The CRM has been a significant part of The Ones Who Live, but another major Walking Dead character almost joined the group 2 seasons before Rick.

Before Rick joined the CRM and set up the events of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, a main Walking Dead character nearly joined the military group two seasons before Rick. Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes exited The Walking Dead in season 9 after the character had a near-death experience and was traded to the CRM. Jadis found Rick injured as a CRM helicopter approached her location, which allowed both characters to join the Civic Republic. Jadis lied about Rick being a B as she knew the CRM killed As and wanted to give Rick a fair chance at survival.

Rick being trapped with the CRM created a fantastic premise for The Ones Who Live, which allowed Danai Gurira to reprise her role as Michonne. However, things could have been very different had Jadis traded someone else to the group, and it almost happened. While Rick was officially sent to the CRM in season 9, Jadis nearly sent a different main character to the group back in season 7. If Jadis went through with her plan, it may have prevented Rick and Michonne’s spinoff from happening, or it would have severely altered it, as well as The Walking Dead‘s ending.

Jadis Was Probably Going To Send Gabriel To The CRM In The Walking Dead Season 7

Back in The Walking Dead season 7, Jadis looked like she was going to send Gabriel to the CRM. In season 9, Jadis was desperately searching for someone to trade in an attempt to join the group. Before she used Rick as her ticket into the CRM, she nearly traded Gabriel instead. Given Gabriel was one of the weakest members of Rick’s group, he was an easy target for Jadis, who simply planned on swapping him in exchange for food and other supplies. Jadis had Gabriel captured in season 7, but Rick prevented his ally from being traded.

In season 7, episode 10, Rick and his group went to the Junkyard to negotiate Gabriel’s release. Had Rick not shown up, Jadis would likely have given Gabriel to the CRM as her people already had a relationship with the military faction by this point. Jadis’ backstory with the CRM is complicated, but she seemingly got supplies in return for trading people to the CRM, meaning Gabriel would have been her next victim. Ironically, Rick showing up and negotiating with Jadis helped save Gabriel from the same fate that Rick would suffer two seasons later.

Gabriel Would Have Been A “B” (& Made A Consignee)

When Jadis first attempted to ship Gabriel to the CRM, he would have been a B and become a consignee if successfully traded. The Walking Dead finally explained the CRM’s A and B meaning in The Ones Who Live, revealing that As are leaders that will die for what they believe in while Bs are ordinary people trying to survive. Given how cowardly Gabriel was when debuting in the series, he would have been a B as he hadn’t completed his full redemption arc by season 7, but this would actually have benefited him when it comes to the CRM.

The CRM kills As since they are seen as a threat, while Bs are taken on as consignees. At this point in the series, Gabriel would have been given a relatively comfortable life in the CRM, which he would have possibly embraced. However, when Jadis captures him again in season 9, she can’t go through with trading Gabriel to the military group, given how much he has progressed as a character. Jadis even tells Gabriel, “All this time I thought you were a B“, suggesting that he had evolved and become a valiant leader in The Walking Dead.

Gabriel May Have Joined Okafor’s CRM Rebellion

Although Gabriel was once a B, there is a possibility he may have joined Okafor’s rebellion. Had Jadis shipped him to the CRM in season 9, he would have been strong enough to oppose them, while also smart enough not to expose his true nature. With Okafor being a CRM rebel in The Walking Dead spinoff, Gabriel may have supported his revolution and helped Okafor change the group from within. Even if he was traded in season 7, it is possible Gabriel would still have gone through the same character arc and progression and may have been recruited by Okafor.

On the other hand, without Rick and his other allies at Alexandria, he might have remained the same cowardly version of himself that fans loathed. At Alexandria, Gabriel was surrounded by As who influenced and inspired him, whereas being a consignee would have surrounded him with other regular survivors. This highlights how crucial Rick’s group was to his survival and development, as well as how different Gabriel’s story could have been. If he had been with the CRM when Rick arrived in The Ones Who Live, Gabriel could have been make or break for Rick and Michonne’s chances at escaping.