Nicholas (The Walking Dead)

"What do you need to look into? I-- I'm telling you how it went down. These people have to go. They're not like us. I know you see it, too."

- Nicholas to Deanna about Rick's group.

Nicholas is a character in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the secondary antagonist in the second-half of Season 5, behind Pete Anderson as the main antagonist.

Story
Weeks before the arrival of Rick's group, the supply run team had gotten themselves into trouble during one of their missions. Nicholas and Aiden decided to leave the four others for dead.

Nicholas is the one to open the town gates for Rick and his group, and announces that everyone must hand over their weapons if they are staying in Alexandria. Later, he takes Noah, Tara, and Glenn out on a dry run with Aiden, to train them as runners. He struggles to restrain the captured zombie that broke loose in the woods, and is angry that Glenn killed the zombie rather than capturing it. When back in town, Nicholas is thrown to the ground by Daryl Dixon after Glenn and Aiden get into a physical confrontation.

After Aiden is impaled in a warehouse, Nicholas quickly chooses to sacrifice him to the walkers rather than help Glenn save him. While betraying Aiden, Nicholas reveals that he and Aiden have sacrificed Alexandria residents similarly before. Later, Nicholas becomes trapped in a four-compartment glass revolving door, with Glenn and Noah on the opposite compartment of the revolving door, and walkers on one of the other sides. Rather than helping to smash open the glass door so all three can escape safely, Nicholas deliberately pushes Glenn and Noah toward the walkers, killing Noah. Eugene arrives in a van, and Nicholas attempts to pull him out of it so that he can steal it and escape, but Eugene pulls out his gun to protect Tara. Glenn shows up and pulls Nicholas away and knocks him out.

Nicholas discusses what happened at the warehouse on camera with Deanna, lying about the events and placing more blame on Glenn for causing the deaths of Noah and Aiden and suggesting that the newcomers need to be forced out. Glenn finds Nicholas cleaning blood out from the back of the van and threatens that he is no longer allowed to go out on supply runs or leave with anyone else for their own protection. However, Nicholas refuses to heed Glenn's warnings and heads out into the woods where he unearths a canister containing the missing pistol that Rick had previously placed inside of a blender before entering Alexandria. Nicholas is last seen rushing into the Alexandria town square to witness the fight between Rick and Pete.

Nicholas first appears stalking Glenn, repeatedly watching him to make sure he is alone before luring him out of Alexandria. Remembering Glenn's warning that he not leave the community anymore, he intentionally makes a noise to let Glenn spot him climbing over the wall, making it look like he is trying to escape Glenn's notice. Glenn follows him through the forest surrounding the community for a short period of time before Nicholas speeds off behind the brush to hide from him and draw him out into the open. Once Glenn steps within Nicholas' line of sight, Nicholas shoots Glenn and goes over to put him down. However, Glenn has managed to roll away and hide. Nicholas then follows his trail of blood before Glenn attacks him from behind in an attempt to make him pay for his cowardly actions. During the scuffle between the two, Glenn severely injures Nicholas' ankle, but Nicholas comes out on top after exploiting Glenn's bullet wound. Before Nicholas can finish Glenn off, several walkers attack, forcing him to retreat. The walkers mount Glenn as Nicholas takes his gun and runs, leaving him to die.

Still injured, Nicholas makes a move to return to the community. Fearing that his blood would draw walkers, he periodically stops every few moments to make sure he is not being followed. Come nightfall, Glenn, having survived his encounter with the walkers, returns and attacks Nicholas a second time, breaking his ankle and taking his gun. He decides to punish Nicholas before killing him, and continues to beat him down. After nearly breaking Nicholas' jaw, Glenn grabs his gun and places it against his forehead, blaming Nicholas for Noah's death. Nicholas pleads for his life, to which Glenn attempts to force him to stop, feeling it would be easier to pretend he wasn't killing a person. Nicholas, however, continues pleading and eventually convinces Glenn to let him live. Glenn decides to take him back to Alexandria and helps him to his feet. The two wounded men begin their walk back to the community.