Bart Rhodes

Shot in the head by Harry Edwards *(before reanimation)*

"*So what are you? A **fool**? Or a **dead man**? [...] Looks like you're **both**,*"
—Rhodes taunts Edwards while he has him chained up in Greencole[src]

**Bartholomew "Bart" Rhodes** is a main character and an antagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in *The Walking Dead by EDStudios*. The ruthless and cruel original leader of the String Gang, Rhodes had aspirations to take over every corner of Greencole Valley, and, eventually, transform it into a cesspit where raiders and thugs could gather and mingle.

After a brief war with the Greencole Group, Rhodes met his match against a man named Edwards, who never broke under the weight of Bart's cruelty. He served as the primary antagonist of *Season 4*,and the atrocities he committed against Edwards and his group have remained with them ever since.

## Overview

### Personality

A man who was once a meek, mild-mannered kid, Bart Rhodes had transformed into one of the most devastating villains ever encountered by the survivors. A jolly, paranoid, cocky and belligerent man, he is willing to commit horrendous acts of violence if it means it advances his goals, and then torment his victims to break them down as much as possible. A prime example was when he killed Stephan and shot out Justinas' eye in front of Edwards, then chained Edwards up in a cold room and promised to "use him as a boxing bag," three times a day.

A noticeable aspect of Rhodes' personality is his obsessive need to be on top and often carries this out through his numerous mocking taunts. Even as he bled to death, he taunted Edwards that he would one day end up exactly like him, a truth that Edwards has been fighting since.

Rhodes is portrayed as being a sadistic, violent and dangerous man with no qualms about committing heinous crimes such as physical and psychological torture and murder but at the same time a strong leader to those in his group. He established only a few rules for the group and therefore he allows his men to do as they please, as long as they don't break them. When a rule is broken, he is cruel and merciless toward the offender and his approved methods of punishment are harsh and often lethal. Rhodes appears to have complete power over his group and appears to be respected by them all, as they rarely seem to question his orders.

He is shown to be a savage and ruthless man, very much capable of cold-blooded murder and torture, as when he needlessly killed Stephan and chained up Edwards.

## Pre-Apocalypse

Not much is known about Bart's early life. He mentions that, pre-apocalypse, he was nothing like how he was when he is first encountered and was into collecting baseball cards, but that, after a while, he "gave up on all that nerd shit".

## Post-Apocalypse

### Season 4

At some point, Rhodes met up with a small group and quickly became their leader due to his ferocity. The group eventually came across Greencole Valley, and Institute No.7. They enslaved the fortress's inhabitants and killed those who resisted, transforming into the String Gang. They set their sights on opening the gates of the nearby No.4, but were unsuccessful.

## Death

### Killed by:

* Ben Appleby *(caused)*
* Shock and blood loss *(alive)*
* Harry Edwards *(before reanimation)*

Whilst Edwards and Rhodes are fighting, Ben tries to help his friend and is knocked down by Rhodes. When Rhodes is similarly knocked down by Edwards, Ben scrambles forward and stabs his knife into Rhodes' abdomen, penetrating his kidney. A few minutes later, in the meadow, Rhodes dies from shock and blood loss. Despite Ben asking to leave Rhodes to reanimate, Edwards takes pity and shoots Bart's corpse in the head.

## Killed Victims

* Stephan Johnington
* Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people

## Quotes

* *"You, my friend, are fucked,"*
* *"Liam, do me a favour and beat him to death,"*
* *"I told you. This isn't a warning. This is punishment,"*
* *"Well, I'm very sorry, Russkie. But if you think about it...you're the lucky one,"*

## Trivia

* Rhodes is the third recurring primary antagonist, the first two being Francis and William Carter.
* EDStudios expressed interest in creating a miniseries set around Bart Rhodes, on how he came across his group and transformed into an antagonist. It was announced that this idea was scrapped in favour of a Kyle Granger spin-off. However, in 2021 this idea was revisited as *Bartholomew: The Bart Rhodes Story*.