AMC’s The Walking Dead‘s post-apocalyptic narrative and zombie-infested world was initially created by Robert Kirkman and cartoonist Tony Moore in 2003. Seven years later, and non-comic book readers finally got to experience the thrilling series that brought a whole new meaning to the undead by following the harrowing journey of Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes and a bunch of brave survivors. Although TWD didn’t invent the zombie genre, we have the legend that is George A. Romero to thank for that, it did revitalize the genre by bringing a more complex and character-driven story to the forefront that hadn’t really been seen before in other parts of the media.
Through survival and human connections, The Walking Dead sucked its viewers in through zombie stories that thrived on the sense of helplessness it instilled into its characters and audience. This can also be seen in HBO’s The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, as well as the 2013 action/horror movie World War Z starring Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator who travels the world seeking a solution to a terrifying zombie apocalypse. Although there are many similarities due to the genre and also that each of the protagonists has been a father, fans have connected another detail that brings these 3 apocalyptic survivors even closer to each other than previously thought.
Rick, Joel and Gerry Share One Strange Detail in Common
On The Walking Dead‘s Reddit page, one fan of the series noticed a small yet strange detail that Rick, The Last of Us‘ Joel, and Gerry from World War Z share that many people may have completely missed. User No_Chapter9759 pointed out that all three of these protagonists wear almost the exact same shirt. Although keeping up with fashion in a post-apocalyptic setting isn’t exactly a high priority, especially when more important things like not getting torn to pieces by zombies are paramount, it’s certainly a talking point among fans.
As seen in the image the Reddit user posted, Joel, Rick and Gerry all wear the same green/blue canvas shirt, but most were confused about what benefit these shirts would have while in the zombie apocalypse and why they were seemingly so popular. One commenter had a pretty good guess that, because they are darker in color, they hold blood and dirt better than other types of shirts, and canvas is usually a stronger material than the flimsier material of, say, cotton or polyester. One reply stated that the protagonists may wear canvas shirts to give them a second chance from a zombie sinking its teeth in it since it might not break all the way through. However, that theory could be a little bit too far a stretch of the imagination.
Regardless, it’s a really cool detail and something that connects them all outside of the usual obvious similarities. Maybe due to The Walking Dead universe wanting to expand its storylines even more through spinoffs, fans might get some future insight into the thought process behind survivors’ attire and how they go about dressing for their environment. As for now, however, fans can catch The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 when it premieres on May 4 on AMC and AMC+, and Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will premiere sometime in 2025. HBO’s The Last of Us season 2 returns on April 13, but sadly, World War Z 2 isn’t on the horizon as it was canceled due to budget issues.
