Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) may be the main character of "The Walking Dead" overall, but you can certainly make the case that Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) was the most important character of season 2. He was Rick's conflicted frenemy, a guy who cared for Rick but did sort of sleep with his wife on multiple occasions. He also served as the devil on Rick's shoulder, constantly arguing against Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn), the angel on Rick's shoulder. He wasn't evil exactly, but he sure didn't see the value in playing by society's old rules in this new violent world they'd all found themselves in. 

But although Shane was the standout character of season 2, the show still killed him off in the season's penultimate episode, "Better Angels." After growing tension between them, Shane tries to kill Rick, only for Rick to turn the tables and stab him to death instead. Shane does return...