The midseason finale of The Walking Dead ended on a whopper of a revelation, as Chandler Riggs’ Carl Grimes was discovered to have been bitten by a walker – meaning the end is nigh for Rick’s son, who’s been part of the show since the very beginning. It seems, though, that this cliffhanger is just the start of what will be some “sad times ahead” for the gang.
Over the past 100 episodes or so, we’ve watched Riggs’ character mature into a bona fide survivor – eyepatch and all – which makes his impending death all the more devastating. He’ll likely be killed off as soon as AMC’s flagship returns late next month, and it seems that we should “prepare for the worst.”
Or at least, that’s if Skybound Entertainment, the company behind Image’s The Walking Dead comics, is to be believed, as they teased as much in a reply to a fan’s question as part of their official mailbag.
“All we can say is when he DOES die the show will not brush over it. Prepare for the worst. We can’t divulge exactly how Rick grieves, but we can confirm Carl’s death impacts him more than any death since Lori.”
Continuing on, they said that unfortunately for Rick, his son’s death comes at the worst possible time.
“Unfortunately for Rick, Carl’s death comes at a horrible time. He’s in the middle of a war, his home was just destroyed, and Negan and The Saviors have a chokehold on his allied communities.”
So, it looks like things are going to get a bit rougher for Andrew Lincoln’s survivor, and presumably, the rest of the gang this year, as Carl meeting his maker will no doubt impact everyone. With fans already pretty outraged that the character is being killed off, it’ll be interesting to see how they react to all this, and how the show will ultimately handle what’s undoubtedly going to be one of its biggest deaths.
Batten down the hatches, folks; The Walking Dead season 8 returns from its winter hiatus on February 25th, and chances are next month’s premiere will be a super-sized episode. Stay tuned for more on that one.
