Lydia

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 to be interrogated for information. Eventually, she forms a relationship with Carl 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 goes back to Hilltop.

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 Carl 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 Carl came after her and was captured, Lydia punched him in anger, though this was most likely an act. Later, she is unable to kill Carl when her mother commands her to, and chooses to run away with Carl when Daryl and Connie come to rescue him.

Mid-Atlantic, United States
Lydia was born in the early 2000's and grew up in the Mid-Atlantic 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.

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.

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.

Rural Virginia
At some point after the fall of the shelter and the death of her father, her mother "Alpha" formed and became the leader of a large group of survivors that would eventually become known as the Whisperers. The group discovered an ingenious way to be protected from attacks of the dead by killing and skinning them, wearing their skin in order to mask their scents and move freely among herds in order to attack other survivor camps and settlements. The group also shed their previous identities and names, becoming nothing but hardened and primitive survivors. To the point, they disregard the ones they see as 'weak' in their group, not acknowledging those who die or go missing. In "Acheron: Part II", Lydia shoots herself in the head to prevent reanimation after being bitten on the neck by a walker.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Lydia has killed:
 * At least 1 unnamed Shelter refugee (Caused)
 * 1 unnamed Whisperer (Indirectly Caused)
 * Numerous counts of zombies and possibly unnamed people

Relationships
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Alpha
Lydia is Alpha's daughter. Despite this, Alpha is an abusive, manipulative, and sociopathic mother towards her. To the point Alpha brainwashed Lydia into believing that her father was an abusive man and that she was the kind one. It's also implied that Alpha would disregard her daughter if she is killed or captured. However, Alpha still cares for Lydia as she hopes to escape from the shelter with her rather than stay behind or escape with Frank and the fact that Alpha came to Hilltop demanding her daughter'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 Carl from the Whisperer camp and bring her back to Hilltop, she becomes completely loyal to her new comrades, and at the fair when Alpha confronts Lydia, Lydia states that if Alpha didn’t leave, she would have Alpha killed. This devastates Alpha, and their relationship crumbles from then on.

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.

Carl
Carl and Lydia became quick friends. Lydia opens up to Carl about her past. They eventually develop romantic feelings towards each other. Lydia and Carl kiss before she is forced to go back to her mother. When Carl 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 Carl or be killed alongside him, she starts to cry. Daryl rescues her and Carl before she reaches a decision.

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

Lydia and Carl declare their feelings for each other at the fair, sealing the deal with a kiss, establishing their relationship.

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..

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.

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
TBA

Carol
TBA

Mikey
Mikey and Lydia have a poor relationship. After the death of Enid at Alpha’s hands, Mikey has become cold and hostile to Lydia.

Haley Edwards
Haley and Lydia had a rather poor relationship at first. Haley was very distrustful of her Lydia at the fair. Haley later become very cold and hostile to Lydia after Niall was killed by Alpha.
 * }
 * }

Season 9

 * "Adaptation"
 * "Omega"
 * "Bounty"
 * "Guardians"
 * "Chokepoint"
 * "Scars"
 * "The Calm Before"
 * "The Storm"

Season 10

 * "Lines We Cross"
 * "We Are The End of the World" (Hallucinations)
 * "Ghosts"
 * "Silence The Whisperers
 * "Bonds"
 * "Open Your Eyes"
 * "Stalker"
 * "Morning Star"
 * "Walk With Us"
 * "The Tower"
 * "A Certain Doom"

Trivia

 * 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.
 * 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.