Beta (TV Series)

"You said she was dead. That you killed her... You want her back. (...) Why? Why did you lie to me? She's never coming back, no matter how much you wish for it, or how hard you try to replace her with someone else. She is gone, Alpha!"

- Beta to "Alpha" about Lydia.

"Beta" (real name unknown) is a main character and an antagonist as well as a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the second-in-command of the Whisperers and the right-hand man of "Alpha". He serves as the secondary antagonist of the second half of Season 9 and the first half of Season 10.

Overview
Beta is shown to be a brutal, cunning, aggressive, and highly analytical man who is devoted to the Whisperer way of life. He is completely loyal to his leader, Alpha, following her orders without question and respecting her decisions completely. Due to his large size and strength, Beta is a very dangerous opponent, capable of using excessive force to protect his group and is a skilled fighter, being able to casually overpower Daryl during a fight. He has very fast reflexes, as he effortlessly grabbed Henry's stick when the latter tried to hit him. He is also extremely durable, shrugging off a stab wound and even surviving a more than two-story fall down an elevator shaft after being tricked and shoved in by Daryl. Beta is shown to be quite capable of cold-blooded murder and was fully prepared to kill both Henry and Lydia on Alpha's orders, showing that he has no qualms about harming adolescents and nearly even broke Henry's arm. He appears to be a highly skilled tracker and strategic thinker as well which makes him a vital member of the Whisperers; with Lydia admitting to Daryl that he is the Whisperers' best.

He is more than willing to harm any Whisperer who poses a threat to Alpha and to keep the others in line, as he threatened fellow Whisperer Sean upon learning of his and Helen's disdain for Alpha's decisions and applauded Alpha for murdering them to remind the other Whisperers of her dominance. This shows that he will do whatever is necessary to preserve Alpha's leadership over their "pack". Despite this, he does show respect for members who are committed to the Whisperer way of life as seen by him consoling a dying fellow Whisperer embracing the "change" about to happen to him. While Beta has no problem with killing, he doesn't seem to enjoy it either, as he openly expresses disdain towards Daryl for not handing over Lydia when he was after her, claiming no one else from his group had to be slaughtered as a result.

Prior to his time with the Whisperers, Beta was revealed to be a solitary, socially awkward, and mentally unstable individual, having apparently turned into a recluse after his best friend died. He is also shown to be extremely protective of his identity for unknown reasons.

Location Unknown
Nothing is known about Beta's life prior to or as the outbreak began. For unknown reasons he strictly hides his pre-apocalypse identity. He had a friend to whom he was very close with and cared deeply for.

Post-Apocalypse
At some point after the outbreak, Beta and his best friend took refuge in a survivor camp though it was eventually overrun by walkers, forcing the two to take refuge in an abandoned hospital. At some point later Beta's friend was bitten and reanimated, causing Beta to become insane. He could not bring himself to put his friend down and let him roam the hospital as a walker. Beta also decided to wear a ski mask to hide his identity from strangers.

Sometime later, a woman and her young daughter arrived at the hospital to escape from walkers and Beta reluctantly allowed them to stay one night but forbade them from entering his private quarters. He eventually formed a bond with the woman due to them sharing similar views about the new world though after she tried to see his face, he demanded her and her daughter to leave. Lydia however eventually trespassed on his side of the hospital forcing her mother to follow her and ended up killing Beta's zombified best friend to his fury. The woman calmed him down and welcomed him to join them. Beta refused to leave his best friend behind and the woman convinced him to skin his face off, and wear it to continue hiding his identity (to which she and Lydia learned). Beta accepted and also took his friend's shirt.

At some point following this, the three eventually formed a large group of survivors that would eventually become known as the "Whisperers", with Beta being the group's second-in-command, while the woman took the name of "Alpha" and became the leader. Under their direction, they instructed their people to skin the walkers and wear their skin in order to mask their scents and move freely among herds in order to attack other survivor camps and settlements. The group members were also demanded to abandon their previous lives and beliefs and become nothing but hardened, primitive survivors. Beta continued to protect his identity strictly and always wears his mask, even in the safety for their camp.

"Guardians"
In the woods, Beta grabs a sneaking Henry and tosses him in front of Alpha. He says he's been tracking Henry for a while, but Henry's been tracking them for longer. Alpha questions him as Beta threatens to break his arm. Henry relents and reveals he came alone to get Lydia. She calls him stupid and punches him in the face. Alpha decides Henry's coming with them. A while later, they arrive at the Whisperers' camp. Alpha instructs Beta to tie Henry to a tree and to get Lydia a new mask.

Later, Beta skins a walker head to use for Lydia's mask when Alpha is challenged by a couple of Whisperers for her leadership role. Beta grabs Sean from behind and holds a long knife to his throat. "You're changing the rules again," he says calmly. Beta then watches in silent as Alpha brutally executes the couple.

In her tent, Beta unmasks Alpha and listens as she tells him about the time before the apocalypse when she hit Lydia hard for almost suffocating in a dry-cleaning bag. She tells him that people do whatever it takes to protect those they love. "We need to be ready when they come for the boy," Beta says. They both agree Henry can be useful and they need to find out if Lydia truly has feelings for him.

At night, Beta takes Henry to Alpha. She makes Lydia pick up a knife and tells her to kill Henry with it to prove what side she's on. Lydia begins to cry as she approaches Henry. Alpha warns her not to be weak like her father and that if she doesn't kill him, Beta will kill them both. Suddenly, a small herd of walkers show up and begin eating the unmasked Whisperers as chaos unfolds in the camp.

"Chokepoint"
At the Whisperer camp, Beta consoles a dying Whisperer and then tells a tracker to find Lydia or else "they'll all walk with the guardians." He then takes a group of Whisperers with him to go look for Lydia on Alpha's orders.

At dawn, Beta walks down the road with a group of walkers and Whisperers into the area of the building where the others are hiding Lydia. He quietly instructs his people to spread out as Daryl shoots the Whisperer who had turned with his crossbow. Beta and his people break in and quickly discover a trap meant to separate them from the dead. He and the Whisperers then creep upstairs.

Beta busts down the main door, using another door as a shield, to attack Daryl. The two size each other up and Beta forces Daryl's neck towards a blade, but he manages to punch him and break free. Beta returns with a punch of his own and Daryl stabs him in the chest before escaping into the trap door. Beta grabs the knife out of his chest and announces all he wants is Lydia. Daryl sneaks up through the crawl space behind him and pushes him down the elevator shaft.

Later, as Daryl and the others leave the building, at the bottom of the elevator shaft, Beta rises in pain. He peers up, enraged, covered in blood, and with his bottom front teeth knocked out.

"The Calm Before"
In the woods, at night, a large group of Whisperers ambush Daryl, Michonne, Carol, and Yumiko. Beta emerges from the trees and tells them to drop their weapons. "You just had to give me the girl," he growls at Daryl, telling him their deal is off. Beta then orders the Whisperers to tie them up.

Later, Alpha approaches the group and tells them she ran into trouble on the road as she wipes her bloody knife on her pants. Michonne warns her if she tries to get Lydia back they'll respond in force, but Alpha assures her Lydia isn't her concern anymore, leaving Beta shocked. She takes out a shotgun and tells Daryl to come with her alone.

The next day, in the camp, Beta asks Alpha about Lydia. "I want to be alone," Alpha orders him. He obeys and walks away.

"The Storm"
Sometime following their attack on the communities, Beta and the rest of the Whisperers move to a warmer state to avoid the harsh winter during the next months. In their camp, Beta tells Alpha "the time away has been good for the pack." Alpha reminds him she'll need to be strong for what comes next and Beta assures her she will be. He then flogs her arm with a branch to make her strong.

"We Are the End of the World"
In the past, a masked Beta lives inside an abandoned hospital after his camp was overrun. He also keeps his zombified best friend locked in a room, unable to put him down. Sometime later, he watches as a woman and her daughter run inside to escape from the dead.

In the present, Beta and Alpha discuss their enemies and the fear they possess on them. He says they should return so they won't forget about them, but Alpha questions his loyalty towards her decisions. Beta says he would never question her and is sent to collect walkers for their herd with the help of two sisters.

Back in the past, Alpha explains to Beta that she and her daughter don't mean harm. He allows them to stay for the night. In the present, Beta lures walkers from a gallery. In the past, Beta explains to Alpha that he doesn't want to hear her singing and that the sound of the dead is the only sound he never wants to end.

In the present, Frances starts crying in the middle of a herd, attracting the attention of the walkers. Beta kills them and says she will pay for this. At their camp, Beta throws Frances to the ground and orders a Whisperer to kill her. As she starts screaming that her son is in a better place, Alpha demands they leave her alone. Beta follows her and says she needs to punish Frances. Alpha angrily tells him to not question her and claims he would never understand how it feels to lose a child. She then orders him to send Frances to a tent where she will be waiting.

In the past, Beta helps Alpha kill some walkers on the hospital hallways. Afterward, he helps Alpha open the walkers' carcasses so she can use the blood later on. She jokingly decides to call him "B" and claims that makes her the "A". When she tries to see his face under the mask, he demands she leave at sunrise and not come back.

Back in the present at the next day, Beta follows Alpha as she leads a group of Whisperers to a field to gather more walkers. Suddenly, a satellite crashes through the sky and the herd starts to scatter. When Beta witnesses Frances attacking Alpha, he runs to help only to watch as she is saved by Frances' sister.

At their camp, Beta listens nearby as Alpha praises Frances' sister on her loyalty. He approaches and questions Alpha about why she is calm after losing three of their people and their herd. Alpha, however, claims she is proud of the woman. That night, Alpha anoints the woman a "Gamma" and the group praises her as Beta watches with jealousy from behind. The next day, Gamma questions Beta's feelings about her. They both claim to be empty as Alpha wants. Beta then heads off to look for Alpha at their old camp.

In the past, Beta finds Alpha wandering in his room and is mad at her for ignoring his previous warnings. She then kills his zombified best friend after it comes out of another room. Beta loses it and starts wrecking the place. Lydia arrives and ultimately stops him from killing Alpha. He kneels by his friend's side as Alpha approaches him and declares "We are the end of the world." She lifts his mask to look at his face and chuckles, seemingly recognizing him. Beta doesn't want to leave his friend behind and she declares he won't have to, giving him a knife so he can peel his friend's face off.

In the present, Beta discovers Alpha has made a shrine to Lydia and lied about killing her. Alpha breaks down and says she couldn't kill her daughter. She then destroys the shrine and pleads with him to keep Lydia's life a secret. He promises he will and informs her that the enemy has crossed the border. Alpha smiles and says they will return to teach them a lesson. Later, Beta and the Whisperers move around the woods with their herd towards the border.

"What It Always Is"
Beta is skinning a new mask when Gamma returns from her mission to talk with Alpha. He looks unpleasant at her and continues doing his task. When a Whisperer defies Alpha's strategies, Beta tries to kill him but is stopped by Alpha. She then cuts the Whisperer on his arm and leg and hands the knife to Beta. He approaches the injured Whisperer and slashes him on the back of his neck.

That night, Beta and a group of Whisperers arrive at one of their borders after hearing the yells of Negan. He confronts and throws him to the ground before he can keep killing their walkers. "Alright, you big ass freak, let's do this," Negan says defiantly to Beta as he smiles.

"Bonds"
Beta will appear in this episode.

"Open Your Eyes"
Beta will appear in this episode.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Beta has killed:
 * 4 unnamed campers (Possibly, Caused or Direct)
 * 2 unnamed Whisperers (1 Alive)
 * Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people

Relationships
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"Alpha"
Beta is fiercely loyal to Alpha and follows each and every one of her orders without question, no matter how small and menial or large and dangerous they may be. He is also very protective of her, as demonstrated when he immediately seized Sean when the latter challenged her leadership, holding a knife to his throat. He often advises Alpha on critical matters, and she, in turn, often confides in him. Beta is more than willing to kill anyone Alpha orders him to as well.

They also have a special bond together having seen each other both at vulnerable moments in their life. In the episode "We are the End of the World" focuses on how they met and how they got heir nicknames.

Despite this, Beta has shown anger at some of Alpha's actions such as sparing Frances even after she nearly caused Whisperers to be killed and appointing Gamma as the groups third-in-command. Beta appears greatly upset when he learns the Alpha did not kill Lydia and instead misses her and has built a shrine to her in secret. Despite this complete betrayal of their values, Beta forgives her and the two renew their loyalty to each other stronger than ever and vow to make their presence known to the Coalition again.

Lydia
"The girl. Where is she?"

- Beta to Daryl.

Beta and Lydia most likely don't have a very good relationship, given Beta's loyalty to her mother, and that he was willing to kill both her and Henry at Alpha's behest. However, he was still willing to follow Alpha's orders to retrieve her, and momentarily spared Daryl in order to try and gain information on where she was being kept. Beta later appears to be somewhat shocked in "The Calm Before" when Alpha reveals Lydia is no longer of concern to her, possibly thinking Lydia is dead. Beta later attempts to inquire what has happened to her but Alpha does not tell him and asks to be left alone. Beta gets over Lydia's absence quickly however.

However it is revealed that Alpha lied to him and the other Whisperers that she killed Lydia. Even though Beta eventually finds out that she is not dead, his opinion on her doesn't change and still views her as "dead" to him.

Henry
Beta and Henry have a poor relationship. When Henry followed Alpha and Lydia, Beta tracked and eventually captured him. He had no problem with hurting, and even killing Henry if necessary. Beta likely shows no remorse for Henry's slaughter at the hands of Alpha though he does express anger at Daryl for not having handed Lydia over to him when he was after her and claims no one else from his group, including Henry, had to slaughtered.

Daryl Dixon
"You and your people are nothing to me. Your world is already dead. All I want is the girl."

- Beta to Daryl.

Beta and Daryl have an extremely hostile relationship. Upon being told that Beta is the strongest member of the Whisperers, Daryl confidently proclaimed he would kill him first. In their first interaction, Daryl fired a bolt at Beta, who shielded himself with a door. Not long after, Beta plowed through a wall and tackled Daryl, triggering an intense and lengthy physical battle in which both men were clearly determined to kill the other. Both men drew dual knives on each other, and Beta nearly shoved Daryl's throat into a buzz saw. Daryl eventually won the fight by tricking Beta and shoving him down an elevator shaft; however, Beta survived, and upon regaining consciousness was visibly angry, likely meaning that he wanted revenge on Daryl.

In "The Calm Before", Beta captures Daryl, Carol, Yumiko and Michonne and Daryl is visibly shocked to see him still alive. Beta appears disgusted and annoyed at Daryl for having started a conflict between their groups and claims he only had to give Lydia up to him when he was after her and reveals no one else from his communities had to be slaughtered. He also proclaims the deal between their groups is now off which appears to disturb Daryl.

Best Friend
This man was Beta's best friend before the apocalypse and Beta cared for him deeply. The two worked together during the early days of the apocalypse and Beta was utterly devastated and driven insane by his death and refused to put him down. After Alpha put his friend down, Beta was deeply horrified however Alpha calmed him down and invited Beta to join her and Lydia. Refusing to leave his friend behind, Beta skinned his face to protect his identity and took his shirt in order to honor him.

Gamma
Beta does not appear to be very fond of Gamma due to her sister Frances almost causing Whisperers to be killed and later appears disgusted that Alpha appoints her as the group's third-in-command and sees it as her way of coping with her abandonment of Lydia. Despite this Beta respect's Alpha's decision nonetheless, though he claims to have no feelings towards Gamma.

Negan
Beta despise Negan. Beta doesn't want Negan to join The Whisperers at any cost. He even kills a fellow Whisperer who offers Negan food, and leaves Negan to die at the hands of Walkers.}}

Season 9

 * "Guardians"
 * "Chokepoint"
 * "The Calm Before"
 * "The Storm"

Season 10

 * "We Are the End of the World"
 * "What It Always Is"
 * "Bonds"
 * "Open Your Eyes"

Trivia

 * "Beta" is the third major recurring secondary antagonist in the TV Series, with the first being Merle Dixon, and the second being Simon.
 * "Beta" is currently the only major recurring secondary antagonist whose real name is not known.
 * Additionally, he is the second main character to be a secondary antagonist for more than half a season, with Simon being the first.
 * The term "Beta" denotes the second most dominant role or position in a particular sphere or group.
 * Just like his comic book counterpart, Beta's signature weapon is a pair of large knives. A holster for these knives can be seen on his belt.
 * Like his comic counterpart, Beta doesn't allow anyone to see his face by always wearing a mask.
 * Only three people are known to have seen his face; Alpha, Lydia, and his best friend.
 * Beta demonstrates an extremely high tolerance for pain.
 * He displayed no signs of pain when he was stabbed in the chest with a shiv by Daryl.
 * He removes the shiv from his chest without any resistance.
 * He survives and stands back up after getting pushed down an elevator shaft by Daryl.
 * Beta appears to be missing several teeth, which he has replaced with metal dental prosthetics.
 * He is the second known person in The Walking Dead universe to wear dentures, the first being Martha Brown.
 * Ryan Hurst hinted on Talking Dead that he may or may not have been a celebrity before the apocalypse, similar to his comic book counterpart who was a basketball player and actor.
 * Beta wears his best friend's face as his walker mask and his shirt.
 * His friend's face is also the first Whisperer mask that was ever made.

Beta