Andrea is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and was portrayed by Laurie Holden in the American television series of the same name. The character was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, and debuted in The Walking Dead #2 in 2003. In both mediums, she and her sister Amy are among a group of survivors near Atlanta, Georgia.
In the comic book series, Andrea is a 25-year-old law firm clerk who develops from an insecure and inexperienced young woman into a mature and hardened warrior, having killed more than any other character. She forms a relationship with moral compass Dale and they raise a short-lived family with adoptive twin sons, Billy and Ben. Andrea becomes the group's primary sharpshooter and, later, a main instigator in the war against the infamous tyrant, Negan. During this event, the stress of war and grief over the loss of her family brings her closer to group leader Rick Grimes, with whom she becomes romantically involved thereafter, also becoming a surrogate mother to Carl, who begins calling her "mom."
In the television series, Andrea is eleven years older, and a former successful civil rights attorney who forms a strong, but platonic, relationship with moral center, Dale Horvath. Her grief over her sister's loss causes her to attempt suicide. Robert Kirkman assured this would initiate her transformation into the "fearless sharpshooter," mirroring her comic book counterpart, although the character's arc drastically diverts further from her comic counterpart in the third season, and her primary story arc involves the character being caught in the conflict between Rick and The Governor.
For her performance as Andrea, Holden received favorable reviews, although the character's story arc in the third season was not well received. She was nominated for several awards including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2010 — later winning the same award in 2013.
Appearances
Comic book series
Early storylines (2003–2004) As a main character of the comic book series, Andrea appears in every single volume. The character is introduced in issue two of The Walking Dead in the "Days Gone Bye" storyline on November 12, 2003 while her first prose appearance is issue five on February 1, 2004 as a survivor of the zombie apocalypse. A former file clerk, Andrea is a head-strong and independent young woman beginning to find her place in the world. During the initial stages of the outbreak, she and her younger sister Amy are getting back from a road trip and heading towards Amy's college, when they are stranded and eventually picked up by fellow survivor Dale. They set up camp together on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, where they are soon joined by other survivors. The group members learn to handle guns, and Andrea discovers that she is an excellent marksman. When zombies invade the camp, Amy is bitten. A distraught Andrea shoots her sister to ensure that she does not return as a zombie. The group moves on, first to a gated community named Wiltshire Estates where Andrea and Dale engage in sex and thus begin a relationship. Following their desertion from the community, they end up at a farm, where they enjoy temporary peace. While there, Andrea makes continued failed attempts at consoling Allen and is concerned for the well-being of his children. No sooner after their arrival are they ousted from the farm by Hershel, and soon afterward while on the road she and Dale discover a path leading to a prison facility.
Prison arc (2004–2008) In "Safety Behind Bars" (vol. #3), Andrea takes part in the clearing out of the prison. One of the surviving inmates named Thomas Richards attempts to behead her as she does laundry. She manages to escape, but her earlobe is partially severed and she receives a facial scar. In "The Heart's Desire" (vol. #4), in the aftermath of Thomas Richards' death, Andrea settles in and takes it upon herself to do others' laundry, among other household-like tasks. In addition to this, she discovers prison uniforms for the group to swap with their old clothes, and tests her sewing skills to make sure everyone has the appropriate length, ultimately becoming the group's seamstress. Dale and Andrea later become surrogate parents to twins Billy and Ben when their father Allen is bitten by a zombie and dies.The Walking Dead #22 (October 2005) The prison's existence is discovered by the Governor – the leader of Woodbury, a nearby town of survivors. In the seventh volume "The Calm Before", Andrea teaches other group members to shoot to prepare them to defend the prison, and joins an expedition led by fellow group member Tyreese to a nearby National Guard station, so as to increase their arsenal of weapons.The Walking Dead #38 (June 2007) Upon their return, Andrea discovers that Dale has been bitten on the calf by a zombie. She hurries him to the infirmary, where Rick Grimes, the groups' leader, cuts off his leg to save his life.The Walking Dead #40 (August 2007) Dale becomes jealous when Andrea begins spending increased amounts of time with group member Tyreese, until she reveals that Tyreese was helping her make a wooden leg and crutches for Dale. In "Made to Suffer", the eighth volume and conclusion to the first compendium, the Governor launches an attack on the prison. Andrea serves as a sniper and kills many of their attackers, though she is grazed by a bullet and receives a second facial scar. The Woodbury group retreats, and Dale convinces Andrea to leave the prison with him and the twins. When the prison is attacked for a second time, Andrea returns alone and again kills a number of the Woodbury group.
Post-prison (2008–2010) In the ninth volume "Here We Remain", the prison survivors reunite back at the farm, where they meet a new group and decide to travel with them to Washington, D.C. The group of survivors who are on a mission to Washington, D.C. consist of Abraham Ford (the leader), Eugene Porter (a man who claims to have knowledge on the cure, requesting to go to D.C.) and Rosita Espinosa (Abraham's girlfriend). In "What We Become" (vol. #10), en route to DC, Dale attempts to convince Andrea to again break from the group and start a new life with Billy and Ben in an abandoned farmhouse. Andrea displays reluctance, and the suggestion becomes moot with the arrival of a herd of zombies.The Walking Dead #58 (February 2009) While on the road again, Ben murders Billy, seemingly unaware of the gravity of his actions. The group discuss killing him in which she threatens to kill anyone who even touches him, and Dale suggests that the three of them leave together, but that night, Rick's son Carl shoots Ben. Andrea is distraught, even more so when Dale disappears. In "Fear the Hunters" (vol. #11), she admits to Rick that she fears Dale never knew of her genuine love for him. Dale is later returned to the group missing his second leg, which has been eaten by cannibals. He reveals that he is dying, as he had been bitten by a zombie and left during the night to spare Andrea the pain of his death. She, Rick, Michonne and Abraham hunt down and murder the cannibals. She tells Dale how much she loves him, and is with him when he dies. As with Amy, she shoots him to stop him from turning into a zombie.
Alexandria (2010–2012) On the outskirts of Washington, the group are recruited by a scout for the nearby Alexandria Safe-Zone, at Alexandria, Virginia named Aaron. Andrea becomes the town's look-out. Although she is pessimistic as to how long their safety will last, she attempts to discourage Rick from challenging the safe zone's hierarchy. She rebuffs the romantic advances of the zone's leader, Douglas Monroe. While she later shares a series of flirtations with Douglas Monroe's son, Spencer, that culminates in their almost kissing, she terminates their fledgling relationship when he suggests they abandon the zone while the other inhabitants are under attack by zombies, including his own father and her friends. Andrea gradually begins to develop feelings for Rick.The Walking Dead #90 (October 2011) They share a kiss, but he rebuffs her, with the explanation that everyone he cares about dies, and he does not want to lose her. She attempts to convince him that their shared experiences make them uniquely compatible, and insists on joining him in his journey to a neighboring safe zone twenty two miles away known as the Hilltop Colony to demonstrate that he need not worry about her safety.The Walking Dead #94 (March 2012) Andrea, along with Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Glenn, go to the Hilltop Colony by ambassador Paul Monroe, a community hoping to start a trading network with them. There, they are shown around and introduced to Gregory. Another resident of the colony, Ethan, returns from a failed mission where all of his companions were killed except for himself and a woman named Crystal. Ethan then tells Gregory he has a message for him and stabs him. Rick tackles Ethan to the ground and in the struggle cuts his throat, while the rest of the residents stare at him, shocked.The Walking Dead #95 (March 28, 2012) The survivors learn of the Hilltop's trading with the dangerous Saviors and Andrea believes it to be "messed up" that they had taken advantage of it and taken most of their supplies.The Walking Dead #96 (April 18, 2012) On the way back to Alexandria, they are stopped by a band of Saviors demanding all the supplies that Gregory gave them. The group kills all but one of the Saviors, issuing a warning to send back to their leader Negan and they make it back to the community.The Walking Dead #97 (May 2012) Andrea and Rick later find Abraham's corpse on the way back to the safe zone after she kills more Saviors to save Eugene who was left as a hostage. With Abraham gone, Rick feels Andrea is the only capable person left to defend the walls while he is gone to retrieve Paul Monroe and several others. While on patrol, a hesitant Andrea speaks to Spencer who is accepting of her relationship with Rick despite his jealousy earlier. Later, she successfully captures one of the Saviors who continue to attack named Dwight.The Walking Dead #99 (June 2012)
War against Negan (2012–2014)