certifiable.

I think when a character is introduced as super externally and internally competent, people dismiss how much growth they actually had just because their Point A wasn’t them seeming like a total novice. So now people think they didn’t grow that much. But really Michonne grew so much.

A big reason she always seemed a few steps ahead of the group wasn’t because she was just perfectly preset to be built for this world; it was because she’d been through so much of the brutal hardship alone already. She knew what it was to see a community lose hope and fall. She knew what it was to lose the people closest to her suddenly. She knew what it was to travel alone without any home base and have the fight “turn on you” as she told Rick in 5.11.

That part of her life was exceptionally dark and depressing. And while she survived it, it wasn’t without some serious damage as she turned so many parts of herself off and even punished herself by carrying around the Walker versions of Mike and Terry. Michonne says she was a “crazy lady with a sword” for a reason.

And I get that a lot of that time in her life wasn’t shown on screen, but we still see it’s damaging effects when she enters the series. In season 3, Michonne is very independent and understandably doesn’t trust most people, which has led to this heartbreaking sense of isolation. Because even when she’s around people, she still feels alone. But she still has a sense of care for others like helping Andrea get healthy again, and caring that there was a baby in need of formula out there.

In S3 and the first half of S4, Michonne seems like a lone wolf who hesitates to let herself get too close to people, even though she’s still warm and forms genuine bonds. But then in 4B, we learn so much more about how it’s this walker-infested world that turned her into a lone wolf. Because she had family and joy and vibrancy, and then this world tried to take that all away.

But that’s why her journey is so beautiful is because we see all of that get restored and her return more and more to who she truly is. We may not have gotten to see her when she was adapting to survival in this world, but we did get to see her adapting to living.

Her growth wasn't just outward but movingly inward. Seeing her find her light, love, leadership, humor, trust, and safety again was truly moving. To go from a lone wolf to such a valuable and prominent member of her community and her Grimes family was a great arc.

Also, what makes Michonne such a revolutionary character is that she isn’t stuck in one box. She’s an incredibly smart and efficient warrior. And she is also a highly desired wife. (to the lead character of all people, which really made some viewers uncomfortable sadly). She is a trusted, impactful leader in the community. She is a wonderful mother to multiple children.

She’s lethal and warm, competent and caring, sharp and soft. An awe-inspiring hero and a vulnerable human who gets to find a sense of safety not only within herself but within her equal & soulmate who passionately loves and protects her too. Michonne really is able to be it all.

And some minds refuse to compute or acknowledge that she’s not just one of these things, but all of them. And all of them abundantly and authentically. Some, quite often rooted in internalized racism, tend to just reduce Michonne to a lethal asset in the group, since they so often feel that if Black characters must be included, they should, at best, be in a contained one-dimensional box that’s easy to push to the back and forget about if you so choose.

I’ve always felt that part of why a layered character like Michonne bothers certain people is because her instrumental presence in the show makes it difficult for them to just mentally ignore her. Over the years, I’ve definitely seen fans completely dismiss Michonne’s compelling arc and impact. And that requires a concerted effort to turn a blind eye to Michonne’s relevance to the story. Because all people have to do is watch what’s on screen to know that Michonne’s development, arc, and impact are evident from the moment she arrives onward.

I actually had written out a list of how Michonne greatly impacts Rick and TWD’s plot each season. I’ll link it here. Every season, major plot-shifting decisions were made and impacted by the presence of Michonne. So she’s not "just there," or lacking an arc, or only existing to make the group seem more cool and deadly. She's extremely important to this universe. And not just for the iconography, of being the lead’s love interest, or the cool katana kills. She’s a game changer for so much that happened in this story.

And what’s especially impressive is that Michonne always managed to change the game for the better, too. So as this quick essay I wrote shows, the character of Michonne is very special to me and I truly adore everything she is and represents. 😇👑💜