Rick Grimes is the series' central character. A former sheriff’s deputy in a small Georgia town, Rick is an everyman — smart, calm, just, a sharpshooter, and a good friend, husband and father — but flawed. Rick is a natural leader, someone his fellow survivors will turn to in a crisis, confident in his guidance, even when he at times doubts himself. His overwhelming need to do the right thing and protect those who can't protect themselves may pull him away from his family, causing cracks of tension within his marriage and in his relationship with his son. His frustrations about leading his group and keeping them safe gradually change him into a darker character.