As we approached the recent season 7 finale of The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes made it very clear that he was willing to do anything it takes to keep his community alive and free from tyranny – even if that means they continue to thrive without him around to lead. Couple that with the fact that creator Robert Kirkman has hinted in the past (well, more flat-out stated) that Rick won’t last until the end of the comic book run, and there’s been plenty of speculation that the show will follow suit, but could we see it happen as soon as the next season?
During a recent interview, showrunner Scott Gimple was asked this very question, and though he obviously didn’t confirm or deny anything, he did seem to suggest that Rick’s demise is a very real possibility:
[Rick] will suffer any loss, even his own self, to give his people and other people the life that they should live, where the world belongs to all of them and not just one person. A real life. That’s the only choice, so he’s willing to face the losses.
Right now, the comics are heading towards the 170th issue, and, despite having seen better days, Rick is still alive and kicking. Though it seems highly unlikely that Gimple and his team would jump the gun and kill Rick off before the show has even reached the current comic storyline, there’s really no telling what lengths a network will go to shock audiences nowadays. That’s especially true when it comes to this particular series.
The Walking Dead is set to return for its eighth season in October, and we’ll most likely get our first glimpse of some footage, and more details on what might be in store for Rick, come Comic-Con this July. As always, watch this space for more.
