When do carl die in the walking dead

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Throughout its run, The Walking Dead was ripe with surprising and emotional losses of core characters that were thought to be in it for the long haul. Negan's barbaric execution of Glenn Rhee in season seven is arguably the most gruesome, even softening the memory of the Governor's similar killing of Hershel Greene in season four, which comes to seem humane in comparison. Daryl and Maggie grieved Beth's accidental death in season five, and in season three, Carl shot his own mother in the head after getting bitten by a walker while giving birth to his half sister. Yet perhaps no death in the series was as unexpected as the passing of Carl himself. The Walking Dead is full of characters, perspectives, and choices, but its constant function over its 11 season run was tracking the moral compass of its leading man, Rick Grimes. Rick faced countless struggles, and new encounters at every turn shaped the leader he grew to be.

When do carl die in the walking dead

Giant spoilers for The Walking Dead below! The Walking Dead shocked pretty much everyone during season eight's most recent episode, "How It's Gotta Be," when it was revealed that Carl Grimes is going to die. In the final few moments of the tense episode, which sees Carl Chandler Riggs acting courageously to help save Alexandria, Rick's teenage son discloses the deeply upsetting fact that he was bitten on the ribs a few days prior. While he doesn't die then and there, the bite is most certainly fatal. Needless to say, the decision to kill off Carl comes as a huge surprise since his character lives on far beyond this point in creator Robert Kirkman's comic series. It's not only one of the biggest departures from the source material, but it also calls into question Negan's storyline. The monologue-loving villain forges a strange relationship with Carl , which plays a big part in how the story wraps up. As the story goes in the comics, Carl continues to voice his distaste for Negan despite a mutual respect that blossoms between the two. Carl agrees to Rick's plan to wage war against the Saviors, and eventually Rick's group defeats Negan. Ultimately Rick decides to spare the villain's life, even as Carl insists that killing Negan is the only way to ensure nothing like this happens again. Rick refuses, and then the comics fast-forward to two years in the future. Carl is seen going into the basement of an unfamiliar house and telling a shadowy figure about his recent interaction with a woman. The man, whose face is mostly obscured and is clearly a prisoner, has a pleasant chat with him, telling Carl that their talks help him keep track of the days.

The Walking Dead is full of characters, perspectives, and choices, but its constant function over its 11 season run was tracking the moral compass of its leading man, Rick Grimes.

Fans of the series watched this character grow up on screen, leading to many having an emotional attachment to him. He was expected to be around until the end as his comic counterpart survived until the end of the comic story and was seen during the year time jump with his family. Viewers then see Rick and Michonne Danai Gurira digging a grave. Viewers see him being bit as he and Siddiq fight off walking in the woods. He writes letters to Rick, Michonne, Negan, and several others. Carl talks with Rick and Michonne about their war with the Saviors, encouraging them to end it.

The idea that anyone can die at any point for absolutely any reason has rung true time and again ever since the series debuted in And since the TV show differs in many ways from Robert Kirkman's comic book series of the same name, killing or writing off certain characters on screen while their comic book counterparts are still alive have kept viewers on their toes. Most recently, that meant killing off Carl Chandler Riggs in the first half of season 8, thereby sending shock waves throughout the fandom until the series returned from its midseason hiatus. When it did, fans wondered what his father, Rick Grimes Lincoln , would do next. After all, keeping his children and his extended family safe was his primary - if not arguably his sole - purpose as a character in the series. And so, with Carl gone and Negan defeated , it seems like it's time for Rick to bow out, which is what Lincoln apparently thought so as well. In an interview with Digital Spy , Tom Payne, who plays the Hilltop's Jesus, believes that Carl dying was the impetus for Lincoln's decision to inevitably exit The Walking Dead - professionally, that is. On a personal level, Lincoln wanted to move back home to spend more time with his family. Spending months at a time in another country can obviously take its toll, and it's understandable that Lincoln would want to call it quits for now.

When do carl die in the walking dead

If you think that there's a good answer for why Chandler Riggs ' Carl Grimes was killed off on The Walking Dead , I am sorry to tell you that there is not. Carl is one of a handful of characters that remain on the show from Season 1, which is a meaningful thing for fans. But even beyond that, he's also a character who is very much alive and well in Robert Kirkman 's graphic novels. And yes, a TV show is not beholden to doing things exactly as source material dictates in fact, sometimes it's much better when it doesn't , but there still needs to be some reasoning behind the changes. In the case of Carl's death, I'm not entirely sure there is. In the Season 8 midseason return, "Honor," the show said goodbye to Carl after he was bitten in the midseason finale. We knew his days were numbered, but the show wasted no time surprisingly in burying him. Or more likely, before they turn off completely. Nevertheless, EP Scott Gimple persisted in claiming that there's a plan for all of this.

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It's not only one of the biggest departures from the source material, but it also calls into question Negan's storyline. Carl Grimes was only 16 years old when he died in season 8 of The Walking Dead. After recounting happier memories from before the fall, a feeble Carl ultimately convinces his weeping father to step outside. His son, Carl, observing Rick's character and trying to make his father proud at a very formative age, had his own extreme ups and downs as he formed his identity and his certainty of right and wrong. Carl gets fatally chomped leading new guy Siddiq to safety. With his strength fading, he says goodbye to Judith, then Rick and Michonne, Finally, he's left alone in a church with a gun to do something that has come to be very familiar to him; waiting outside, Rick and Michonne hear the shot ring out that indicates his death. His first real introduction to his brutal environment comes in season two when he's accidentally shot in the stomach by Otis, the farmhand on the Greene family estate. The Walking Dead is full of characters, perspectives, and choices, but its constant function over its 11 season run was tracking the moral compass of its leading man, Rick Grimes. Carl had grown since his self-sacrificing visit to Negan- he no longer wanted to die. Carl is adamant that hoping for the best while taking violent actions is not enough; the group must take steps towards building the civilization they want to live in , and this means working together and helping one another. Viewers then see Rick and Michonne Danai Gurira digging a grave. Tell me why it would be better another way. His journey from freaked-out kid to badass survivor with an eyepatch was the beating heart of the show.

Did you see that coming?

In season 7, episode 7, "Sing Me a Song", Carl embarks on what he knows is likely a suicide mission to the Savior's camp to kill Negan. We don't have to forget what happened, but you can make it so that it won't happen again, that nobody has to live this way, that every life is worth something. Terms Privacy Policy. Why do we want Carl to live in this world? Throughout its run, The Walking Dead was ripe with surprising and emotional losses of core characters that were thought to be in it for the long haul. He then asks if Carl still wants to kill him, to which Carl replies, "Yes, Negan. After recounting happier memories from before the fall, a feeble Carl ultimately convinces his weeping father to step outside. Let us know in the comments below! How does Carl die in The Walking Dead? Tell me why it would be better another way.