How Will Rick Handle The Walking Dead’s Biggest Death? Andrew Lincoln Chimes In

Adapting a brutal, nigh on relentless comic like Robert Kirkman’s All-Out War will always result in some major casualties.

Take Carl Grimes, for instance. Over the past 100 episodes, we’ve watched Chandler Riggs’ character mature into a bona fide survivor – eyepatch and all – which makes his impending death all the more devastating. Yes, season 8 of The Walking Dead reached its finale with a gut-punch for the ages: Carl suffered a walker bite while in the company of Siddiq, and will likely be killed off as soon as AMC’s flagship returns late next month.

Gone, but not forgotten, as the old saying goes. And that appears to be the attitude of series showrunner Scott M. Gimple, who told Entertainment Weekly that, “Carl’s presence is felt very deeply throughout the story. It’s a critical aspect of the season.”

Andrew Lincoln couldn’t agree more. After losing his wife Lori earlier in the series, the imminent death of Carl will surely push Lincoln’s hero to the brink, and here, the British thesp outlines how Rick’s emotional struggle will define the back half of season 8.

Via EW:

Especially when it comes to Carl’s father Rick. The back half [of the season] is him trying to live through the unbelievable pain, in the middle of a war, and trying to reconcile this loss with what he’s fighting for. This is his worst nightmare being realized.

Season 8 of The Walking Dead returns on February 25th. On the other side of the barb-wired fence, Fear The Walking Dead is mounting a major crossover with its undead forebear, and it all revolves around Morgan Jones (Lennie James). Look for that one to premiere mid-way through 2018.