Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead Deluxe #108!Before its massive success,The Walking Deadwas an indie comic published by Image Comics (a creator-owned publication), meaning its success or failure fell at the feet of the creators of the comic as opposed to the publisher itself. In other words,the creators ofThe Walking Dead- writer Robert Kirkmanand artist Tony Moore - didn’t know how long the book would run for, so storylines that they’d otherwise take their time on were wrapped up quickly, including that of one character in particular who Robert Kirkman says he would have done more with.
InThe Walking Dead Deluxe#108 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, Paul Monroe brings Rick Grimes and his people to a territory known as the Kingdom to meet the leader of that community: Ezekiel. Ezekiel (initially introduced as King Ezekiel) immediately comes off as threatening, mostly due to his pet tiger, Shiva, as well as his title of King. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Ezekiel will make a perfect ally for Rick, mostly due to the fact that Ezekiel hates Negan and the Saviors just as much - if not more - than Rick himself.
While the storyline of this issue is captivating, what’s arguably more interesting is the book’s backmatter, which shows some fan mail being answered by Robert Kirkman himself. The creator ofThe Walking Deadis asked, “would you have lengthened the opening storyline and Shane?” if Kirkman had known the book would last as long as it did. To that, Robert Kirkman writes back:
Robert Kirkman: YES, had I known the series would continue this long I would have totally expanded the Shane storyline.
Robert Kirkman goes on to explain that Rick and the gang were originally going to find the prison in issue #7, which would have skipped the ‘Hershel’s farm’ storyline entirely, and would have cut out key characters like Hershel and Maggie, and even major plot points likeMaggie’s relationship with Glenn. Again, that’s because - when the book first started - Kirkman didn’t know how longThe Walking Deadwould run for. However, after the first volume, the popularity of the comic became apparent, allowing Kirkman to take his time with the story. Unfortunately, that came after Shane’s death inThe Walking Dead#6.
Shane’s Story Would Have Been Expanded Upon in The Walking Dead
Robert Kirkman Admits He’d Keep Shane Around a Little Longer
Robert Kirkman admits that, if he could go back, he would expand Shane’s storyline, which is actually something fans might have picked up on years ago. Robert Kirkman has been very involved withthe AMC live-actionThe Walking Deadseriessince the very beginning, and one of the biggest changes from the comic to the screen was the fact that Shane stuck around for so long.
Unlike in the comics, Shane made it all the way through the ‘Hershel’s farm’ storyline, and not just as a background character, either, but one who added major conflict to the story. It wasn’t until the end of that story that Shane met his end in the show, which gives fans a clue as to how he’d be handled in the comics if Kirkman knew the series would continue for as long as it did. And, honestly, Shane might have lasted even longer in the comics than he did in the show.
The Walking Dead: 10 Biggest Differences Between The TV Show & Comic Books
AMC’s The Walking Dead was inspired by the successful comic series, but despite following the same story, the TV show makes some major changes.
Indeed,Negan made it all the way till the end ofThe Walking Dead, and he’s one of the most vile villains in the series, which means Shane could have had a fair shot at making it all the way. Maybe Shane would have gotten a redemption arc? Maybe he would have fallen even further into villainy and aligned with someone like the Governor or the Saviors? Unfortunately, fans may never know what could have been for Shane, even if the television series gives fans a decent look at how long he would have made it if he didn’t get killed by Carl inTWD#6.
Interestingly, Robert Kirkman once revealed that not only would Shane’s storyline be expanded inThe Walking Dead, but that Shane was originally going to kill Rick and become the first - and arguably greatest - major villainof the series. Again, Shane was killed by Carl in issue #6 after he threatened to kill Rick in the woods, overcome with jealousy by the fact that Rick and his wife, Lori, were getting back together after Shane and Lori started a relationship when they thought Rick was dead. Carl stopped Shane by shooting him in the neck, killing him. But, what if Carl didn’t pull the trigger?
InThe Walking Dead Deluxe#6, Robert Kirkman speaks to that ‘What If’ scenario, admitting that it was a genuine idea that nearly came to fruition. The scene basically would have played out the same, except Shane would have killed Rick, and Carl would have seen him do it in secret. At that point, Carl would hold silent hatred and resentment towards Shane, andThe Walking Deadwould have followed Carl for the remainder of the series, presenting Shane as his ultimate, personal villain. It’s an interesting idea, but ultimately the book was better off keeping Rick over Shane.
Robert Kirkman Admits to Some Wild Ideas for the Series that Never Came to Be
Funny enough, the idea of Shane killing Rick isn’t the first time Robert Kirkman left some pretty wild plot points on the proverbial cutting room floor. In fact, inThe Walking Dead Deluxe#84, Kirkman admitted in an answered fan letter that he originally intended to have the zombies win at the end of the series - and effectively end the series with its 84th issue.
The story would have gone like this: Rick makes an inspirational speech about how Alexandria is a new beginning for humanity before the book cuts to an uncertain point in the future, revealing a dilapidated statue of Rick that was erected in honor of that very speech. The panels would then slowly reveal Alexandria in ruins, with zombies casually wandering through the destruction. This would have implied that humanity fell to the Walkers, and that no matter how hard they fought to take back their world, it was all for nothing.
“Bleak, Sad, Possibly Terrible”: Walking Dead’s Creator Reveals His Plan for the Franchise’s Original Ending
Walking Dead’s creator has revealed his original plan for the franchise’s ending - a twist that would have totally changed the series' meaning.
That would have been a pretty bleak way to end the series, but bleak or not, that’s almost what fans got, just like how they nearly got a version ofThe Walking Deadwhere Shane lived and Rick died. But, aside from ‘What If’s, the main takeaway from all this is what Robert Kirkman actually would have done if he could go back and tell his younger self thatThe Walking Deadwould last as long as it did, which would have been to expand Shane’s story.
The Walking Dead Deluxe #108from Image Comics is available now.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadis a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
