AMC’sThe Walking Deadhas never been afraid to go to some very dark places, but the original comic book ending would have featuredthe most shocking death inThe Walking Deadfranchise. When it came to the TV show’s most disturbing scenes, comic book fans often knew what was coming, with Glenn’s gruesome ending from Negan’s bat being a prime example. That said, otherWalking Deadcomic scenes were considered too graphic for TV, and were replaced with slightly less disturbing plotlines.The Walking Deadwas often bleak, but the original ending appeared to offer no hope at all.
WhileThe Walking Deadcomic book’s original endingis no more graphic than manyWalking DeadTV scenes, it would still have been one of the most shocking moments in the franchise. The original ending would have shown Rick Grimes bringing his group of survivors to Alexandria, and setting up the community, giving a powerful speech. However, the next few panels would have transitioned to show Rick as a statue, with the city overrun by zombies. This ending confirms that the zombies would have won, with Rick living long enough to be commemorated with a statue but ultimately dying too.
The Comic Book’s Darker Ending Would Resolve A Major Complaint About The Franchise
While the main show has ended, there are still activeTV shows and spin-offs in theWalking Deaduniverse, includingDaryl DixonandDead City. Alexandria might have fallen before, but it has since been rebuilt, and even more importantly, Rick Grimes is alive. This means that there are plenty of opportunities to make the comic book’s original ending into a reality, even if it does not play out in exactly the same way as the comics.A different character could have Rick Grimes' originalWalking Deadfate, with Daryl Dixon looking like a possible candidate.
Few people knew aboutThe Walking Deadcomics' planned ending, but Rick Grimes actor Andrew Lincoln was one of them.
The spin-off seriesThe Ones Who Liveleft Rick Grimes with his family in the CRM, which was a controversial endingfor his character.Rick’sWalking DeadTV and comic book fatesare vastly different, with the comic book version of Rick suffering far more than his TV counterpart. A growing complaint about theWalking Deadfranchise was the way that its central characters developed thick plot armor, with Rick being seemingly invincible. Showing him to have died along with everyone else could have gone a long way to fixing this issue.
The Zombies Winning Would Be Dark, But Fitting For The Walking Dead
IfThe Walking Deadhad ended with the implication that everybody was dead soon after showing Rick’s optimistic speech, it would have been very fittingbased on the show’s track record.The Walking Deadoften made its fans cry, as the writers had a talent for showing extremely uplifting and optimistic moments alongside heartbreaking deaths. The planned ending would have been the ultimate example of this strategy, but as it did not happen, the episode “The Calm Before” showed this best. Siddiq tells the Kingdom about how his group fought against Alpha together, while knowing that they were doomed.
15 Scariest Scenes In The Walking Dead Franchise, Ranked
From Carl’s devastating end to Glenn’s brutal death, these terrifying moments pushed the boundaries of TV horror beyond simple walker attacks.
The original ending toThe Walking Deadwould have set a very bleak tone, which would be difficult for a spin-off to come back from. Writer and co-creator Robert Kirkman explained inThe Walking Dead Deluxe #84thatThe Walking Deadescaped its original endingbecause “I didn’t want to end the series; I was having too much fun.” The show had some epic moments and iconic characters, but the shocking twist could have been done well, andThe Walking Dead’s planned ending had the potential to be one of the most memorable TV show endings of all time.
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.
