How Rick Grimes Ultimately Became Worse Than Shane 

Shane realized that surviving in this world requires making the hard decisions and that’s what he tired to explain to everyone. Unfortunately he adapted too fast and came off as the villain and that ultimately lead to his demised

Shane's time on the show was short but sweet. He served his purpose, he ultimately helped shape Rick into the survivor he became.

The real problem with Shane is that he is impulsive and lacks self-control. He is: passionate, charismatic, and a good fighter, but he was always a vastly inferior leader to Rick because he didn't think things through enough; also, he viewed *EVERYONE* except for himself, lori, and carl, to be meatshields(making him more of an opportunist then a leader).

The difference is Shane abandoned people instantly, while Rick never truly did abandon his people. Shane was all about no risk for their group, while Rick would risk himself to a reasonable degree for his group

I feel really bad for Rick, dude literally lost his wife, his kid, his best friend, his very close friends, his homes.

I believe the difference between Rick and Shane highlighted in how easily Shane decided to sacrifice Otis to save himself. At that point, he lost his conscience. How many more of the people who eventually became the family unit would Shane have been willing to sacrifice to save himself? Would Shane have gone to save Maggie and Glen from the Governor or make a decision for example to go looking for Beth? How often would he have put himself in the face of danger to save others?

I forgot where I read it, but apparently Shane's death was supposed to be even more profound that it already was. Apparently, because Shane couldn't have Lori, Shane was gonna have a stand off with Rick where he points an empty gun at him, forcing Rick to kill him to become hardened, but to also make him realize that he never wanted to kill him. He wanted to make him stronger.

Shane became heartless to the point where he would kill his best friend and mercilessly kill anyone if he felt like it was necessary. Rick never got to that point

Although Shane did come to the realization of the new world faster, that wasn't what got him killed----- he was obsessed with Lori and Carl and would manipulate Rick and others to get his way with them. Shane was ultimately dangerous and unstable and instead of looking out for the group, he would look after Lori and Carl. That's what got Shane killed.

Shane was still obsessing over Laurie. Can't underscore that enough when comparing the two. Thats why we didn't root for Shane. If he was just chill about his boys wife everything else he was doing would have been seen differently.

Let's not forget that Rick had the option to kill negan but didn't. I feel like that shows that rick and Shane could never and would never be the same. We all know Shane would have killed negan the second he got the chance but because of Morgan and Carl's Outlook and how they impacted rick, he knew for a better and civilized future he had to keep negan alive

respectfully, could not disagree more with you. Shane to me is the type of person that evolves into a Negan, whereas Rick still cares about doing the right thing even late in the show. at no point in the show’s run could i see Rick killing Otis as a distraction.

I see what you mean, but even in season 6, everyone Rick killed was in self defense, with the other person actively trying to kill him. Shane wanted to kill Rick, because he wanted Lori for himself. Rick’s reasons for murder were always way more justified than Shane’s .

People with Shane's mindset created the darkness in the world. People like Rick reacted to the world

He missed one very vital part that seems small, but is most likely the reason he snapped at that moment rather than slowly turning into Shane more. He forgot to mention that Carl was literally about to get violated by the claimers, and if your child is about to have his dignity taken away, then you will do anything to stop that. He bit out the guys neck to get him out of the way, and went after the guy holding Carl in a personal vendetta for almost violating his son. A detail he overlooked, but definetly a crucial one, even if it's just that one moment.

I personally believe Shanes obsession with carl and Lori is what got him killed more then him adapting to fast, he tried to kill rick three times too take over ricks family. like if had just dropped it he would've still been alive

I always felt that Jon Bernthal’s energy and presence on screen was never matched once he left. You still feel memories of Shane haunting Rick throughout the series

Yeah I can't really get behind considering Rick worse. When Rick made his first human kills in Nebraska it was because they were being hostile and he knew he had no choice. With them being aggressive it means they wouldn't hesitate to end your life, and also to put the rest of the farm in danger. Shane justified that he killed Otis in order to make sure Carl got the supplies he needed to survive... But let's be honest it was self preservation, otherwise he'd have let Otis take them in case he died trying to get out. He was hooked on the idea of him, Laurie and Carl being one big happy family as soon as he could get rid of Rick. I felt bad for him due to Laurie sort of sweeping it under the rug once Rick showed back up, but that doesn't excuse what happened. He should have been man enough to tell his best friend, whom he saved by barricading his hospital room. Then he needed to take those feelings and move on, but he literally could not and it was his downfall. Shane and Rick butted heads because of Shane's infatuation, that is the real reason. Even if they disagreed, a compromise most likely could have been made if Shane wasn't already biased and antagonistic against Rick. In the end Shane was afraid of losing Laurie and his life. That's why he always chose himself. In the end Rick was still the same person at his core. He was primarily concerned with the safety of those in his group and those he considered family. He got colder as things went on because it was what he needed to do to protect people, what he felt was best. In his final episode on the show he "went out" intentionally sacrificing himself to save everyone. He did not think he would survive and has fully accepted his sacrifice. That's why in my opinion, he has never been worse than Shane. Deep down he was a good person that was forced to adapt to horrors by entertaining his darker side. He always rose back towards being a good man when given the chance. Thank you for attending my TedTalk. 😂

Killing enemies who are trying to kill you isn't the same as sacrificing an ally to save your own life.

The biggest difference between Shane and Rick is that Rick is pushed to the limit by survival, Shane is pushed to the limit by jealousy.

I think the major difference between them is, that Shane could never change the way Rick did. Rick obviously had his "bad guy" moments, but he managed to keep his humanity. He always tries to protect ALL of his people which Shane would also never do.

"Murder-beard Era" 💯💫 Perfect use of Rick's "What?" 👌 Excellent content as always!

I believe the whole obsession of Shane is widly overlooked, as with the fact he killed Otis mainly because he just felt like it (they've could've escaped together). They both did horrible things, but one cared for his family and friends, the other did not. The majority of people Rick killed were saviors, crazy assholes, and whisperers.

Rick was never a brutal murderer. He killed people who threatened him or his family. Shane was a murderer. Not to mention the time Dale caught him in the woods taking aim at Rick. All set to kill him to steal Rick’s family. Rick was a protecter

The fact that shane killed Otis even though he wasn't someone that would be a potential danger to the group is enough to show that shane acted on his impulses and could kill good people in his own interest, because it would be easier to kill Otis to get away from those walkers than it would've been for both of them to try and overcome them. Rick is not the kind of guy that kills people because killing them might benefit him or his group. He killed people that might be or are a potential threat to his people.

A few caveats before I make my argument. I don't think Shane was entirely wrong about everything he did, particularly about the walker barn (although I agree with Andrea that the way he did it was wrong), and while I absolutely think Rick became more like Shane, was eventually presented with all of the same temptations, and even sort of succumbed to a few of them (particularly his desire for Jesse while her husband was still alive), I don't think Rick ever became worse than Shane in totality, even if some of his individual actions were more brutal in the moment due to circumstances. While ripping out the throat of that gang leader to save his friends and son was far more of an extreme action than anything Shane ever did, it is far more morally justifiable than Shane just shooting someone so he could escape, for example. I think the fundamental difference lies in the relationship they both had with their conscience. No matter what Rick became that had some similarity to Shane, unlike Shane, these impulses and vices were all tempered at one point or another by the fact that Rick still held on to his conscience, tried to guide his actions by moral principle, and surrounded himself with people who could speak into his decision-making, ask tough questions and reel him back in when he may have taken things a little too far. Shane acted for a while that he was looking out for the best interests of the group, but that dissolved pretty quickly once it became abundantly obvious that he only ever appealed to the best interest of the group when he believed that something was in his best interest first, and when those interests diverged, that's where you get Shane going half-cocked, trying to steal another man's family, and trying to kill people, including his best friend, whom he had no moral justification for killing simply because he felt like it. Unlike Rick, he was not driven by moral principle and selfless leadership that looked out for the wellbeing of his people. Shane was driven almost entirely by selfish desire at the expense of others in his own group which is ultimately why Rick killed him and why the rest of the group didn't put up much protest when Rick told them what he did. Even at his lowest points, you would have never seen Rick go out of his way to sacrifice one of his own people working toward the same goals for his own personal benefit like Shane did to Ottis. He was certainly tempted to do that, particularly when they first ran into Aaron, but he didn't. When faced with difficulty and insurmountable odds, Shane's perspective was that he was gonna get his at any cost no matter who it might harm in the process, while Rick's solution was always to overcome by pulling together for mutual benefit toward common goals. Rick's actions were multifaceted, motivated by a lot of different things, but ultimately, the common deniminator in all of his tough choices was his love for others, whether that was his love for his son, his insular group, or eventually his wider community and later his network of communities. You would have also never seen Shane even contemplate, let alone take to heart the phrase "let my mercy prevail over my wrath." While it naturally took longer for Rick, both men were confronted with the darker impulses of their nature. Both men sstared into that abyss, but in the final accounting, however, only one of them blinked and were completely consumed by it. At the very least, Rick was the one who confronted his demons and rose above them.

They are nothing like. Rick cared for his people, never abandoned them, never had a violent lack of impulse control out of the blue, didn't manipulate the group for his selfish needs and also never tried to force himself on someone else's wife. You overlooked so many variables.

I think a valuable point that’s been missed is the fact that Shane being “ahead” meant he was on a faster decline towards an even darker path, I do believe that if Shane had been around (relatively more in self control) the group would have developed into a stronger one, but perhaps a a group with a more aberrant view towards the world. To put it in other words, we got to see Shane from the start, but if we had taken a closer look at other leaders in their first few months like Negan, The Governor or Alpha, I’m sure they shared plenty of the same concept of being “ahead”. With that I don’t think It’s right to think Rick is worst now than Shane, but to ask ourselves how much more wrong would Shane have brought into the world.

Shane is selfish in what he does, Rick isn't

Shane was a villan. At the moment when he was in the show there was still plenty of good in the world. The scarcity of necessities caused humans to turn on each other , and fight for Goods. That's what ultimately made Rick who he became. But to say Shane was ahead of the curve is pushing it.

Loved that Hershel edit, I was waiting for you to talk about that part. Good stuff!

I think there's a core difference between Shane and Rick in the sense that Shane was ready and prepared to murder innocent people to get what he wanted. But Rick always acts with an intent to protect his group and the ones he loves. I think it's just elevated in later seasons. Rick would never murder someone like Otis since he was part of the group.

I really hate that they killed off Carl, he is the Legacy of the show & wish more people acknowledged that he was a great fucking character taken far too soon for some BS behind the scenes shit by gimple to not have to pay him as an adult actor 😑

the best thing about shane and S5 rick is that andrew admitted rick finally understood how shane felt and how the ostracization of him lead to his mental degradation. really gets you thinking about how guilty he felt as the years went on.

Definitely love your heart felt explanations and views of this series, as I feel much of the same way on this particular video. Keep up the good work brother.

I- I need to talk about the transition from talking about it getting better at the prison to hershels neck getting cut- that was amazing and sudden just like that execution was. amazing editing

*"The dead don't kill their own the living do"* - someone

Shane was right if u wanna live if u wanna survive u have to fight for it. But his timing was way to early he was already going insane with the end of the world when Rick had to go through so much hell to shape and mold him into the person he became until the very end As Carol told the Alexandrians WHO HE IS IS WHO YOUR GONNA BE. And I believe Rick was an awesome character

Ricks character development is actually so amazing. He’s just like any of us at the start of the series, and we can slowly see him turning into the very thing he hated. It just shows how no one in the show is really “evil” just surviving the best way they think.

Rick eventually became the kind of person to survive in his world which is being ruthless… Shane might have adapted quicker then everyone and Rick eventually became like him but what made him different in comparison is the reasons for being ruthless and borderline psychotic is to protect his group and not for anything else purely for the people he cares about. Shane was ruthless and protected the group but was more unhinged and not to mention was obsessed with ricks wife and kid.

I actually disagree with a few things about this. I think the reason Shane did what he did was somewhat different to Rick. Rick's main goal was the survival of his group, whilst Shane was more centered on what benefitted him directly. I'd also like to point out that shane in my opinion is also worse because of a few things that he did, Rick I dont think ever killed anyone who was in their group or friendly group just because it was "The only way" when they werent trying to kill rick or anyone else, but running with them or trying to get away. Then there's also the time when he sorta got touchy with lori in a nonconsensual way. Ultimately, Rick has killed more people for less, but it was never his own people.

I really like the high quality of these videos :)

I appreciate your descriptive yet to-the-point dialogue man! And you have a nice voice too😊😊 just subbed :)

I must've missed the scenes where Rick killed an innocent member of the group, tried to rape his best friends wife and lead said best friend out into the middle of nowhere to consider killing him so he can sleep with said best friends wife and adopt their son.

Interesting thoughts but overall you are reaching to say Rick is like Shane. Rick and Shane had entirely different motivations for their actions.

Great video!! Just subbed, but man that Hershal edit made me shit my pants lol 😂 I just jumped haha

Shane simply adapted too quickly to the apocalypse which made him look like the villain because in later seasons everyone was acting like Shane and it became the new normal. I always wonder what a beast Shane would have been if he wasn't killed by Rick since it was clear he was the perfect specimen to survive a zombie apocalypse. He would have probably been killed at the lineup since Negan would easily see that Shane would be the biggest threat to him (this would only happen if Shane went to help Maggie which I doubt he would so he would probably survive even longer).

Shane was actually my favorite character during his time on the show. He adapted before anyone else and was the only one with commen sense. I almost stopped watching the show after Rick killed Shane. Rick did become my favorite character in season 4. Now Negan is my favorite character lol

God i miss the time when this show used to be at its peak, everyone i knew loved this show and you could talk hours on end with people about this, nowdays its still good but nothing compared to how it used to be pre-Alexandria.

Great take on this! Subscribed!

Ok but Shane abandoned Otis when he could have saved Otis, but instead he let the zombies kill him out of spite. Rick would never have done something as cruel as that

Just found your channel, your videos are great!!

Rick has never been worse than Shane...and had Shane lived, he would've become a hundred times worse than he already was.

Fantastic content!! Truly an underrated channel!! You've earnt a subscriber!! Can't wait to see your videos on the spin offs!!

This is a very nice video on the adaptation of the waking dead. To be honest, after Negan’s first appearance and halfway into his intro season, I was basically done. I felt how worse off the show got and felt like I would only get more and more frustrated as time went on. This video is a nice breath of fresh air. Most fans of TWD wrote off the show completely at this point, so seeing a video where you’re *praising* it feels nice. Plus, those comparison vids of the comic v show and the colored comics are still coming out and I’m giddy all over again. Cheers.

I love the development of Rick throughout the show, especially how in the first seasons we get a glimpse of Shane and how he can survive in the world and what it takes, bc over the course of the show the stakes were and have always been much higher for Rick and I think when we experience each major character death we get colder and change along side Rick. From him biting joes throat or the savior outpost, but I think the episode where he turns on the saviors after giving him his word is where we really feel numb with Rick, his sheer coldness to do that, and we were routing for him, the show made us cold along side Rick and I think that’s why rick and the viewers mindset are one of the same, bc we start at the same place and we both end at the same place.

I don't understand how you don't have more subs, I stumbled upon your twd videos and holy shit your channel is good

Just found this channel and I freaking love it !

loving ur content keep up the fire

Man i wish this video was longer. Awesome video bro

I feel likes it’s different for me because I felt as though Rick tried so hard to stay “good”, Shane seemed to fall into that way of thinking (“bad”)so easily. When a character faces so many struggles and deaths that it pushes them in a direction it’s a lot more satisfying. Shane just seemed bad cause he wanted Lori more than it was about protecting the group.

Heard the saying "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villian"? I feel like this is Rick's case

Fantastic channel, thought provoking content.

When Rick became Shane the only difference was that Shane only wanted to protect Rick's family and was obsessed while Rick was family with everyone in the group. And that made him creepy and sus. But it will be better if he was alive longer.

we can’t forget about the part when Shane pointed his shotgun towards debating to shoot back in the beginning though. that spoke volumes of what was to come. surprised the old man never told rick

I can see why Rick could be Related to Shane in some ways, Like Shane, for a while, Rick became obsessive with Jessie. even though he said time and time again that what he was doing to her husband was for the safety of Alexandria it was quite obvious to me at least that the intention was for Jessie. I also feel as though Shane just fell way too quick way too early, and what I mean by that is he cracked way too early in the apocalypse. Maybe he had some reasoning behind some of the things he had done but down the line and the longer he'd live in that world I feel like he would snap even harder and turn into something somewhat like the governer, obsessed and lost with the will to lie to get what he wants. not to mention he tried to SA Lori and really did act like a jerk at times with his group. It was always about him and this perfect little vision of the family he wanted with Lori and I think that's what really drove him, whether to madness or to survival. Shane's only reason to kill rick wasn't for survival and he knew that. He was just jealous and had let it seriously get to his head. In the latest seasons (Season 11) Shanes attitude would've made sense, especially after 12 years of living in the apocalypse but the thing with him is that if he was already going crazy in season 2 god knows what monster he would have become by season 11 and if he stuck around long enough to see Lori die? he would've flipped 100% and lost his mind he was just too dangerous, to early. and rick couldn't take the chance to wait and see how worse he could get with time. mad Respect to Rick.

If Shane wasn't so obsessed with Lori, he would've been a better character that probably would have lived longer.

Sure he did! Remember when Rick shot Glenn in the leg just to get out of difficult situation? Remember when Rick schemed for weeks how to kill Daryl, his best friend, because he wanted to be the main leader of the group? Remember how Rick terrorised Hershel and asked everyday what Hershel actually brought to the group and called him ''Mister Moral Authority''?

haha so glad you put 4:96 in the video. I replayed that part over and over when I first watched it cause the way he said what is just too funny

One thing about Rick though is he would never sacrifice a person with good intentions to save himself. He would do everything in his power to keep them both alive not take the easy way out.

I share this thought regarding Shane. However, how fast Shane adapted to this new world almost made it seem like he was ready for it before it all happened. It gives me the impression that he takes pride in killing for survival instead of a necessity. Hunting takes place of survival if Shane were leading. The time when they attacked the saviours as a way to defend themselves would give Shane pleasure, it seems. No one turns their back to morality, especially if you were defending the law. Rick did this way more humanely, I think.

I like your walking dead videos. I think thats where it is at for you. You can tell by your view counts. You could do a video on every episode and id probably watch it.

The fact that rick was still completely sane and reasonable does prove him to be better than Shane.

🤣🤣 why you do me like that at 3:50 lol

Loved this take on Rick Grimes!! Best Character On The Show and the lead usually isnt the fan fav for me but ricks presence on the show, what Andy Lincoln does to bring this character to life has been my pleasure to watch his growth over the past few years!! The show def isnt the same without him

I recently been recapping The walking Dead I started from season 1 and I'm on season 7 now and just in that time I can definitely tell that Shane was ahead of the curve and I feel like Rick didn't realize he had to be that person until after the farm and I feel like he just got worse the longer he was out in the world I feel like if Shane could have gotten over Lori I feel like him and Rick would have been a force to be reckoned with

Though I can agree that Rick’s mindset did change throughout the show and become closer to Shane’s, I can’t agree that it absolves Shane of anything that he did or stops him from being the bad guy. Rick now understands that he has to make these difficult decisions in order to survive and protect his loved ones, he understands the “kill or be killed” mentality of the world… but I think that Shane just saw killing as a way to get what he wanted. Rick wanted Lori and Carl safe, so he killed for it. Shane wanted Lori and Carl for himself and was willing to kill for it. Shane was definitely ahead of the curve but, in my opinion, Shane was closer to becoming like Negan after two seasons than Rick ever got to becoming like Shane. I remember a part in the show when Aaron found their group, he talked to Rick about how he was able to keep his group together, even when they had no food and were starving, nobody turned on each other because Rick kept them together. I don’t think that could have been the case with Shane around because his “kill or be killed” mindset would have taken over him and he would have put his own survival above the groups. Rick used this same mindset for the benefit of all his people. That is their biggest difference.

You know what always bothered me about TWD, the first scene isn't the hospital scene or Rick and Shane eating burgers. In the first scene Rick shows up at some abandon car lot and finds a little girl alone when she turns around she's a walker and he shoots her in the face. But you know when he woke up from his coma he acted like he didn't know what was going on. He even said the first walker he saw was at morgen's house. And the very next scene he's laughing and eating burgers with Shane, so as far as he knew. Did he just murder a little girl that morning then go on with his day?

If only Dale could have lived to see what Rick and the other survivors had become. I wonder if he would have understood that this is how they needed to be in order to survive or would he have been disgusted that they have become a bunch of killers.

I think it died simply because it just went on too long with no end in sight… Nothing last forever and they started doing way too many filler episodes. The farm and prison was a great great show that I definitely miss.

This dudes whole world shattered completely not to mention all the loss he had to endure that would make anyone cold and cruel

I feel like the point was that Shane didn’t “adapt too fast”, but that people like Shane made the world into a place where everyone slowly had to start acting like him to survive.

Rick never became like Shane. Shane was willing to continually cheat with Ricks wife, kill his best friend in cold blood (not self defense), kill an innocent man (Otis), and lie to the group. Rick never does anything like this. He kills Shane in self defense. His attraction to Jessy is controlled and when her husband snaps, he again acts in self defense. He always leads openly. Calling them the same simply Because Rick did participate in violence is so shortsighted.

I think, looking back on it now, Shane was really only looking out for himself most of the time, whether it be with Lori or for his own self preservation. Rick, however bad he became, tried to do what was best for his group, his family and his allies, including sacrificing himself. I think if Shane were in Rick's position in the later seasons where all hope seemed lost for the group, he would have dipped out and ran off, only looking out for himself. I do agree with, and can't stress enough when explaining this to friends and family that, a lot of the time in shows, the main characters, our "good guys" can be just as bad as the characters we see as the villains. In the walking dead especially, people are doing what they need to in order to survive and as the show progresses, our good guys turn out to be just as bad as the people they are fighting with. (Of course, some bad guys are purely psychotic) The only reason we don't usually see the main characters as just another group of villains is because we have watched them from the beginning and have been introduced to us as the main characters who preserve life at all costs. At the start of the show, Rick has a rule of not killing anyone, this shows us that he is a good man and that he is the hero of the story. However, as we progress, Rick loses more and more of his humanity and morals as he loses more. But to us, he is still the good guy because the lines blur between right and wrong when it comes to our main characters.

The peak of Rick's insanity was the end of the Saviors war when he and Morgan cowardly butchered a group of saviors defectors who begged to join Rick's cause.

The difference in between Rick and Shane is that Rick in fact become this truly aggressive and violent person but only when he have no other choice, something he said to Carl in season 2 " think first, then speak" and he really always tried to solve the situation with a strategic thinking, show of power and everything to survive but not only for him but for all people who he calls family. Shane from the other hand was doing most of things for his benefits, and he would sacrifice almost anybody for his gain, first he could not let go Lori even when Rick was back. Being ruthless to protect rather then gain, that's why we all loved Rick. That is my humble opinion :)

Shane might've seen what the world was, and was willing to make the hard calls, but he was a man who would sacrifice everything. Even killing his own people if it meant saving himself, as in the case of Otis. It was Rick's humanity that caused the group to survive. Rick's humanity, with the wise counsel of men like Hershel, Dale, and even Daryl at certain points, is why the group stayed together and never became animalistic. Rick indeed did terrible things to survive, but at his core, he never truly lost his humanity, he always managed to find his way back, which is a true Testament to the strength of his inner character. If he had lived, Shane would've become like Joe and the Claimers, like the Governor, like Negan, or even worse, like Garrett and Terminites.

I agree to some extent, and it's been a few years since I watched TWD, left after Rick left, but Rick has some major differences than Shane, who are both my 2 favorite characters. Shane was more self absorbed than Rick and this is shown when he sacrifices Otis. I can't recall Rick ever sacrificing an "ally". Also his obsession with Lori and Carl showed that he couldn't accept loss and was willing to lose the entire group where as Rick has never shown the capability to do so. Again I could be wrong as it's been probably 3+years since I've watched.

The difference between Rick and Shane is that Rick does everything he does to protect the group and his family whilst Shane tries to teach them and help them ultimately he only truly cares for himself and doesn't really care about the group

Evil people who embrace and do evil are different than people who are not evil who HAVE to do evil to survive..

great editing and an amazing voice over

We were all focused on Rick Grimes but after Season 8 they started focusing on the world instead. It's so obvious to see after that season, especially with the World Beyond spin off. Although, I don't blame them, they were forced to when Andrew Lincoln left.

Shane was one of my favorite characters out of the OG group. He had really took on Rick's family as his own and he really did try and save Rick when shit hit the fan at the hospital he knew he had to go get Lori and Carl. Shane was the OG survivor of the group and as soon as Rick killed Shane his attitude changed.

Bro. 3:47 was comedic genius timing, it legit made me laugh out loud. Wasn't expecting that 😂

i feel like it’s a misconception that shane died because he was perceived as evil, Shane died because he had become obsessed and murderous for another man’s family, the leader of his group. that makes him a threat to the entire group. the group struggled with what shane did from time to time but he did not clear those walkers in the barn by himself. Shane was evil because of his obsession with Lori and Carl, and his clear want to kill rick for no good reason.

Shane, Merle, and Abraham teamed up would have been an unstoppable force.

This cannot be compared. They had different circumstances and attitudes. Shane didn't go through that world as long as Rick. He lost it much before Rick. Rick eventually even saved Negan.

Shane was worse, because violence was his natural instinct. Rick had to adapt to a world filled with monsters. Shane didn’t even prioritize looking for Sophia.

"he is a police officer and still sees the world as black and white" got me lmao

I'd like to think Rick would not have ever abandoned Otis. Maybe he would have let him die and not save him - like we see several times in season 3 and 4 when the group encounters a random person in the wild. The thing is, Rick is killing people who are typically worse than him. He kills the folks in the bar because from their interaction he knows they're not to be trusted. He kills the Terminus folks because they are literally luring people to be consumed as food - like that's fucked up when the living eat the living like the dead were eating the living. Shane had the right concept - that the world has changed and that there are things you don't do anymore - but man he did not have tact. You don't open a barn full of walkers and shoot them as they come out. You can't control that horde that way. You show Hershel a decapitated walker head still trying to bite despite no longer living to convince him you don't save the dead or feed them chickens. You still keep that barn full of walkers though because the smell of the dead will keep other zombies from smelling the living folks on the farm. You don't kill a stranger who your friend saved - you have him tag along. Unlike with Randall in season 2, Rick didn't try to kill Noah or Father Gabriel when they encountered them. He gave them the choice to join under his leadership. Shane would have probably just shot Father Gabriel and not told the hospital crew "anyone who wants to join us can". Rick wasn't worst than Shane - he just did worst things in a world that was getting worse than him - but he always kept a clear head on survival.