Walking Dead: The Real Reason Carl Had To Die
By Shawn Lealos
It was clear that fans were heartbroken when Carl Grimes died on the most recent episode of The Walking Dead.
It was also a shocking turn of events since Carl is still alive and well in the comic books and was actually a key player in events that happened after the All-Out War with Negan. As a matter of fact, Carl was one of the principal players in the war with The Whisperers.
However, when it comes to The Walking Dead TV show, things are moving so far away from the comic books that it is unclear if there will even be a war with the Whisperers coming next season. However, when it comes to why The Walking Dead killed Carl, showrunner Scott Gimple said it was important for what is going to happen at the end of season 8.
There are spoilers that follow from The Walking Dead comic books.
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In the comic books, Carl lived through the end of the All-Out War. At the end of the battle, Rick and Negan faced off and Rick slashed Negan’s throat. However, Rick did that to end the war and then he had Negan taken back to camp and had their doctors save his life.
This is because Rick Grimes decided that killing everyone they disagreed with was wrong and by putting Negan in a jail cell, it would help them start to rebuild the new world. It was a good move, as Rick needs to try to help return the survivors to somewhat of a civilized society, but it also seemed to come out of nowhere.
When Carl died on Sunday, he told his dad that they needed to find a way to create peace and stop killing. He said that Rick needed to become the hero he used to be and a good guy. It has been clear over the past few years that Rick may protect his friends and family, but he is far from a “good guy” now. Carl’s words are meant to have a deeper meaning for Rick — a meaning that might save Negan’s life.
Scott Gimple explains (via TV Line):
"“We wanted to tell a version of the comic story that kept emotions similar to what you’d get when reading the [source material] but in different ways, so that the comic-book-reading audience didn’t expect what was going to happen. We plan to do that moving forward as well — sometimes pulling moments from the book in sort of verbatim ways and sometimes in ways that are very different, with the goal of heightening the message in some way. Carl’s death fell into that [category]. This in many ways is sort of the ending of an era for The Walking Dead and the starting of a new one.”"
The Walking Dead comic book fans have believed for a long time that this was Carl Grimes story and he would become the heir apparent to his dad.
Now, there is no telling where The Walking Dead goes. If the reason Carl Grimes died is to keep the comic fans surprised, it worked, but the show has to be careful not to push its core fans away at the same time.
When it comes to what to expect, and who might fill Carl’s shoes, while she is still a toddler, Carl putting his hat on Judith makes it look like this might end up being her story in the end.
Talking Dead Outakes from The Walking Dead S8 Ep09 "Honor"#thewalkingdead #talkingdead #chandlerriggs #chrishardwick #carlgrimes #twdseason8b #twdmidseasonpremiere pic.twitter.com/Q0VONzavM2
— The Walking Dead HQ (@WalkingDead_HQ) March 1, 2018
However, the idea is that Carl Grimes died on The Walking Dead to push Rick into “doing the right thing.”
The Walking Dead will have to decide this season whether they will kill Negan or let him live, as he did in the comic books. Negan was — and still is — a huge part of the comic books. Of course, so is Carl, and as Scott Gimple has demonstrated, he doesn’t mind moving away from the comics.
Negan can still die.
Negan can still live.
Carl’s death was meant to push Rick into becoming a better man. If the death of Carl keeps Rick from killing Negan, it serves a purpose. Even if Rick does kill Negan, if it makes Rick understand that other Saviors can be saved and rehabilitated, Carl’s death also serves a purpose.
Carl had to die to force Rick to become a good guy again. The question now is whether or not Scott Gimple is talented enough to make that story worthwhile as season 8 comes to a close.
Next: Major Walking Dead spoilers hint at major deaths
The Walking Dead airs on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. CST on AMC.