The Walking Dead is arguably one of the most popular brands of zombie-oriented media of all time, and recent light given by co-creator Robert Kirkman points to an answer many fans have been wondering since the comics debuted in 2003: what caused the zombie outbreak?
Zombies have been a major part of societal culture for a very long time, dating back to the ancient Greeks. Some archaeological studies have unearthed graves and tombs where the bodies have been held down with heavy rocks, possibly to prevent the dead from rising again. Voodoo religion and culture explored reanimation of the dead as early as the 17th century. Literature-based zombies date back to 1697, where they were treated more as paranormal entities or supernatural creatures rather than the walking dead with an appetite for brains and human viscera to sustain them. The 1932 film, White Zombie, also explored the early versions of these creatures, but afterwards, a lull existed until one man brought them back into societal prevalence and changed the genre forever.
George A. Romero, who brought zombies back into the mainstream with his 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead, has been considered an icon of the sub-genre, and is lauded as one of the best directors in the horror genre of all time. Kirkman’s simplistic explanation, which came via Twitter, about what caused his zombie outbreak in The Walking Dead may have been meant to be taken seriously, but it could also be a clever homage to the Godfather of the Dead himself.
Did The Walking Dead’s Creator Make A George A. Romero Reference?
Kirkman’s answer was simply: “space spore“. This might seem to be a joke – which it potentially is – but the creator’s answer provides an interesting point of connection to Romero’s movies, specifically Night of the Living Dead, where it all began. In the film, radio reports comment on the outbreak of reanimated dead walking the earth, and several survivors listen to a broadcast about the chaos that is taking place outside of where they are currently stationed. In the emergency broadcast, the announcer states that while the cause isn’t completely known, one scientist believes the outbreak might be due to a returning space probe from Venus, which exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere and may have been subjected to radioactive contaminants or other such space material. Something so simplistic might not seem like much on the surface, but zombie origins being amorphous as they are, nearly any cause is a possible likelihood.
Similar to Kirkman not disclosing the reason for his zombie outbreak, Romero’s films never definitively gave a cause, either, only speculations from film to film. While the rules of reanimation and infection are more clearly structured and defined in both Romero’s film franchise and Kirkman’s series, the mystery remains, and for good reason. Sometimes, it’s better just not to know. Regardless of Kirkman’s intentions, the message has gotten through to fans of The Walking Dead in a very big way, and while it might not be what some people wanted to hear – and it might just be a tongue-in-cheek response from someone who doesn’t truly want to answer the question – it’s a neat tie to Night of the Living Dead in a full-circle way that will hopefully at least be amusing to fans of zombie films, if not outright hilarious.
