In the comic books, The Walking Dead ended with the survivors making their way to The Commonwealth and working toward reintegrating with a real civilization. However, that was not how creator Robert Kirkman planned to end the series.

Initially, Kirkman intended for the series to end on a pessimistic note, after Rick Grimes and company arrived in Alexandria and chose to take over the community.

In both the comics and The Walking Dead television adaptation, Rick made it clear they felt the community needed to be on guard and not simply live in peace. If they resisted, Rick would take over and make it his own. It seemed evil and almost out of character for Rick, as it made him seem almost as evil as someone like The Governor, who did the same thing with his community. Kirkman said he thought Rick’s statement would be a perfect lead-in to end the series.

Instead, Kirkman led the series in a different direction and let the series run for over 100 more issues. This led them through the Negan and Saviors war and a battle with the Whisperers. It ended with Rick and the rest of the survivors going into The Commonwealth. By this time, Rick just wanted to live in peace when he saw the community was 50,000 people strong, and they were rebuilding the government there with a system in place. However, Rick found himself in the middle of a civil war that resulted in the city becoming an even better place. The story ended with a statue of Rick in The Commonwealth as the man who led them back to civilization. The world was now a better place with almost no zombies left to harm them.

The original end of the series was going to be in Alexandria but would include the same shot that ended the series in the Commonwealth. It was Rick Grimes’ statue in that community, showing that he was responsible for what happened there as well. Rick was the hero. However, Kirkman gave this a final twist, that was a knife to the gut. The panels then jumped back and showed the statue was in disrepair and then back further to show the community overrun by zombies. Rick planned to rule with force, and as a result, the community not only failed, but ultimately died. Kirkman said he was more cynical at the time and felt that greed, lust and power would destroy Rick, watching him become the villain just as The Governor did before him.

Rick is not around for the final season of The Walking Dead, but it is clear that he had become villainous throughout the series. While he claimed to do what he needed to keep his friends safe, he was still doing evil things. However, before he left, he changed. When Alexandria, The Hilltop, and others became partners, Rick became the leader that he was meant to be. Rick is gone, and the survivors now have Carol, Daryl and other unhinged fighters leading the way. The Walking Dead is a horror zombie series, and while television audiences expect happy endings, this is a show that doesn’t deserve one.

Yes, some people need a happy ending. Judith might deserve a place to live where she is safe and secure and has the conclusion that Carl received in the comics but never received in the TV show. The entire theme in zombie movies, especially The Walking Dead on TV, is the zombies are not the real threat. The real evil is humanity. Shane, The Governor, Negan, The Whisperers and Terminus are all evil humans worse than any zombie. The series should end with the survivors finding paradise in The Commonwealth, which is the end goal for most people. Then, these survivors we have followed since the start need to destroy this peaceful community to prove the world can never be the same again.