The Claimers Only Had Two Rules

Joe, The claimers, The Walking Dead

Most TWD fans think of The Claimers as brutal secondary villains without any principals. However, it's not completely true. Joe tried to maintain a conflict-free environment within his group. He was smart enough to know that in a chaotic world some rules are inevitable.

Naturally, too many would have been difficult to enforce, so he went with only two. The first rule was to claim whatever the members would want. If a Claimer saw something they wanted, they had to shout “claim." Joe’s second but more important rule was to be always honest. He especially hated dishonesty. If a member failed to obey the honesty rule, they would likely be beaten to death.

5 Joe Believed He & His Men Were Good Guys

Joe, The Claimers, The Walking Dead

Many viewers labeled Joe as a sadistic killer who was quite a hypocrite. He followed a certain set of rules which he believed are the ones to help him and his crew survive. The Claimers were responsible for some of the scariest TWD episodes, which made it hard for fans to understand the reasons behind their actions.

Joe was a man who believed that, in a post-apocalyptic world, everyone should take whatever they want without any compromise. The Claimers believed whatever they were doing is right because it was necessary for survival. Other crew members accepted Joe's ideology and made it their own.

4 Joe Was Once A Laid-Back Guy

Joe, The Walking Dead

The fact that Joe was among the scariest characters in The Walking Dead would automatically make everyone think he was a psychopath. Still, as viewers learned more about Joe's pre-apocalypse past, it became clear he used to be a fairly nice guy.

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He loved cats, which is the first sign he wasn’t a complete psychopath. Joe loved nature and enjoyed being around animals, which shows his bad side was simply brought out by the terrible conditions. Even Jeff Kober thinks Joe’s cruelty was just the result of circumstances.

3 Joe Also Appeared in The Walking Dead Webisodes

Daryl, Joe, The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: Red Machete is a very imaginative spin-off that adds a little to the whole fandom experience. The short TWD web series follows the journey of the machete Rick used to kill Gareth.

Fans get to meet Joe, the beloved yet most hated villain, for three more episodes. In these short episodes, fans get to learn a little more about Joe and The Claimers. That way, fans got a bit more background information about how this vile crew worked.

2 Joe Was A Mechanic & Motorcycle Enthusiast Pre-Apocalypse

Joe, Rick, The Walking Dead

It is always a lot of fun to learn more about the characters' pre-apocalypse life when zombies weren’t threatening their lives. Most of The Walking Dead fans don't know that Joe used to be an ordinary man who had a passion for motorbikes and worked as a mechanic. He spent most of his days fixing up vehicles, and he also found a lot of pleasure in riding his bike. Joe's past self appears to be the complete opposite of his post-apocalypse personality.

1 Joe Was A Born Leader

Dary, Joe, The Claimers, The Walking Dead

Some of his virtues were just as useful to becoming a leader as his darker desires. He had strong survival instincts, which helped him easily make difficult decisions.

As his hobbies were hunting and camping, he could use his surroundings to his advantage against zombies and humans alike. His strong, manly behavior and no-nonsense attitude were attractive for others looking for a powerful leader.  He quickly became the tough alpha male who was blindly followed by other members.

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