Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes on ‘The Walking Dead,’ says his character has evolved

The most important development in the seventh season of “The Walking Dead” came at the end of Sunday’s episode, and it was the slightest of things, really, but its significance can’t be overstated. It was Rick Grimes’s smile.

It shows that Rick has come all the way back from the mental and physical beating he and his group of Alexandrians, endured at the hands of the villain Negan. He tried capitulation and saw that it would lead only to the death of everyone he loves. Now, he’s ready to fight again. Not only is he ready, he appears to be relishing it.

If the end of season seven is any indication, the future of The Walking Dead is all out war. Alexandria, the Kingdom, and Hilltop have taken a devastating amount of casualties by fighting back against Negan’s Saviors and the Scavengers, but with the communities finally working together, we should be seeing Rick Grimes the leader back in the mix, rather than Rick Grimes the ineffectual warm-blooded zombie.

Speaking at New York Comic-Con, Andrew Lincoln made Rick’s return to the badass land of the living obvious: “He’s getting his strut back,” he said. We know last season of The Walking Dead was a living hell for Grimes, but it wasn’t easy on the man behind the character. Lincoln had a funny moment during the Q&A by stressing how much he as a person hates Negan. Probably because it’s tough to act so broken all the time: “He had a taste of [peace], then this goddamned Negan guy showed up … I hate Negan. I love Jeffrey, but I hate Negan.”

If Grimes returns to form, which it certainly seems like he’s going to (“I’m so happy to be playing that man, and not last season’s Rick,” Lincoln said), then where will Grimes’ phoenix-like rise from the ashes fit into a story that will dive into Negan’s past and supposedly eventually cross over with Fear the Walking Dead?

The most important question: Will season eight have a dance number?