Rick Grimes exited The Walking Dead TV show with a fake death scene, but there are several reasons he will ultimately die in the upcoming movie trilogy. In season 9, episode 5, The Walking Dead seemingly killed Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes. In one final heroic moment, Grimes blew up a bridge and once again saved his fellow survivors from oncoming zombies. Unfortunately, it appeared that Grimes also died in the explosion, and the screen even went to black to sell the point. However, the moment was another Walking Dead fake-out. The show revealed Grimes was still hanging on to life, and Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) saved him and got Rick Grimes onto a Civic Republic helicopter.
Though Lincoln’s Rick Grimes left the TV show, he wasn’t exiting the world of The Walking Dead for good. Following Grimes’ fake farewell episode, Walking Dead boss Scott Gimple revealed on Talking Dead that Grimes was returning in multiple films. Though Gimple was vague on the details, he claimed the movies would expand the Walking Dead universe. “It’s gonna show a whole different corner of the world,” Gimple claimed. Though AMC delayed the films for various reasons, including the ongoing pandemic, the creators behind Walking Dead have repeatedly assured fans and the media that they are coming.
There are several advantages to bringing Rick Grimes back in big-budgeted feature films. First, with the Rick Grimes films, Walking Dead has the chance to end Rick’s story properly. Since the TV show already had one Rick Grimes fake-out, the story should end with his death to bring closure. After Grimes’ TV farewell, movies are the best way to send the character off. And The Walking Dead comic books may have already revealed how Grimes meets his end.
The Walking Dead Movies Need To End Rick Grimes’ Story Properly
Rick Grimes’ fake death had several elements of a proper send-off. In season 9, episode 4, “The Obliged,” Grimes’ horse throws him off after zombies spook it, and Lincoln’s character falls onto a piece of rebar. Season 9, episode 5, “What Comes After,” reveals Grimes’ fever dream visions as he struggles to escape the zombie horde. During the episode, Grimes has conversations with various dead characters. Jon Bernthal’s Shane, Scott Wilson’s Hershel, and Sonequa Martin-Green’s Sasha visit the ailing Grimes to offer otherworldly advice. Though it seems like the end for Grimes, he eventually pulls through.
If Grimes had died in the episode, the story wouldn’t feel complete. Though the episode had major characters coming back, Chandler Riggs’ Carl, the most important character to Grimes, didn’t have a moment with his dad. Additionally, Sarah Wayne Callies’ Lori Grimes only gets a voice cameo. Besides important characters failing to return, it’s odd that Rick Grimes’ supposed death in the show was so contrived. Several circumstances had to go horribly wrong to put Grimes in a position to blow up the bridge and have his friends in a place where they could see his supposed demise. The films could give the character a more worthwhile ending.
Why Rick Grimes’ Walking Dead Story Has To End With His Death
Rick Grimes’ journey started The Walking Dead series back in 2010. So it’s appropriate that it ends it too. With several main actors, including Andrew Lincoln, stepping away from The Walking Dead, the series isn’t what it once was. And though the main series is supposedly ending with season 11, it’s more of a pseudo ending. After all, several The Walking Dead characters, including Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride), continue in spinoffs. With Grimes’ journey starting the series, which has continued for more than a decade, it’s right to end the main storyline in the epic fashion of a movie.
In addition to ending the story, a death scene would be more accurate to the source material. Though The Walking Dead adapts and changes its comic stories, its most significant episodes often reflect Robert Kirkman’s comic books. For instance, though fans criticized the Walking Dead season 7 premiere for being overly gratuitous with Glenn’s (Steven Yeun) death, the shocking adaptation of a comic book moment drew 17 million viewers. By adapting Rick’s comic book death, The Walking Dead has a chance to attract an audience.
Why Rick’s Death Is Better In The Movies Than On The TV Show
The Walking Dead has a chance to redeem Rick Grimes’ storyline. The series knows firsthand that fake-outs ultimately cheapen the narrative. In season 6, The Walking Dead caused fan backlash by hiding Glenn under a dumpster and making fans think he got torn apart by the undead. Likewise, Rick Grimes’ fake show death was a highly contrived way of sending the character off the series. By bringing Grimes back in movies and ending them with his death, The Walking Dead can give the character a satisfying conclusion.
Also, the days of fans breaking down footage to see if Steven Yeun is hiding under a dumpster are over. News outlets have regularly noted The Walking Dead’s declining viewership for years, and the era of the internet blowing up over a shocking Walking Dead scene are long gone. With that in mind, killing Rick in an episode may be seen as a ratings grab. And it might not even get much attention in the first place. However, killing off the character in a film could give the death a clean slate and add more meaning.
How Walking Dead Movies Could Kill Off Rick Grimes
The Walking Dead makes Rick’s comic book death a real possibility in the films. In the comics, Sebastian Milton ultimately kills Rick, shooting him because he is afraid Grimes would take over as leader of the Commonwealth. Season 11 of the AMC show seemingly makes the storyline possible, introducing more of the Commonwealth, Teo Rapp-Olsson as Sebastian, and Laila Robins as Pamela Milton, Sebastian’s mother. With the series ending in season 11, the storyline of Rick and the Commonwealth could continue into the upcoming Rick Grimes movies.
Of course, the series could get creative when killing off Rick. Though The Walking Dead’s most significant episodes often reflected Robert Kirkman’s comic book storylines, the show usually delivered them with a twist. For instance, Abraham Ford’s shocking comic book death, which consisted of a crossbow bolt through the eye, was given to another character in the TV show. Then, when the series recreated Glenn’s comic book death in the season 7 premiere, it also killed Michael Cudlitz’s Abraham Ford, making the moment surprising for comic book fans. Rick’s potential death in the movies could put a new twist on his comic book story. After all, Rick is in the custody of the Civic Republic during his show exit, not the Commonwealth. The series could give his comic book death to another prominent character like Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan. Then, The Walking Dead would have creative freedom to make Rick’s death a defining moment for the series’ legacy.
