‘Walking Dead’ Creator Confirms Death Of Major Character Is Coming

The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has turned up quite a bit in recent news reports over his much-publicized reddit AMA, but one of the juicier tidbits that has been glossed over is the fate of Rick Grimes.

Grimes, as followers of the comic and/or television show know, is the main character. On TV, he is played by Andrew Lincoln.

When The Walking Dead last left fans (with the Season 6 finale), Grimes, his son Carl, and the remaining lead survivors were in a predicament with the show’s latest villain Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his trusty barbed wire baseball bat, Lucille.

This scene has already played out in the comics, and in it, Glenn’s head is smashed to pulp by a gleeful Negan as the others watch on in horror.

The TV series has frequently deviated from the show’s events, so Glenn could still survive the Negan encounter, but one thing is for certain: one of the heroes does not.

Speculation has been rampant — and often angry — over which television character gets the bat, but it’s pretty widely accepted that the character will be neither Rick, nor Carl, since Negan has plans for the pair, and there is a strained and unusual bond that develops between him and Carl in the books.

However, this speculation may be a bit off-the-mark, especially in light of comments that Kirkman made regarding Rick Grimes in the AMA.

When a presumably English-challenged questioner asked, “Do Rick die?,” Kirkman playfully responded that “he do eventually.”

This is the first sign that Kirkman has changed his initial stance that The Walking Dead would always be a series about Rick.

It has grown diverse and compelling enough in both incarnations that it could continue with or without Rick, but what if Kirkman is preparing viewers for a departure that comes sooner rather than later?

There is evidence in the rest of the AMA that could speak to this twist, but before getting to it, it’s worth noting that The Walking Dead television series is almost certainly not going to go the Glenn route.

If that were the case, they would have probably paid it off in the finale rather than making viewers wait. By stretching it out, they are warning the audience to be on their toes for the unexpected.

And what would be more unexpected than killing Carl or Rick Grimes at the start of season seven?

Kirkman spent some of the AMA trying to prepare his audience for the possibilities, responding to one angry questioner with this.

“I just want to point out that a lot of what you seem to hate about the finale are your assumptions of how season 7 will start. The death will have no impact now, etc. I assure you it will. You’re welcome to be unhappy with the episode that aired. Was it a misstep? Maybe. Only time will tell.”

Again, the death would have little impact if The Walking Dead TV show went with the original victim (Glenn) or opted for one of the “safer” bets (Abe).

Considering that Daryl isn’t in the comic book and he’s one of the most beloved characters on the show, he’s a strong possibility for the bat, but his death, while shocking, would not shake up the entire Walking Dead universe the way that Rick’s would.

Essentially all bets would be off if it were Rick, and since Rick would likely force Negan to kill him if the victim was Carl, it’s unlikely that Carl turns out to be the recipient as well.

So what about it, Walking Dead fans? Is it going to be Daryl or Rick, and do you think Kirkman will kill Grimes off in the comics sooner or later? Sound off in the comments section below.

[Images via Walking Dead screen grabs]