Through its 11-season run, The Walking Dead never shied away from killing off main characters. It started with characters like Shane (Jon Bernthal) and Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and hit its peak with people like Hershel (Scott Wilson) and Glenn (Steven Yuen). But one death in particular came as a complete shock: that of Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) son, Carl (Chandler Riggs). With an incredible arc through the seasons, developing from a whiny child to a brave and courageous young man, it seemed like there was so much more of Carl’s story to tell.
However, his life was cut short when Carl perished from a bite on his torso after trying to heroically save others. He had an opportunity to say his goodbyes in one of the most heart-wrenching moments on the show. The situation left fans wondering: why did they kill Carl off in the first place?
The Decision To Kill Off Carl On The Show Was For Rick, And Strangely, Negan
The Walking Dead Universe consists of a multitude of shows with various seasons, but some of those seasons managed to hook fans in immediately.
The decision to sacrifice Carl had nothing to do with the actor wanting to leave the show or the character not having more room for growth. It had to do with Rick and also played a role in making sure Negan didn’t die.
According to showrunner Scott M. Gimple, who spoke to Looper, the reason the writers decided to kill off Carl was to give Rick a reason not to kill Negan during their final showdown. It sounds backwards, but it made sense once that pivotal moment occurred.
Rick was so enraged after seeing the terror that Negan reigned upon him and the other communities. Most notable was the vicious murders of both Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Glenn. Negan then continued to taunt Rick, ingratiating himself to Carl and even once showing up at his home in Alexandria, cooking dinner for the kids and cradling baby Judith in his lap.
His actions led to the deaths of many others, including Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) who sacrificed herself after being imprisoned by him in hopes that her death would save the others. Nonetheless, Rick had nothing but rage in his heart and a desire to murder the man who made his life a living hell.
When Rick finally has a showdown with Negan and slashes his throat, he can’t bring himself to sit idly by and watch Negan bleed to death, unable to breathe. Instead, he orders his people to save Negan’s life and imprison him for his crimes. The reason boils down to something Carl said to him just prior to his death. After arguing about saving and trusting others, Carl convinces Rick to allow Siddiq into the group. As it turns out, Siddiq was not only a stand-up guy with honor, he was also a trained medical professional who became an asset to the community.
Siddiq once told Carl “my mercy prevails over my wrath,” a quote reportedly from the religion of Islam. Rick utters these same words to himself as he sits under a tree after his one-on-one battle with Negan. It’s clear in this moment that he made the decision to spare Negan in honor of his son. He knew it was what Carl would have wanted.
With Carl gone, he has to find a way to connect with his son; he tries to turn the communities into what Carl wanted them to be. Rick, in this moment, is finally getting back some semblance of his humanity. Carl’s death, then, wasn’t in vain. It led to Negan surviving and eventually enjoying one of the best character redemption arcs of the show, even growing to become a fan favorite The Walking Dead character.
Chandler Riggs Was Shocked By His Sudden Departure
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While killing off Carl was a crucial plot device, Riggs, who started on the show when he was just 11 and left when he was 18, told Looper he was caught off guard by the decision. Ready to start college and having just purchased a home in Georgia where the show is filmed, he received the call no actor wants to get.
He opted to delay his college start and look for new acting opportunities instead. He told The Hollywood Reporter that the news was “devastating for me and my family” because the show had been “such a huge part of my life for so long.” However, he continued to be a fan of the show long after his departure, posting on X prior to the final season that it was “truly the end of a legendary era in television.”
The actor landed on his feet, focusing on both his music career and his acting career, snagging a role in the ABC drama A Million Little Things, which aired for five seasons. In 2023, he also voiced Superman for the animated movie Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Hunstmen, Part One.
Nonetheless, Carl’s death marks the biggest change between the plots of the comics versus the show, and left fans devastated that Carl wouldn’t become the new leader to succeed his father. Michonne, Daryl (Norman Reedus), Carol, and even Gabriel stepped up, and Judith was more than worthy of filling her father’s shoes and making her big brother proud, even deserving of a The Walking Dead spin-off herself. The show must go on, as the saying goes. Even if showrunners felt Carl had to die so Negan could live and Rick could regain his humanity, in the end, Carl’s hope for a better world prevailed.
Carl’s Journey on The Walking Dead Had Ups, Downs, and a Satisfying Arc
Carl Grimes was one of the most popular characters throughout his time on AMC’s The Walking Dead, but his age often confused viewers.
When the outbreak happened, Carl was taken to safety with his mom, Lori, thanks to Shane, his father Rick’s best friend and partner on the police force. They met a group of survivors and eventually, Rick found them and was reunited with his family.
Carl went through turmoil from the beginning, most devastatingly when he almost died after being accidentally shot by a man on the farm. He survived against all odds thanks to Hershel’s (Scott Wilson) medical knowledge and dedication. As the world continued to deteriorate, Carl started to show signs of ruthlessness, which terrified his parents. In one pivotal moment, he kills a defenseless boy who has his hands up in surrender. This knowledge led Rick to put down his gun and show his son that violence wasn’t the answer.
A turning point for Carl was when he shot a reanimated Shane to save his father. He later killed his mother to prevent her from turning after perishing in childbirth. His immature actions that resulted in Dale’s (Jeffrey DeMunn) death weighed heavily on the young boy, who sunk into a depression and started to gain a dark edge. Seeing and doing these things made Carl a much more hardened boy at a time when he was going through coming-of-age challenges and developing his sense of self.
Nevertheless, while Carl went through tough times, including a period of hating his father (during that memorable pudding on the roof scene), he eventually regained his humanity and came out stronger on the other side. Carl started to come out of his shell, especially once he started to develop a flirtatious friendship with Enid (Katelyn Nacon), proving himself to be a leader and a strong young man. He was unafraid yet thoughtful, fearless yet loyal. It’s Carl who Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) turns to when he wants to learn how to use a gun, and Carl who is in charge of caring for Alexandria when the big war against the Saviors begins. Carl even manages to evacuate everyone to safety when it comes down to that.
Carl was sometimes overconfident as well, like when he tries to stand up to Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) on his own. Despite his bravado, he impressed the leader of the Saviors, who thought the young boy was a bona fide “badass.” While he’s maturing, however, Carl still has insecurities, particularly about his appearance after losing an eye.
Prior to his death, Carl begins to think about the future and the possibility of a better one. He pleads with his father to give Siddiq (Avi Nash) a chance when they come across this stranger begging for help. He doesn’t want any more bloodshed. He even writes Negan a letter asking him to stop and urging him to recognize that there’s a better way forward, a more positive future to be had for his sister and brother.
Sadly, while bringing Siddiq back to Alexandria, Carl trips and is bitten by a walker. He hides the bite, knowing it’s in a spot on his body that can’t be amputated. His fate is sealed. Once he informs the group and they say their goodbyes in one of the best episodes of Season 8 of The Walking Dead, he tells Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) that he wants to die by suicide rather than have either of them do it after he reanimates. He heads into the church on his own and Rick and Michonne hear the gunshot ring out from outside.
Carl Had A Much Different Outcome In The Comics
A twist in the final minutes of The Walking Dead’s series finale answers what happened to a major character without giving too much away.
In many ways, Carl’s journey in the comics is the same as it is on the show. However, he has a different outcome. Interestingly, Rick is killed by Sebastian Milton in the comics, and rather than avenge his father’s death, Carl decides to spare Milton’s life, much like his father does in the series with Negan.
The series features many of the storylines that involved Carl in the comics, but shifted them to other characters. When Carol kills Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino), for example, the storyline is similar to one in the comics when Carl kills Ben, a child who similarly shows signs of psychopathy. There’s a scene when Rosita (Christian Serratos) tries to take a shot at Negan but hits his bat Lucille instead. On the show, it’s Carl who fires the shot.
Several of Carl’s storylines from the comics went to Henry (Macsen Lintz), the adoptive son of Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Carol, residing at The Kingdom. These include Henry’s apprenticeship as a blacksmith with Earl (John Finn) at Hilltop. Carl has a relationship with Lydia (Cassady McClincy) in the comics, a storyline that also went to Henry on the show.
On the show, Judith (Cailey Fleming) has conversations with Negan through the window while he’s in prison in Alexandria. In the comics, it’s Carl who, rather than suffer one of the saddest deaths on The Walking Dead, wags chins with the villain after the time jump. Though the conversations are not as light-hearted, they’re still important.
The scene where Negan tries to save Lydia from an attack by bullies and accidentally kills one of them actually occurs with Carl in the comics. His childhood friend Sophia, who survives in the comics as well, is hurt in a confrontation. Carl steps in, beating the boys with a shovel, though both survive.
By the end of the comics, Carl is very much alive and well. Sophia (Madison Lintz), who also survives to the end, becomes his girlfriend and then his wife. Together, they have a daughter named Andrea who they raise in this newly civilized version of the world. Walkers are still around, but they’re rarely seen. In fact, they’re a valuable commodity. Rick Grimes is a legend in the community, and Carl is happily living out his father’s legacy.
