Lydia (Comic Series)

"I'm still sorry, you're the first person to ever really care about me. I'm so fucked up that it only makes me suspicious about you. You don't deserve that."

- Lydia to Carl.

Lydia is a main character first encountered in Issue 133 of Image Comics' The Walking Dead. She is one of the Whisperers who attacked Jesus and his group. After losing the fight and being taken prisoner, she meets and strikes up a friendship, and eventual relationship, with Hilltop resident Carl Grimes.

Location Unknown
Nothing is known about Lydia's life before or as the outbreak began, other than that she is the daughter of Alpha. She may have lived in or near Washington, D.C.

Whispers Into Screams
Lydia is one of the Whisperers to attack Jesus and his group. She shouted out to another whisperer, Joshua, when he was killed by Jesus. After going after Jesus, she stands behind him with a knife and taunts him saying he can't fight forever, however before she can stab him, Darius shouts out to Jesus, and he elbows Lydia causing her to stab herself in the shoulder. She looks at her wound, surprised by the blood, and begs Jesus not to kill her. She is later tied up and brought back to the Hilltop Colony.

At the Hilltop, Lydia is questioned by Jesus and starts to reveal things about herself and the Whisperers. She tells Jesus that she is 16, and that there are "no children anymore". She reveals that her group tries to cooperate with zombies and that they do not kill them. Lydia tells Jesus that they have to work with the Whisperers or they will be killed. When Maggie takes Jesus off to talk to him privately she's left alone and starts a conversation with Carl over the wall of her cell.

Lydia asks Carl why he has been put in the holding cells. Carl tells her about his fight with the Hilltop bullies and she is surprised that he would be punished for protecting the leader's daughter. He goes on to tell her about their community's philosophy regarding killing and their desire to return to civilization, leaving her relieved to know that she won't be executed. Lydia explains that she was on her first "outing" when her group encountered Jesus' group. Her people had encountered dangerous people before and made a preemptive strike.

Soon after, Carl is released from the holding cells and convinces Maggie to untie Lydia. Later, he visits Lydia and finds her crying in her cell. She confesses that she is scared and feels alone. She misses the dead, saying that having them around made her feel safe. To make her feel better, Carl gives her his cowboy hat, telling her that it had made him feel safe and secure through everything he had been through.

Lydia then says that the hat isn't exactly helping her to feel better, and in fact, it is Carl himself who is making her feel better, and that she enjoys talking to him. She is then interrogated by Maggie and Jesus afterwards, but refuses to say anything. Later, Carl vouches for her and she is released and left under his watch. During the tour, they sit alone on a hill overlooking the town, where she tells him that it is cold, and they cuddle.

After a while, she asks to see his eye, and after some resistance, he agrees to let her take off his glasses. Much to his surprise, she tells him that "it is sexy" and suddenly climbs on top of him, asking if he ever had sex. Speechless, he doesn't know how to react and she just asks him if she can show him, to which he replies "Okay."

After they're done, she remarks on how nice it was, comparing it to her past experiences. Carl is somewhat alarmed to know that on certain occasions she was forced to do it, saying that what her people forced her to do is wrong, whether they see it as a rape or not. She then tells him she doesn't want to go back.

After Lydia's mother, Alpha, and the rest of the Whisperers arrive, Carl argues with Maggie on whether or not to return Lydia to her people, but is shut down, being forced to let Lydia go, but not before kissing him.

Life and Death
Away from the Hilltop, Alpha realizes Carl is following them, and after a brief discussion, he is allowed to travel with them to their camp. Lydia and Carl, not wearing any skin, are forced to walk in the middle of the group to avoid being detected by true roamers.

Later on, she and Carl watch the skinning of a lurker. Carl's father, Rick, comes to speak with the Whisperers and retrieve Carl. Carl reveals that Alpha lets people rape her daughter and treats her horribly. Lydia breaks down and Alpha hits her for her show of emotion, which is considered weak.

Alpha then disowns Lydia, and secretly tells Rick that he can provide her daughter with safety more than she can, and tells him to take her. Lydia travels with Rick and Carl back to the communities, a new deal negotiated between the two leaders.

While traveling back however the three, and Andrea, Michonne, and Dante discover a series of stakes in the ground, and on them, the decapitated heads of Ezekiel, Rosita, Larry, Luke, Ken, Erin, Olivia, Carson, Tammy Rose, Amber, Oscar, and Josh, leading to the group being distraught. Lydia helps comfort Carl when he is especially saddened to see so many of his friends now dead.

No Turning Back
Lydia helps the others put down the reanimated heads. Suddenly, she is attacked by Michonne, demanding to know whether or not she knew about the border. Lydia threatens her back with a knife, saying she had no knowledge of it. Lydia says the bodies were probably taken for skinning.

She later consoles Carl over Josh's death, apologizing for the actions of her mother.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Lydia has killed.
 * Hilltop Colony Guard
 * Larry (Zombified)
 * Erin (Zombified)
 * Olivia (Zombified, along with her fellow survivors)
 * Carson (Zombified, along with her fellow survivors)
 * Ken (Zombified, along with her fellow survivors)
 * Luke (Zombified, along with her fellow survivors)
 * Tammy Rose (Zombified, along with her fellow survivors)
 * Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people

Alpha
Alpha attempts to strengthen her daughter by letting her be raped and abusing her. She believes showing emotion is a sign of weakness, and strictly enforces this. She refuses to allow her daughter to call her any other name but Alpha. However, this may all be a farce, as she requests Rick to take her back to his community and keep her safer than she would be here. She disowns Lydia, and sends her on her way with Rick and Carl.

Maggie Greene
"You know I can't do that Carl. She's dangerous."

- Maggie to Carl, about setting Lydia free

Maggie had Lydia locked in Hilltop's jail after the Whisperers attacked some member of the community. Maggie and Jesus tried to get Lydia to tell them who her leader was but she told them "I don't wanna speak to you anymore", so Maggie let Lydia out of the cell (on Carl's watch) because she and Jesus thought that the longer she stays in the cell the worse it gets and she won't talk to them about her leader.

Carl Grimes
"Don't cover up your eye. It's who you are. Don't hide it. I think it's Beautiful."

- Lydia to Carl

Lydia and Carl first met in the Hilltop's jail, bonding with each other during their stay. Eventually, Carl vouches for her and she is released, left under his watch. During the tour, Lydia privately asks him to see his missing eye, and after some reluctance, she is allowed to take off his sunglasses.

Much to his surprise, she says it's sexy, and suddenly climbs on top of him, asking whether or not he ever had sex. Not receiving an answer, she simply asks him if she can show him how, to which he replies "Okay," as they both hold hands on top of Carl's hat. After sleeping together, Carl and Lydia have a brief heart-to-heart about their time together, where Lydia reveals that while with the Whisperers, her mother let her be raped. Carl is extremely distraught over this, showing that he deeply cares for her. Their relationship grows even more after this.

Over a long period of time their relationship greatly develops, with Carl more than once risking his life for her. He frequently defends her when people want to attack her for being a Whisperer.

When questioned about his relationship with Lydia, Carl says she is the only one who sees him as normal, even with his mutilation. When Lydia's mother, Alpha, demands that the Hilltop residents return her daughter, Carl refuses to part with her. Eventually he is forced to watch her be taken away, which he is very upset about. After trying to rescue her, Carl is among the group when Lydia's mother disowns her and he comforts her about this. Robert Kirkman has confirmed that Carl is in love with Lydia, despite the short time it has taken for their relationship to begin.

Joshua
While talking to Carl through her cell, she confesses that she cared deeply for Joshua. She says that he was always nice to her and took care of her at times.

Michonne
After the death of Ezekiel, Michonne runs and gets on top of Lydia yelling at her asking if her group ever did something like this before, which she responds no, then Lydia threatens her saying if Michonne dosen't get off her she'll have her knife half way into her neck so Michonne gets off and helps Lydia get up. Once Eugene tells people about Alphas daughter being at the Safe-Zone Michonne goes to go and help her. But she is already gone with Carl and Andrea.

Paul
Jesus and Lydia are first seen together when the Whisperers attack Jesus, Darius and the other men, once Jesus kills all of them he then takes Lydia back as a prisoner and questioning.

Andrea
Andrea and Lydia are first seen together at the Whisperer massacre where the death of Rosita, Ezekiel, and others are shown as zombified heads on pikes. Once Eugene starts sending messages about Lydia, who is Alpha's daughter, and getting people angry and wanting to hurt her. So Andrea and Carl take her to the Hilltop. When they see Gus and don't tell him the truth, Lydia gets suspicious and thinks Carl and Andrea are taking her back to her mother and starts to point her gun at Andrea. Andrea then raises her gun at Lydia telling her to put it away and that they are not taken her back. Carl then points his gun at Andrea at first then Lydia. Forcing Lydia to drop her gun.

Eugene Porter
Eugene and Lydia never have interacted, however Eugene has a strong distaste for her, because of Alpha's hand in murdering Rosita.

Appearances
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Volume 23: Whispers Into Screams

 * Issue 133 (No Lines)
 * Issue 134
 * Issue 135
 * Issue 136
 * Issue 137
 * Issue 138

Volume 24: Life And Death

 * Issue 140
 * Issue 142
 * Issue 143
 * Issue 144

Volume 25: No Turning Back
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 * Issue 145
 * Issue 146 (No Lines)
 * Issue 147
 * Issue 148
 * Issue 149
 * Issue 150 (No Lines)