Out of the many heroes, anti-heroes and outright villains in The Walking Dead, there’s no one quite as likable as Glenn Rhee. The pizza delivery boy played by Steven Yeun is introduced in the very first episode of the show, and survives until its seventh season. During the series’ original run on AMC, Glenn quickly took his place among The Walking Dead’s most popular characters with viewers, and it was clear from his initial appearance in the series that he was going to be a hit.

In fact, Yeun justifiably cites Glenn’s first full episode as a major Walking Dead character as his favorite of all time, precisely because this episode showcases everything that’s great about the person he’s playing. From the moment it first aired, Glenn became a firm fan favorite, until his unnecessarily brutal death arguably ruined the show for at least two seasons. Glenn’s death actually took its toll on Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, given how sweet and good-natured he is as a character. It’s clear what a good person Glenn is right from the show’s second episode.

“Guts” Is Steven Yeun’s Favorite Episode Of The Walking Dead

Yeun Chose The Show’s 2nd Episode & The 1st Starring Glenn

When The Walking Dead’s main cast members were asked to name their favorite episodes of the show by Entertainment Weekly back in 2015, for Glenn Rhee actor Steven Yeun, there could only be one choice. He picked “Guts”, the second episode of the show’s first season, which is the first time his character appears onscreen. At the time, Yeun explained his reasoning with the kind of enthusiasm we’ve come to expect from Glenn himself:

“Episode 2 of the whole series – that one stayed with me for good. That was awesome. To have the first meeting between Glenn and Rick. To being covered in guts, running down the street, being chased by walkers, jumping over the fence. Doing all that action stuff and really getting to know Glenn as a character and really kind of bringing Rick and the rest of the group together. That was a blast. That’s definitely one of my favorite episodes.”

By throwing Glenn into the thick of the action as soon as he meets Rick Grimes, “Guts” immediately makes a hero out of Yeun’s character. As is the case with many of the most important characters in The Walking Dead, there simply isn’t time to get to know Glenn before he’s playing a key role in the all-out struggle to overcome the zombie apocalypse depicted throughout the series.

The Walking Dead Episode 2 Quickly Makes You Care About Glenn

He Immediately Becomes A Hero With A Human Side To Him

Before we even see Glenn’s face, he serves as Rick’s guardian angel in the opening moments of The Walking Dead episode “Guts”. Following the first contact he makes with Andrew Lincoln’s character via a tank radio at the end of the previous episode — the show’s first — Glenn guides Rick to safety through a swarming mass of zombies. The two of them then ascend the fire escape of a building where a group of survivors has sought refuge. Glenn continues to be one of the characters who Rick Grimes needs most in The Walking Dead until his tragic death.

It isn’t just Glenn’s heroism in saving Rick that makes us care about him, but his boyish innocence, and his frequent use of sardonic humor to overcome the fears he’s facing. For example, when he and Rick are about to climb up the building, he jokes that he’s a “glass half full kind of guy” because he thinks the fall is now more likely to kill them than the zombies. He also repeatedly calls Rick a “dumbass”, before suggesting that he’s the bigger dumbass of the two of them for thinking someone might one day save him the same way.

I Knew Glenn Was Going To Be Everyone’s Favorite After Watching “Guts”

The Episode Showcases All The Best Aspects Of Glenn As A Character

Glenn isn’t an action hero in the traditional mold, as we see from several instances in “Guts”, such as his fear of standing up to Merle Dixon, the way he vomits during the dismembering of a dead body, and his panic when he and Rick venture out among the zombies to commandeer a truck. Yet it’s the fact that he isn’t a typical hero that makes him so likably heroic.

There may be Walking Dead characters who are better at fighting, more fearless, or with stronger stomachs. But it’s because of these limitations that Glenn’s selflessly heroic actions in “Guts”, from his first meeting with Rick to serving as the decoy for the group to escape, are even more courageous. Glenn might not be the fiercest, yet he’s fiercely brave and incredibly loyal, with perhaps the strongest moral compass of anyone in the series.

Even if Rick Grimes is the main hero of The Walking Dead in a traditional sense, Glenn Rhee is the hero we can most relate to. He’s everyone’s favorite character because he is everyone. Any one of us could be Glenn, and all of us would aspire to his bravery, optimism, clear thinking and good humor in the face of the dystopian nightmare he and his group are facing.