The Walking Dead never paid off the introduction of Rick Grimes’ brother, but the upcoming movie can finally change that. Andrew Lincoln played The Walking Dead‘s lead protagonist right up until the actor’s departure was announced for season 9. Viewers weren’t sure whether Rick would live or die, and in a sense, he ended up doing both. To protect his people from an oncoming zombie horde, a gravely injured Rick blows up a bridge, sending both himself and the undead into the coursing river below. Rick’s friends and family never recover his body and assume their leader is dead. In truth, Rick is saved by a CRM helicopter and taken to an unknown location, and Andrew Lincoln will return in a feature-length The Walking Dead movie, deviating entirely from the comics.
Another difference between comic Rick and TV Rick is the former having a brother. Jeffrey Grimes was introduced in a 2016 one-shot issue called The Alien, and revealed to be the main protagonist’s younger sibling. Not only was Jeffrey responsible for Rick meeting Lori, but he also admired his older brother deeply. In return, Rick would always stick up for Jeffrey against bullies in the school yard. Evidently lacking the survival skills of his brother, Jeffrey dies almost immediately when the zombie outbreak begins, but before his death, asks a much stronger companion called Claudia to find Rick in the U.S. and deliver his final message. Despite suggestions that Claudia would appear in the Walking Dead comics, she never did, and the storyline remains unresolved.
Since the forthcoming Walking Dead movie is a Rick-centric affair, the film could incorporate Claudia, and finally pay off the story of Jeffrey Grimes. With nothing to go on but his country of origin, Claudia’s quest to find Rick would be a long and desperate one, especially since she doesn’t even know his surname. Fortunately, Rick is kind of a big deal in the zombie apocalypse, and if she asked around long enough after hitting American shores, she’d eventually happen upon Jeffrey’s brother, and can deliver the message she was given right at the top of the outbreak. Claudia’s appearance would also compliment Rick’s arc in the Walking Dead movie.
Based on what we know so far, it seems Rick escaped the villainous CRM and could be forming a resistance to fight back against the mysterious helicopter community before they take over the entire country. Being at the head of a national resistance movement would make Rick Grimes even more prominent, improving Claudia’s chances of finding him. Jeffrey wanted Claudia to thank Rick for all the times he rode to his young sibling’s rescue back in the day. Since the CRM are bullies of another sort, Rick is effectively performing the same heroics of his youth, but on a considerably larger scale. Jeffrey’s final words resonate strongly with Rick’s new mission, and remembering the bullies he fought for his brother could inspire Rick to victory over the CRM. After honoring Jeffrey’s wish, Claudia and her crew could then join with Rick’s group, adding a family connection to his army.
The Walking Dead comics set up a future encounter between Claudia and Rick, but never returned to the Spanish character. Rick’s new movie might be the franchise’s final opportunity to bring resolution to that storyline. Claudia also has the makings of a compelling character in her own right, offering a solid live-action addition for any Walking Dead outlet. With that said, Rick never really mentioned Jeffrey during his time in The Walking Dead, and to suddenly drop in a long-lost brother might feel jarring to the 90% of audience members who haven’t read the spin-off comic.
