One of the biggest differences betweenThe Walking Deadtelevision series and the comic book was the death of Carl Grimes, and the comic book proves what a bad idea it was. Throughout its run, fans ofThe Walking Deadtelevision series had to become accustomed to the idea that none of the characters were safe. There were manyshocking deaths inThe Walking Dead, but based on how important his character was in the comic books,Carl’s death inThe Walking Deadwas perhaps the most upsetting in the entire series.
In both the comics and the show, Carl was the son of Rick Grimes and Lori Grimes. In the comic books, he was arguably the second most prominent character in the series, only behind Rick.AMC’s adaptation ofThe Walking Deadalso made Carl one of the central characters, and Chandler Riggs' version of the character was quite similar to his comic book counterpart. However,Riggs' time as Carl Grimes was cut shortwhen the writers surprisingly killed him off inThe Walking Deadseason 8.The Walking Deadcreator Robert Kirkman’s thoughts about Carl make his death in the show even more disappointing.
While the show did make some story changes from the comic book from time to time, AMC’sThe Walking Deaddid follow a lot of the same story beats.Season 8 ofThe Walking Deaddepicted the comic book’s “All Out War” saga, during which Rick’s group was at war with the Saviors, led by Negan. The recently releasedThe Walking Dead Deluxe #101, which depicts the aftermath of Negan’s bloody introduction, includes a letter from the original issue, in whichRobert Kirkman revealed that Carl is the strongest characterin the series. Kirkman wrote:
Carl is quite possibly the strongest character in the series…he handles this stuff better than anyone…which should be terrifying. He’s got a lot of life left in him…I think.
While Kirkman unexpectedly killed off many characters inThe Walking Deadcomic books, Carl stayed alive until the very end of the series. Meanwhile, in the television show,Carl was surprisingly bitten by a walker and eventually died in season 8, episode 9. Carl’s death inThe Walking Deadwas controversial at the time because Riggs didn’t want to leave the show, and was actually told that his character would not die anytime soon. However, the writers forThe Walking Deadended up changing their minds, and following Carl’s death, the series changed forever.
ThroughoutThe Walking Dead’scomic book run, many theorized that it was all a story being told by Rick, who had survived the zombie apocalypse. However, theending ofThe Walking Deadcomic bookrevealed that Carl was actually telling his daughter the story about her deceased grandfather, Rick, who had saved countless lives. Therefore, afterThe Walking Dead’sepilogue jumped years into the future and focused on Carl’s family, it becomes clear that he was always just as important as Rick.
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As one of the younger characters in the series, Carl also always represented the future generation. Being with his son motivated Rick to try and create a better world. In the television series, Judith Grimes, Rick and Laurie’s daughter who was born during the zombie apocalypse, largely takes over Carl’s role from the comics. While she is still an effective character, she is not as impactful as Carl would have been, since viewers watched Carl from the very beginning ofThe Walking Dead.
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.
