This article contains SPOILERS for All of Us Are Dead.
Lee Byeong-chan, the scientist behind the zombie virus in All of Us Are Dead, felt two very conflicting emotions as he gave a first look at what his invention had caused. Despite sharing screen time with hundreds of zombies and a few other human villains, the troubled teacher played by Kim Byung-chul came out as perhaps the main antagonist of All of Us Are Dead. With a simple yet well-executed premise, the show is a high-stakes adventure that manages to stand out in the already worn-out zombie genre.
The new Netflix hit follows the stories of a handful of Hyosan’s citizens throughout the first few hours after a zombie virus outbreak in a local school. Breaking The Walking Dead's rule about not showing the beginning of a zombie apocalypse, All of Us Are Dead delivered an exciting story that did not require moving too far away into the timeline to remain an entertaining watch. Even with several characters spread across different locations, All of Us Are Dead manages to make the viewers care about each sub-plot and root on the edge of their seats for the survival of their favorites. The series also gets it right by introducing some despicable villains, but who deep down believe they have a justifiable reason to do what they are doing.
The best example of this category of character is Lee Byeong-chan, a professor who in his selfishness tried to solve the world's problems by creating a virus that would turn fear into strength. Upon leaving the interrogation room at the police station, the professor finally caught a glimpse of what his virus had caused to the world of All of Us Are Dead, and his reaction was a mix between pride and shame. Pride at having succeeded in making people stronger and fearless, but shame at having doomed the entire human race while doing so. That is why the scientist smiles — and then cries — after seeing the zombies.
Although Lee Byeong-chan's journey started for a noble reason – to protect his son from being bullied – the solution found by the scientist was disproportionate. The professor’s whole plan was wrongly based on the premise that victims were weak people and came down to fighting violence with more violence. Even disregarding the ultimate consequences of All of Us Are Dead's zombie virus, the escalation in aggression that Lee Byeong-chan proposed for the world was already a flawed idea in its own right. By revealing to the detective the location of the laptop, the scientist at least acknowledged that he had gone too far and offered humanity a chance at survival.
Lee Byeong-chan's conflicting emotions upon seeing the zombies are a good example of how All of Us Are Dead approached its characters. While some of the antagonists are indefensible, almost all of them believed they had some reason to do what they did and never perceived themselves as being the villains in their own stories. Still, in the end, All of Us Are Dead brought consequences for all of its characters, whether they were good or bad.