Towards the end of S2, when he went of the rails, I think he was a definitely villain. Previous to that though, I don’t think he did or said anything that Rick didn’t do or say later, yet we still looked at Rick as the good guy.
Okay even if Shane was a bad guy he was the best the show could have had, which is why for me when he left/died I quit watching and never watched again.
Same as soon as he died I quit watching cuz I really look up to him I feel like I could see a lot of myself and in him but I'm trying to get back into the show😁
Shane lives in Rick though. After Shane died you get to see how it changed Rick so much, by Season 5 Rick IS Shane basically. And we also get to meet Shane and Lori's baby, so his genes live on!