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This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for her Comic Series or Road to Survival counterparts.

I'm not here for them. I'm not here for you. (...) They're human. Not perfect. Just human. It's all I ever wanted. It's what you never gave me.
―Lydia rejecting her mother's request to kill her and lead the Whisperers.[src]

Lydia is a main character and a former antagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She was a member of the Whisperers and is the daughter of the group's leader, "Alpha". During an attack against the survivors, Lydia is captured and taken hostage at the Hilltop Colony to be interrogated for information about her group's motives.

Eventually, Lydia forms a relationship with Henry as well as a parental bond with Daryl Dixon. She is returned to her mother in a trade, but is rescued shortly after. Following her rescue and reformation, Lydia is exiled by her mother during the fair at the Kingdom and relocates to the Alexandria Safe-Zone under Daryl's protection and parental guidance.

Months after the fair massacre, Lydia tries to live a normal life but becomes the target of paranoia and bullying by members of the Coalition due to being a former Whisperer. She eventually runs away from the community after being tricked by Carol and used as proof of Alpha's lies. While away, Lydia rethinks her actions and saves Daryl over her own mother, finally choosing to be with the communities despite their flaws.

Overview

Lydia is a cunning and hardened, yet deeply traumatized young woman, suffering from years of physical and psychological abuse inflicted on her by her mother, Alpha. While initially being fully devoted to the Whisperer way, and only acting as a scared little girl, her time at the Hilltop reawakened memories of her childhood. While she initially believed her father was abusive and her mother caring, these memories were the product of years of gaslighting from Alpha. The truth was quite the opposite, as Lydia finally realized during her brief captivity. Lydia also believed her mother's physical abuse was done out of love and was necessary to strengthen her. Her time with Henry made her resent the Whisperer lifestyle, and she expressed a desire to stay at the Hilltop. Nonetheless, Lydia selflessly chose to go back to her mother and the Whisperers in order to save Alden and Luke, that were being kept hostage by Alpha. When Henry came after her and was captured, Lydia punched him in anger, though this was most likely an act. Later, she is unable to kill Henry when her mother commands her to, and chooses to run away with Henry when Daryl and Connie come to rescue him.

When Alpha kills Henry and 9 other fair attendees, Lydia becomes depressed and even suicidal, and is shown to feel tremendous guilt over the event, particularly as she was in love with Henry as she revealed in "Silence the Whisperers". Once Carol refuses to kill her and encourages her to live, Lydia regains some of her old self back, and even participates in a snowball fight at Alexandria.

Once away from her mother, Lydia displayed a greatly caring and gentle personality, though she was unwilling to suffer abuse or be used as a pawn by those around her. While initially appearing to be something of a coward, surrendering without a fight in her first encounter to Daryl and the others, she has displayed a great deal of courage and determination over time, bravely risking her own life to defend the Hilltop even though she knew her mother wanted her back. However, this can work against her in some situations such as when she fought back against her bullies with kindness and only succeeded in enraging them more in the attempt.

Unlike most survivors of the zombie apocalypse, Lydia does not like violence and killing, a trait she shared with Henry. To this extent, Henry promised before going into a fight that he wouldn't kill anyone, but Lydia forgave him when he was forced to in self-defense, recognizing the necessity of it despite her hatred for all of the killing. Notably, when Lydia did begin training in combat, she chose to utilize Henry's staff as a weapon rather than the more lethal spears, knives or bows of the Coalition. Along with potentially being an act of sentimentality since the staff belonged to her boyfriend before his murder, utilizing the staff gave Lydia the ability to non-lethally take out a human opponent and avoid killing if faced with such a situation while still being a lethally effective weapon against walkers and humans if need be.

Pre-Apocalypse

Mid-Atlantic, United States

Lydia grew up in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States where she was raised by her abusive mother Alpha alongside her loving father Frank who would sing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" whenever she was scared whilst she affectionately rubbed his father's tattoo of her name to comfort her. She was also affectionately nicknamed "bug" by her parents. 

At the age of 3, Lydia found herself trapped within a closet tangled up in dry-cleaning plastic after Alpha had previously turned her back on her. Lydia began to suffocate as her mother sadistically watched until she collapsed. Alpha removed the plastic from her face and asked if Lydia was okay, only to hit her daughter hard so she would never do it again.

Post-Apocalypse

Baltimore, Maryland

Lydia, along with her parents, Alpha and Frank, survived the initial stages of the outbreak together. After 23 days of the initial outbreak, she remained in a moldy basement with a group of survivors. Lydia used to be naive regarding the status of the world and always spent time with her dad due to her mother's abusive nature.

After 43 days, the undead began to overrun the outside of the building. A fellow survivor, Matias, started to have a panic attack and wanted to leave the basement. Alpha, knowing noise could draw them in, smothered Matias to death, believing that he was too weak to survive this world and was a threat to her family. In order to spare Lydia from the horror, Frank distracted her with her lullaby. Later that night, unknown to the group about the virus infecting the living, a reanimated Matias began to attack the group. Alpha then attempted to lead her family to safety by escaping, but Frank tried to save their friends, which resulted in Alpha murdering him.

According to Lydia, she and her mother watched many survivor communities thrive and then eventually fall, eventually evolving her mother into a more hardened survivor willing to resort to whatever measures necessary to survive. In the years that followed, Alpha would tell Lydia the reverse of events in the beginning, that Frank was the abusive one and she was the one trying to protect Lydia, that Matias killed her father and not Alpha herself.

For the next couple of years, Lydia and Alpha survived on their own by walking among the walkers using their blood to blend in. At some point, they were forced to seek shelter in an abandoned hospital and encountered a lone man wearing a mask. He reluctantly allowed them to stay one night but forbade them from entering his private quarters. Lydia trespassed on his side of the hospital forcing Alpha to follow her and ended up killing the man's zombified best friend to his fury. Alpha calmed him down and welcomed him to join them, also convincing him to skin his friend's face off, and wear it to continue hiding his identity (to which she and Lydia learned).

Rural Virginia

At some point following this, the three eventually formed a large group of survivors that would eventually become known as the "Whisperers", with Alpha being the group's leader and Beta as her second-in-command. 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. Lydia would suffer from her mother's abusive methods of survival during the next years in order to become stronger.

Season 9

"Adaptation"

On a bridge, Lydia and some Whisperers are cornered by Daryl, who uses his crossbow to see who are Whisperers. He hits one in the leg and a man falls down screaming in pain, attracting walkers to him. Lydia and the other try slowly escaping to the other side, where Michonne is waiting for them. They draw their knives and attack, but Michonne and the rest kill them with ease as Lydia gets on her knees to surrender. Daryl rips off her mask as Lydia begs for her life. Michonne angrily questions her but when more walkers show up Daryl decides to take her with them.

Later, the group arrives at Hilltop with a captive Lydia and Jesus' body, causing the whole community to react in disbelief. In the cellar, Daryl throws her in a cell as Michonne rips off her blindfold and tells her "No more bullshit!"

Daryl, Michonne, and Tara interrogate Lydia, who claims to not have a name and that her group consisted of good people who were just trying to survive. Michonne asks if her people know about Hilltop but she begs to be left alone.

A while later, Daryl rushes back to the jail to demand Lydia to reveal her identity. Henry tries to intervene but Daryl shuts him down. He slams her against the bars and asks if she comes from a place with walls. She tells him that places like Hilltop never last and her mom told her they needed the dead to stay safe. He raises his knife to her and demands why her people killed his and she says they were always going to. She tells him her mother is out there alone but he calls her a liar before dragging her towards the exit. Lydia begs for her life and he lets her cower back in her cell.

Daryl then reminds Henry of his place and warns he'll stay in his cell until he realizes it. After he leaves, Lydia thanks Henry for saving her and introduces herself. Outside, next to a window, Daryl listens in.

"Omega"

In Hilltop, Lydia tells Henry how she survived at the start of the apocalypse with her parents in a shelter. Henry tells Lydia about Carol, who would do anything to protect him. He asks more about her parents and Lydia says her mother is also relentless and is not someone anyone would want to mess with. Outside, Daryl is sitting by the window and listening to their conversation.

Later, Henry offers Lydia an egg. She tells him to keep it and that hunger is a gift. She asks why he's being nice to her and he says that he, his brother, and his dad were messed up when they were first found out there and it took a lot of someone being nice to make things okay again. Lydia says her dad said that things will never be okay again and tells him how her mom used to distract her with board games. Henry tells Lydia her mom seems nice and reveals he and his adoptive parents are from another community called The Kingdom, which is a day's ride from Hilltop. Suddenly, Daryl storms downstairs and takes Henry out of his cell. 

Later, Daryl goes to Lydia's cell and offers her medicine to help with her ear, but she refuses. He tells her that Luke and Alden are missing, but she says she knows nothing about it. He then asks her if her mom would kill their people if she crossed them. Lydia says that she would if she had to and tells him how her mother had to kill a man who was panicking and scared. Daryl says to Lydia that her mom did what she had to keep her alive. Lydia again pulls at her ear and Daryl tosses her the medicine, reminding her the people at Hilltop will help her if she helps them. She asks him for water and when he gets close she tries grabbing him. He grabs her arm and pulls up her sleeve, revealing a series of cut marks, causing her to retreat in the corner. Daryl looks at her for a moment and then leaves.

At night, Daryl visits Lydia again to find out more about her bruises. She says she got them from her mom, so Daryl asks why she won't tell her where she is. He says she’s safer here than out there but she disagrees and says her mother’s abuse makes her hard. Daryl calls it bullshit, but Lydia says staying soft makes you die and tells him that her father was weak and died saving her. Lydia then tells him that he is strong and doesn't belong in Hilltop. Daryl says she doesn't know shit about him and leaves.

A while later, Henry frees Lydia from the cell so they can hang out outside. Lydia immediately grabs a worm from the ground and eats it. She gives one to Henry, who does the same. Henry shows her around as she sneaks a hammer behind her back. She nearly bashes him with it until she hears a baby crying, which triggers more memories from the shelter. She then asks Henry to take her back to her cell. He agrees as Daryl watches them from nearby. In the cell, Lydia asks Henry to stay with her. They hold hands through the bars and fall asleep.

In the morning, Daryl finds them holding hands. Lydia asks for the pills, promising not to attack this time. She confesses she was trying to get intel from them and that if her mom did find Luke and Alden then they're probably dead. She then explains her people are always on the move and that her memories were mixed up because her mother lied to her. Lydia confesses her father was caring and her mother was the monster. She then finishes her story by claiming her mother killed her father. Lydia cries and apologizes to Daryl for wasting his time, but he says she didn’t and goes outside. 

"Bounty"

In the woods, Lydia is hidden by Henry in a cabin and changes into cleaner clothes, claiming it feels weird. Suddenly, Enid and Addy show up to demand Lydia back for Alden and Luke, but Henry refuses to give her up. Enid tells him about watching her parents die and how Carl told her she has to live for more than survival. Henry's torn so Lydia offers to give herself up to save their friends. She kisses Henry and they return to Hilltop.

At Hilltop, Daryl hands Lydia over to Alpha in exchange for Alden and Luke, who are embraced by Enid and Magna's group. Lydia apologizes to her mother and Alpha smacks her across the face, ordering her to address her as Alpha like everyone else. She then smiles at Daryl as they leave.  

"Guardians"

In the woods, Alpha questions Lydia about her time at Hilltop. She talks about their farmland, supplies, and weapons, but leaves out their dealings with other communities like The Kingdom. Alpha's disappointed over her lack of intel so Lydia asks if that’' the only reason she came for her. "What a stupid question," Alpha says.

A while later, Lydia and the Whisperers stop in the woods to rest. Unknown to her, Henry watches them from a close distance. Suddenly, Beta grabs Henry from behind 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.

In the woods, Alpha asks Lydia why she didn't mention Henry but she says he wasn't worth mentioning. Alpha reminds her that he just risked his life to save her, so she must be lying. They arrive at the Whisperers' camp, which is full of people without their walker masks. Alpha instructs Beta to tie Henry to a tree and to get Lydia a new mask.

Later, Lydia watches in silence as Alpha executes a couple of Whisperers who challenged her for leadership. Then, she shows Henry she still has the necklace he gave her, signaling she secretly supports 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. Alpha and the others quickly put on their masks to try to lure the herd away as Daryl and Connie arrive disguised as Whisperers to rescue Henry. They grab Henry, who grabs Lydia, and together they escape.

"Chokepoint"

In the woods, following their daring escape from the Whisperers, Daryl blames Lydia for getting them into this mess and says she can't go with them back to Hilltop. Connie and Henry refuse to leave her behind and run off with her in another direction. Daryl reluctantly follows them.

At dawn, Daryl and Connie devise a plan to use an office building as a means of separating the Whisperers from the undead. Lydia warns Daryl that Alpha's going to send Beta, who's their best fighter. "We'll kill him first", Daryl promises. Inside the office building, Henry gifts Lydia a spear he made and she reminds him she's not willing to kill her own people. He takes it back and tells her he'll try not to either. Lydia then scolds him for risking his life for her, claiming that what he did made Alpha look weak. He reminds her he cares about her and they kiss. Daryl interrupts and tells them to keep watch.

Later, Lydia spots a group of walkers/Whisperers emerge from the bushes. In the middle of the group is Beta, who quietly instructs his people to spread out as Daryl shoots one of them with his crossbow. Beta and his people break in and quickly discover a trap meant to separate them from the dead. Meanwhile, Daryl makes Lydia hide in a closet with Dog as the Whisperers creep upstairs.

As the fight rages, a Whisperer attacks Henry and stabs him in the leg. Unable to stand leaving Henry in danger, Lydia breaks down the closet door with a crowbar, releasing Dog to go to Henry's rescue. With Dog's help, Henry kills the attacking Whisperer and is then tended to by Lydia. Though Henry apologizes for having to kill one of her people, Lydia reassures him that it's alright and continues to tending to Henry's wound as the fight ends.

Afterward, Connie draws the herd away with her slingshot and Daryl tells the others they're headed to Alexandria to get Henry help because it's closer. However, he doesn't intend to stay as the Whisperers will never stop hunting them and they will instead keep moving on.

"Scars"

Lydia arrives at Alexandria with Daryl, Henry, and Connie. From a guard post, Michonne tells Daryl she's skeptical of Lydia but he assures her she's on their side. Inside, Lydia watches as Henry gets his leg stitched by one of the town doctors.

Later, Lydia sits on a porch when Michonne asks for a moment alone with her and tells her she's done things that she's not proud of. She suggests that Lydia would make Alexandria a lot safer if she just walked away. At night, Lydia, Daryl, Henry, and Connie leave for the Kingdom.

The next day, Lydia, Daryl, Henry, and Connie encounter Michonne and Judith in the woods and join them on their way towards the Kingdom.

"The Calm Before"

Lydia and the group arrive at the Kingdom as the fair starts. She watches as Henry reunites and is warmly greeted by his family and how the group treats each other with kindness. Suddenly, Tara spots her among the group. "The plan was to bring Henry…just Henry" Tara says angrily to Daryl.

Inside the theater, Lydia listens as the leaders reunite and decide to grant her asylum in Alexandria, send some soldiers to Hilltop to guard against any potential attacks from the Whisperers and to re-establish the charter. She then sees as they all sign the charter.

In the fair, Lydia walks with Henry and marvels at how everyone is close to each other in the community, when Carol and Ezekiel find them and they are invited to go to the movies at night.

Later, Lydia sits by a table as Henry talks nearby with Addy. Suddenly, Gage and Rodney introduce themselves to her and tell her that Addy has a thing for Henry, making her uncomfortable. However, she proceeds to throw goat feces at them as payback. Henry then sits with her and assures her he likes her. They kiss and he leaves to check on the pipes, asking her to save him a seat at the movies.

At night, Lydia waits for Henry to show up when Alpha sits down next to her and quietly tells her not to say anything. Outside, Alpha confronts her about being a traitor but she tells her this is a better way of life. She then threatens to scream if she doesn't leave and Alpha disowns her, telling her she was never one of them. Lydia breaks down in tears as Alpha leaves.

After a while, Lydia runs up back to the movie theater and tells Ezekiel that her mother was at the fair and she can't find Henry, leaving him speechless.

The next day, in the Kingdom, Lydia listens from the crowd as Siddiq delivers the tragic news, tells them how brave everyone was in their final moments and how he was intentionally kept alive to tell this very story. He encourages everyone to remember the fallen.

Sometime later, Lydia and Daryl return to the border. Lydia leaves the necklace Henry made for her on the ground by the pike that once held his head and as the two walk away, snow flurries begin to fall.

"The Storm"

Several months after the fair massacre, Lydia has become a daughter like figure to Daryl, being protected and cared by him. In the Kingdom, as everyone gets ready to leave and move to Hilltop, Lydia is given dinner by Daryl.

On the road, the group spots walkers in a field but keep moving undetected. Suddenly, Alden asks Lydia if they're her people. "We followed their rules, haven't they done enough to us?" but is shut up by Daryl. Lydia tells him, “I don't want to cause any more problems," but Daryl reminds her people should stop blaming her.

Later, after Daryl kills a walker and leaves the group to retrieve his bolt, Lydia wanders alone into the forest. She finds a walker trapped in ice and takes off her glove while crying. She offers her hand to the walker to kill herself, but stops when Carol appears and follows her back to the group. As more snow starts falling, Michonne decides to take the group to the Sanctuary. In the Sanctuary, Lydia sits by herself and watches as Daryl walks around. After a while, the group gets ready and leave the Sanctuary.

In the woods, the group passes the pikes into Alpha's territory. Michonne kills frozen walkers, unsure if they're Whisperers or not, before reaching the frozen lake. Lydia leaves the group and heads again into the forest. Carol tracks her down to a cabin and demands to know what she's doing. Lydia explains she can't cross the river because going to Hilltop won't fix anything because everyone will still blame her for what happened. "Your son's dead because of me," she says, before asking Carol to kill her. Lydia holds Carol's spear to her own neck and tells her this is how she ensures they don't lose anyone else. Carol considers doing it but stops herself and kills a walker instead. "You're not weak," Carol says before taking her back to the group again.

In the morning, Lydia and the group finally arrive at Hilltop, where Daryl knocks off the head of a frozen walker. That night, Lydia watches in awe at drawings of Glenn and Hershel. Daryl tells her they'll leave for Alexandria in the morning. She asks why he left Hilltop and he says he'll tell her that story another day. The next day, Lydia and the others return to Alexandria. She then plays with the group in a snowball fight.

Season 10

"Lines We Cross"

Some months after the blizzard, Lydia has been trying to fit in Alexandria and adjust to a new way of life. She joins a class of young students trying to learn how to read. Gracie is supportive of her, but Lydia is frustrated by her failures, admitting she has never really needed to learn how to read. When the council enters the meeting room to discuss the threat of the Whisperers having returned, Lydia is sent outside.

After being kicked out, Lydia practices with Henry's old staff which she now owns and has added a nunchuck to. Negan spots Lydia and deduces what must've happened. He asks her what's wrong and Lydia tells Negan everyone's on alert because they found a skin. Negan playfully warns her to watch her back.

"We Are the End of the World"

In the past, Lydia and her mother walk among walkers covered in blood when they come upon an injured woman being devoured. When a walker bumps into her, Lydia drops her earmuffs and screams. They are forced to run and seek shelter inside an abandoned hospital, where they find a man wearing a ski mask.

Alpha explains to the masked man that she and her daughter don't mean harm. He allows them to stay for the night. Later, Alpha cleans Lydia in a bathtub. Lydia is scared by the sound of walkers but Alpha insists she just listens to it. They look through supplies and eat. At night, Alpha tries to give Lydia her rabbit toy before sleeping but Lydia doesn't want it anymore. She tells Alpha that she wants to be like her. Alpha is thrilled by this but tells her to stop calling her mama.

Lydia then wakes up in the middle of the night and smears blood Alpha has collected all over her. She leaves the room and wanders around the hospital in an effort to make herself braver. After hearing screams, Lydia arrives at another room and stops the man from killing Alpha. She hugs her mother and she tells her not to leave her side again. Lydia then watches as Alpha lifts the man's mask to look at his face and chuckles, seemingly recognizing him. Sometime later, they leave the hospital together.

"Ghosts"

At an emergency council meeting to discuss the incoming waves of walkers, Lydia states that she believes her mother isn't behind the attacks if she wanted them dead because she would've sent the entire herd.

"Silence the Whisperers"

Lydia walks the streets of Alexandria over the night and passes by Rosita and Gabriel strolling Coco around. When she notices Siddiq from afar she smiles at him, but is ignored as Siddiq retreats inside his house. The following morning, Lydia approaches the training session and is harassed by Gage, Margo, and Alfred before being told to leave. She visits Negan to inform him his advice to ignore her bullies isn't working and they keep harassing her. Before they can continue talking, Daryl arrives and orders Lydia to leave. He then catches up to scold her for talking to Negan, when they notice a "Silence the Whispers" message graffitied on their house door.

Later that day, Lydia goes to the dining hall and sits at the table of Gage, Margo, and Alfred. She skins a squirrel in front of them, mocks the shushing motion and smiles as they leave disgusted. However, Daryl later tells her to not do that again but she defends herself and storms out. That night, Lydia walks around and is ambushed by her bullies. Margo blames her for putting her friends' heads on spikes but Lydia reminds them she wasn't involved and says she's one of them. They throw Lydia into the ground and start violently punching her. Suddenly, Negan arrives and in order to protect Lydia, accidentally throws Margo into a wall, killing her.

When Daryl and the other residents arrive to assess the situation, Alfred blames Negan for Margo's death but Lydia screams it wasn't his fault. Daryl believes her but orders Negan back to his cell. She is then taken to the infirmary to be bandaged by Dante. Later, Daryl checks on her and she claims that her father would've protected her. Daryl hugs her and she tells him Negan saved her. The following morning, Lydia realizes Negan has escaped his cell and claims she is responsible before heading to his cell to lock herself in. Daryl rushes over and tells her she didn't leave the house that night. However, Lydia chooses to stay in the cell because she feels safer and laments she couldn't be like him.

"Open Your Eyes"

Lydia is trying to read a book in her cell when Daryl arrives and signals her to get out while Carol escorts a captured Whisperer inside. She is then questioned by Carol about their prisoner and she reveals he is one of the Whisperers in charge of herding the walkers. Lydia then sees as Gabriel berates Carol for her actions. As he leaves, Carol tells Lydia she can stay in her house in the meantime. She then heads to the balcony.

While watching the community, Carol offers Lydia ointment for her scars but she says she has had worse injuries before. When Carol replies that she has sustained worse injuries as well, Lydia is left thinking about her past. She then reveals that the captured Whisperer won't betray Alpha because he is loyal, but if they show him that a place like Alexandria can survive, there's nothing Alpha can do to stop the idea from spreading among the group.

Later that day, Lydia is brought by Carol to the cell so the Whisperer can realize that she is alive but they are forced to leave by Daryl after he dies from poisoning. Carol then asks Lydia for her help in something and they ride off of Alexandria towards the woods. That night, they arrive at one of the borders on a bridge where Gamma is holding Aaron at knifepoint. When a shocked Gamma flees, Lydia realizes Carol used her for her own purposes. Carol tries to explain to Lydia that Alpha lied to the Whisperers about killing her but Lydia compares her to Alpha. She then says she chooses her own side and hits Carol with her staff before crossing into the border as well.

"Stalker"

Over the next two days alone in the woods, Lydia rethinks her actions and chooses to rejoin the communities since, despite their flaws, they are the closest chance of her having a normal life. During her travels, she passes by an abandoned gas station and finds Alpha and Daryl lying injured and bloody inside the workshop. Lydia decides to save Daryl over her own mother and picks up his crossbow before walking towards a dizzy Alpha.

When Alpha briefly wakes up and sees Lydia, she wonders if she's real and starts to sing a lullaby while placing her daughter's hands on the knife above her heart, saying she's ready to lead the Whisperers after her death. Lydia tearfully declines to kill her mother and says she blames her for not letting her live a normal life like she always wanted.

Before leaving her agonizing mother behind, Lydia carves the words "Your way is not the only way" into a bench and carries Daryl away. During the rest of the night, she tends to his wounds and watches over him while deciding what to do. When Daryl awakens the next morning and asks about Alpha, Lydia responds that she couldn't bring herself to kill her mother.

"Morning Star"

Lydia and Daryl arrive at the Hilltop. The pair reveal that Alpha is coming. Daryl and Lydia joins the discussion about what should be done. Lydia thinks they should run, explaining that even if the explosion at the cave took out half the horde, Alpha would still have thousands of walkers left. Earl thinks the Whisperers might bypass them and go for Alexandria first, but Lydia negates this. Jerry wishes to stay and fight instead, while Dianne agrees with Lydia, believing that they can rebuild in another location. Earl is skeptical, however, and reckons that they will never find a place as good as Hilltop. While Yumiko points out they're heavily outnumbered, Earl insists that fighting is the best course of action, and even if they die, they will die for a place that means something. Aaron points out that there are children at Hilltop, too.

Lydia tearfully inspects the engraving Henry made for her, when Carol sits next to her. After lighting a cigarette, Carol says that Lydia should hate her, to which the latter replies that it's hard for her to do so, since Carol already seems to hate herself so much. Carol vows to kill Alpha, but Lydia points out that it won't save them. Carol replies that it will feel good, and asks if Lydia will hate her then. Lydia coldly states that she wont be thinking about Carol at all. Carol chuckles and thanks her for telling the truth. Lydia observes that people don't know how to do that anymore, so they simply stay away from both of them. Carol mournfully says that she had a life, to which Lydia simply replies "I know".

As everyone is gathered on the front lines, including Lydia. Daryl walks out to join the army. They are standing at the gate with their shields. Daryl takes the lead. Kelly confirms that the horde is close. Indeed, the horde soon emerges from the bushes and approaches the Hilltop. While they are momentarily halted by the electric fence, the walkers soon break through it and approach the second line of defense. Aaron orders the survivors to split ranks. The shield-wielding survivors reinforce the makeshift barbed wire fence, while the melee weapon-wielding survivors start taking out the walkers. The archers, meanwhile, stay in the back and rain arrows on the herd.

Behind the herd, Beta commands the Whisperers to launch the sap they collected earlier using makeshift catapults into the front lines, drenching most of the defenders as well as the Hilltop's walls. This is followed by the Whisperers launching fire-arrows into the front lines, setting one unfortunate Hilltop resident ablaze. With no choice, Daryl tells the defenders to begin to retreat towards the Hilltop, but are trapped when the Whisperers launch another volley of fire-arrows into the Hilltop's walls, setting the community ablaze.

"Walk With Us"

Lydia participates in the battle to protect Hilltop, killing invading walkers using her staff. Mary tries to convince Lydia to flee, knowing that Alpha still wants her, but Lydia refuses, stating that she will never walk with the Whisperers again. She resumes fighting.

Like the other survivors of the battle, Lydia ultimately flees, but is left with an injured leg and uses her staff as a walking stick. Wandering through the nearby forest, Lydia encounters Negan and is initially pleased to see her friend. However, she quickly realizes that he is working for Alpha and becomes alarmed. Negan easily overpowers and disarms Lydia, taking her captive.

Negan subsequently leads Alpha to a shed where Lydia is located, Alpha intending to kill her daughter so that Lydia will reanimate and remain by her side as part of the horde, refusing to be dissuaded by Negan. As Alpha approaches the shed, a frightened Lydia manages to free herself and opens the door to an empty field. Meanwhile, Alpha finds the shed Negan took her to empty. It's revealed that Negan used Lydia to bait a trap to lure out and kill Alpha, which he does moments after she discovers his deception.

"Look at the Flowers"

Negan returns to where he stashed Lydia, only to find her gone. Having been informed of what Negan did by Lydia, Daryl is waiting to ambush Negan who insists that he never intended Lydia any harm, keeping her safely out of harm's way while using her as bait to lure out Alpha and kill her.

"The Tower"

While taking refuge in an abandoned hospital after leaving Alexandria due to the threat of Beta's herd, Judith approaches Lydia, who is petting a cat. Judith offers condolences for her mother's death, but Lydia tells her she doesn't have to do that. When asked, Lydia denies that she misses her mother, and tells Judith that not everyone gets to have a mom like hers. Later, Lydia is petting Dog when Negan comes over and offers her something to eat. Lydia, however, claims she isn't hungry. Negan asks if she is avoiding him, and Lydia bluntly confirms. Negan is taken aback by her honesty, to which Lydia bitterly asks if he wants her to lie to make him feel better. Negan denies this, and goes on to state that he liked her mother despite her inexcusable crimes, wishing that he didn't have to kill her. Still, he encourages Lydia to say whatever she has to say to him. Lydia coldly replies that most of them wish that Negan had died as well, before taking her leave.

Lydia later angrily approaches Negan and declares that he can't tell her what to do. Negan calmly acknowledges this, and invites Lydia to hit him, as it will make her feel better. Lydia claims that she feels fine, but Negan is adamant that she has to mourn her mother, or it will continue to eat her up on the inside. Despite everything, Negan claims, Alpha was still her mother, and if she doesn't let it all out, she will drift further away from the other survivors, which Negan is certain Lydia don't wants. Lydia rhetorically asks what Negan knows about what she wants, and calls him a selfish asshole, believing he only killed Alpha so that people believe that he's a hero, but the people will never see him as such, since he only cares about himself. Lydia believes that him trying to get her to open up is also for selfish reasons, and wonders how he could have ever liked her mother. She is adamant that she hated her mother, or wants to hate her in any case, and yells at Negan for saying she can't even do that. Despite this, Negan tells her it's okay, prompting Lydia to break down in anger and tears as Negan embraces her.

"A Certain Doom"

Lydia joins in the planning session for getting rid of Beta's horde and offers her help in transporting the equipment through to the other side. However, Rachel and Beatrice refuse to trust Lydia and Gabriel states that they need her help in the Tower anyway. Lydia approaches Carol and offers to talk if she needs it and makes it clear that while she's not looking for a new mother, she wants Carol as a friend. Carol in turn suggests that Lydia find her own way instead of letting others decide it for her.

As the group makes its way through the horde, Lydia helps Dianne pick out Whisperers to target before Beta turns the horde, making it harder. With the Whisperers breaking in, Negan approaches Lydia and suggests that she make a run for it as he thinks the survivors are doomed. Lydia points out that he could do the same and suggests that he help. Negan provides Lydia with her mother's walker mask, driving her to tears, before he departs.

Shortly thereafter, Lydia, covered in walker guts and dressed in Alpha's mask, picks up the backpack that Beatrice dropped and joins the rest of Daryl's group. Armed with a bow, Lydia helps to protect the wagon carrying the sound system as it draws the horde away from the Tower and spots when Whisperers begin making their approach to attack, warning the others. Together, Lydia and the others attempt to stop the Whisperers to no avail and the wagon and sound system are destroyed.

Regrouping in the nearby woods and spotting the horde heading back towards the Tower, the group begins working out what to do next. Lydia suggests that once the Whisperers in the herd are gone, she can lead them away as Alpha taught her how to. Though Lydia insists that she can do it, Luke points out that since there is no longer a wagon to lead the herd over the cliff, it is a suicide mission. As the group begins assassinating the surviving Whisperers, Beta notices Lydia moving through the herd, once again in Alpha's mask and guiding the herd away. As Beta attempts to go after her, he is stopped by Negan and Daryl and finally killed.

The next morning, Lydia leads the herd onto a high cliff overlooking a river. As they get close to the edge, Carol approaches Lydia from behind and orders her to go and let Carol finish the job. As Carol and the horde approach the edge, Lydia suddenly grabs Carol's hand and yanks her back to safety behind a rock. Removing her mask, Lydia reminds Carol that Carol had told her to find her own way and Carol thanks her as the two embrace, crying. Carol and Lydia watch as the horde walks over the cliff to their demise and Lydia throws Alpha's mask over with them. Once the walkers are all gone, Carol and Lydia stand on the cliff's edge, looking down after them.

With the horde destroyed, the two return to the survivors' camp where Carol credits Lydia with ensuring the destruction of the horde once and for all and the threat of the Whisperers but Lydia shares credit with Carol. Noticing Negan amongst the group, Lydia asks if he is going to stay and Negan tells that he is "for now." Negan and Lydia share a hug as everyone celebrates.

"Home Sweet Home"

A short time after making it to the rendezvous in the woods with the other survivors, Lydia makes her way home to Alexandria with Nabila and Barbara. After running into a minor obstacle on the road, they are helped by Negan and resume their journey as Maggie and Judith emerge from the woods. A few days later, Lydia helps clean up the destruction in Alexandria left behind by the Whisperers. She works alongside Nabila, Carol, Negan, Barbara, and several other residents when Daryl returns with Kelly and Maggie’s group. She then watches as Maggie, her son Hershel, and the other members of her group enter Alexandria through the fallen wall and begin to explore the streets of their new home.

Season 11

Lydia will appear in this season.

Killed Victims

This list shows the victims Lydia has killed:

Relationships

Alpha

Lydia is Alpha's daughter. Despite this, Alpha is abusive, manipulative, and sociopathic towards her. Alpha frequently brainwashed Lydia into believing that her father was an abusive man while she was the kind parent. It's also implied that Alpha would disregard her daughter if she is killed or captured. However, Alpha still showed concern for Lydia as she hoped to escape from the shelter with her rather than stay behind or escape with Frank, and the fact that she came to Hilltop demanding her Lydia's return.

Lydia seems to fear Alpha. After realizing that she was brainwashed by her, she came to her senses and decided to remain at the Hilltop due to the PTSD caused by the years of her mother's abuse. She decides to go back to her mother so the Hilltop people wouldn't be hurt. Alpha continues to abuse and treat her coldly after retrieving her.

After Daryl and Connie rescue Henry and Lydia from the Whisperer camp and return to Hilltop, she becomes completely loyal to her new comrades. When Alpha confronts Lydia at the fair, she states that if Alpha didn’t leave, she would have her killed. This devastates Alpha, and their relationship crumbles from then on.

While Lydia is happy to no longer be with the Whisperers, she still cares about Alpha.

In the episode "Stalker" where Lydia comes upon her mother, she wants Lydia to kill her and take over the Whisperers. She refuses and states that Alpha's way isn't the only way. She later admitted to Daryl that she couldn't kill her mother.

Frank

Frank loved Lydia, as she was his daughter. He would take it upon himself to protect her from his abusive wife and the hardship of the early outbreak. He would sing to her to comfort her. Lydia would later forget this due to the lies of her mother.

Henry

Henry and Lydia became quick friends. While they were locked in cells, she opened up to him about her past. They eventually develop romantic feelings towards each other. Lydia and Henry kiss before she is forced to go back to her mother. When Henry follows her to their camp she punches him, but this may be just to show her mother that she didn't care about him. However, when Alpha forces her with a choice to kill Henry or be killed alongside him, she starts to cry. Daryl rescues her and Henry before she reaches a decision.

Later, Lydia asks Henry for the real reason why he came after her. He replies that cares about her. Lydia kisses him again. Eventually, Lydia chooses to be with Henry over her own people. When Henry is attacked by a Whisperer and injured, Lydia releases Dog to save him and tends to Henry's injuries. Although Henry had promised Lydia to try not to kill any of her people, she reassures him over his actions rather than being angry with Henry.

Lydia and Henry declare their feelings for each other at the fair, sealing the deal with a kiss, establishing their relationship. Sadly, this would be the last time that she'd see Henry alive. Her mother kidnapped and murdered Henry. Lydia is devastated by her boyfriend's death and she stops by the pike where his head rested with the rest of the victims. She laid the H necklace that he gave her by his pike, paying her respects to the boy who died saving her.

Months after Henry's death, Lydia is shown to have armed herself with Henry's staff which she has added a nunchuck to for added stopping power. In "Silence the Whisperers", Lydia admits that she loved Henry.

Daryl Dixon

Daryl first sees Lydia as a threat and tries to get information out of her. Daryl later feels sympathetic for her after learning of her abusive mother and upbringing. It is implied Daryl cares for Lydia shown by him not wanting to give her back to Alpha, although he unwillingly does so to save Luke and Alden's life. Daryl is later reluctant to take Lydia with his friends as he knows the danger she will put them in, but he leaves Dog to protect her when he, Henry and Connie fight the Whisperers. After the fight, Daryl, possibly because he knows how much Henry cares for her, decides to let Lydia stay with them.

Months after his death. Daryl takes her to the border where Henry's head used to be to pay her respects. And she lays her necklace with the Hilltop token at his pike.

She and Daryl have formed a father-daughter relationship now that she is without her mother and they lived for several months together at the Kingdom. Daryl looks after Lydia after the fair and protects her from people who blame her for what happened. Daryl offers to take off with Lydia on his own to make sure she survives. Later, he takes her to Alexandria and they have a snowball fight.

In "Silence the Whisperers", Lydia says that she admires Daryl for how he integrated into Alexandria and says she wants to be like him.

Beta

Lydia shows an immense fear of Beta. She claimed that her mother would not need an Army to get her back, only Beta himself. She considered him the best fighter within their ranks.

Connie

Connie was one of the few people who stood up for Lydia and argued with Daryl that she deserves a chance. Connie feels sorry for Lydia.

Carol Peletier

Carol and Lydia first met when Lydia arrived at the Kingdom. At first their relationship seemed positive, likely due to the fact that Carol's son Henry cared a lot about her.

After Lydia's mother (Alpha) killed Henry, Carol and Lydia's relationship became trying. Carol told Daryl that every time she looks at Lydia all she sees is her son; however, when Lydia later asks Carol to kill her, Carol showed empathy for Lydia's guilt over the death of Henry, refused to kill her and told Lydia she's "not weak".

Afterwards, Carol decides to move to Alexandria with Daryl and Lydia. Upon arrival, Carol and Lydia both happily take part in the snowball fight, indicating that their relationship has turned positive.

Months later, their relationship takes a turn when Lydia finds out Carol is trying to use her to gain information on The Whisperers. In anger she tell Carol she's choosing a side, "mine", and enters Whisperer territory. Later they practically rekindle their relationship. Lydia feels pity for Carol for her hatred of Alpha and her own self hate.

Alden

Alden and Lydia have a poor relationship. After the death of Enid at Alpha’s hands, Alden has become cold and hostile to Lydia. He partially blames her for the death of everyone.

Negan Smith

Lydia and Negan have a good relationship. He is one of the few people in Alexandria that cares about her.


Appearances

Episodes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Season 11
Appears Voice is heard
👁 Appears with no lines Appears in a flashback
Appears as a walker 🖼 Appears in a photograph/video
Appears as a corpse Appears in a hallucination/dream

Trivia

  • The casting call for this character used the name Molly.[1]
  • Lydia was affectionately named as "bug" by her parents.
  • Lydia suffers from gaslighting as a result of her mother's manipulation over the memories of her father.
    • After the death of Henry, she has also become suicidal, though she may be recovering.
  • Lydia bears several scars across her right arm which had been sustained from a birch tree whipping inflicted by Alpha.
  • Lydia is the first named Whisperer to appear in the show.
  • Unlike her comic book counterpart, Lydia is brunette instead of blonde.
  • With the deaths of Henry, Addy, and Rodney in "The Calm Before" and the disappearance of Alice and Gage, Lydia is now one of only two surviving, named teenage characters; the other Rachel Ward.
  • Due to the lack of formal education during her time with the Whisperers, Lydia is illiterate, and is forced to learn to read with children who are much younger than herself.
  • Lydia wields Henry's staff in Season 10 following his death in "The Calm Before". She is shown to have added a nunchuck to it, something that neither Henry nor Morgan Jones ever used.
  • She is one of nine people known to have seen Beta's face.
  • In "Walk With Us", an injured Lydia uses her staff as a walking stick like Henry did following the events of "Chokepoint" and Morgan Jones in the first half of Season 4 of Fear The Walking Dead and later in "... I Lose Myself".
  • As of "Walk With Us", Lydia is the only known member of her family confirmed to be alive.
  • As of "A Certain Doom", Lydia and Adam are the only former Whisperers to still be alive.

Other Actresses

International Dubbers
Language Dubber Other Characters Voiced
Czech N/A N/A
French Lisa Caruso Charlie
German Andrea Cleven
Noa Sarah Hadad (young; "Omega")
Naomi Hadad (young; "We Are the End of the World")
Noa Sarah Hadad:
Judith Grimes
Naomi Hadad:
Gina
Hungarian Laudon Andrea (9)
Pekár Adrienn (10)
N/A
Italian Sara Labidi Sophia Peletier
Japanese Hodaka Mieno Yumiko
Portuguese Veridiana Benassi Alisha
Spanish (Latin America) Andrea Higa
Micaela Carla Oddera ("The Tower"-"A Certain Doom")
Andrea Higa:
Haley
Mika Samuels
Lilly Chambler
Meghan Chambler
Amanda Shepherd
Sherry
Gracie
Micaela Carla Oddera:
Helen
Spanish (Spain) Isabel Fernández Avanthay
Tania Ugía (young)
Isabel Fernández Avanthay:
Dawn Lerner

References

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