Is Chandler Riggs (Carl) really leaving The Walking Dead?

If you watched The Walking Dead mid-season finale and were shocked by Carl’s revelation, then you weren’t alone.

Actor Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes) has been part of The Walking Dead since the pilot season. He and his on-screen father, Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), as well as Carol (Melissa McBride), are the final three original cast member still part of the show. Well, after Sunday night’s shocking twist, it appears as if that is all about to change.

At the end of the season 8 mid-season finale, it is revealed that Carl had been bitten by a walker, on the ribs. He reveals this to his father and Michonne, in the sewer tunnels beneath the Alexandria Safe Zone. Here’s the scene:

That’s about as heartbroken as I’ve seen Michonne and Rick appear on the show, ever. Rick was devastated when Lori died, but the Andrew Lincoln really sold Rick’s despair, in this scene.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Riggs talked about his eventual exit from the show, and how he found out it was all going down.

"I was planning on going to college until I found out. I found out when I was doing rehearsals for episode six back in June. It was quite the shocker for me, Andy and everyone because I don’t think anyone saw it coming."

Showrunner, Scott M. Gimple, met with Riggs and his mother after rehearsing a scene in episode 6, where he broke the news about Carl’s eventual departure. Riggs says this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Carl, however, as he will be around in some capacity in the second half of season 8.

"There’s still a little more left in Carl’s story — in episode nine [the midseason premiere in 2018] — and that impacts Rick, Michonne and everyone. Although Carl’s story is coming to an end it’s not over yet."

THR did ask if there was a discussion about not killing Carl and simply bringing him back somehow. Game of Thrones infamously did it with Jon Snow at the end of season 5. HBO had actor Kit Harington tell anyone who would listen that he had been written off the show, but as you may well know, that ended up being smoke and mirrors.

Could The Walking Dead be attempting to do the same with Riggs? A great way to introduce the Whisperers — humans who wear the skin of walkers and are the next big bad, after Negan — is to have Carl be bitten by one of them. Or, Carl’s blood could hold the cure to the zombie apocalypse, allowing the show to begin to trend toward an ending.

Next: 25 Most Brutal Deaths on The Walking Dead

I suppose we’ll really find out what happens to Carl, when The Walking Dead returns for the second half of season 8, in February of 2018.