A surprising development in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 finale promises death for every character in the Walking Dead franchise.
If a tease in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 finale is to be believed, every character in The Walking Dead universe is fated to meet an untimely end. The Echelon briefing, a conversation that Rick and Michonne’s spinoff had been building up to since the series premiere, provided a number of long-awaited answers about the Civic Republic Military. In addition to shedding light on the inner workings of the CRM and their big plan in The Walking Dead, the episode also dropped an ominous hint about the future facing the world as a whole.
Although The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1’s ending amounted to several big reveals, it’s worth wondering how much of it will matter in the long run. After all, it’s important to note that all the illuminating details offered in the Echelon briefing were followed by the CRM’s defeat. With Rick and Michonne’s actions paving the way for the organization to be properly reformed, their time as the franchise’s villains seems to have ended for good. Even so, it appears that at least one part of the briefing will have long-term ramifications for The Walking Dead’s shows.
CRM Scientists Predict Humanity Can Only Survive Another 14 Years In The Walking Dead
Beale has very little confidence in humanity’s future
Major General Beale’s comments to Rick about their science team’s findings serve as a dire warning about The Walking Dead’s future. According to him, what’s left of humanity has approximately just 14 years left. The CRM’s research postulates that when that time is up, the planet will be “cluttered with corpses.” This prediction is based on the notion that multiple factors will result in people dying out rapidly over the next several years. The worsening ratio of people to zombies in The Walking Dead’s world will increase until there’s no one left.
Beale claimed that their scientists have attributed their supposedly impending extinction to several reasons, not the least of which being starvation. Another concern they have is the multitude of diseases the zombies pick up over the years. Beale described walkers as “Petri dishes” that accumulate a long list of sicknesses, which means they pose both direct and indirect threats to humanity’s chances of survival. Rather than just bite survivors, they can also pass on their diseases to those they come in contact with, thus doing further harm to the human population.
Rick’s Actions Didn’t Change The Walking Dead’s Upcoming Disaster
Rick and Michonne’s happy ending is only a short-term one
If Beale’s scientists were right, every remaining Walking Dead character’s time is limited to about 14 years. Going by the CRM’s predictions, that timespan will see settlements all over the world suffer from food shortages and epidemics, made worse by the continuing problem of zombies running rampant in the post-apocalyptic landscape. While Alexandria and the Hilltop’s alliance with the Commonwealth should give them an advantage, there’s currently nothing in play that should protect them from the disease threat, especially since they still have to deal with walkers on a regular basis.