The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman has an idea for who will become leader if Rick dies
By Shawn Lealos
In the shocking moment at the end of the midseason finale of The Walking Dead season 8, fans learned that a zombie had bitten Carl Grimes.
WIth Carl bitten, unless a miracle happens, the son of Rick Grimes will die early on when The Walking Dead returns from its midseason break. As a result, one of the most prominent theories from the comic books will never come true — at least on the TV show.
Carl Grimes was supposed to be the heir apparent to Rick Grimes, and most readers believed that Carl would take over and lead the next generation at the moment that his father finally dies. The thought process is that The Walking Dead as a story will die with Rick but Carl will live on and lead, showing there is still hope for the future after the comics end.
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If that is true, it looks like this is the moment where The Walking Dead TV show breaks away from the comic books. Of course, Robert Kirkman has an end point in mind for the books, but he is going to get there when he feels the time is right. If he wants Carl Grimes to be the leader after the comics end, the TV show killing him won’t change anything.
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Robert Kirkman was at the 2018 Walker Stalker Cruise, and NME reported that he was asked who will lead the people if Rick Grimes dies. His answer makes it sound like he doesn’t expect the TV show to finish in the same fashion as The Walking Dead comics. This is because his solution for the TV show is someone who is not even alive in the comic books.
"“Well, that’s a question, right? Who knows? Maybe it’s a character that hasn’t been introduced yet. Maybe it’ll be Judith, who knows.”"
Judith died in the comic books when The Governor shot Lori while she was running from the attack on the prison. However, Judith lived on The Walking Dead TV show, and Lori died giving birth to the baby. With Judith dead in the comics, if Kirkman is throwing her name out as the future leader for the TV show
, it sounds like his planned successor might already be dead — or is about to die when The Walking Dead season 8 returns from its midseason break.
Next: Is The Walking Dead planning to kill off Maggie?
The Walking Dead returns on Sunday night, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. CST on AMC. Watch the trailer for the midseason premiere here.