Rick rejected Major General Beale’s offer to join his CRM mission in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’s finale, but had Rick accepted this deal, the future of the franchise would look completely different. While he has had his darker moments, Rick has remained the symbol of hope throughout The Walking Dead by constantly risking his life for the greater good. Although he has encountered many antagonists, the CRM has been Rick’s biggest villain yet, who he barely managed to defeat with the help of Michonne. However, had he joined them instead, the series would change forever.

While Rick was always unlikely to join Beale, the antagonist did offer Rick the chance to bring his family and friends to the CRM. Unlike other As, he wouldn’t have killed Rick’s allies. Instead, he would have allowed them to join the community without any objections, giving them guaranteed protection. Rick never looked tempted by this offer, but Beale did mention humanity only had 14 years left in The Walking Dead universe. Given the lengths Rick has gone to protect his family, this could have persuaded him to form an alliance with Beale, changing the franchise’s future in the process.

Rick Would Have Saved The Walking Dead’s Main Characters (But Not Everyone Else)

Although Rick Would Have Saved His Allies, The Rest Of The World Would Be Doomed

Rick accepting Beale’s offer would save all of The Walking Dead‘s main characters, but it would doom the rest of the world in the process. The Ones Who Live‘s ending featured Rick and Michonne stopping Beale and his attempt to create a supreme community, but had Rick joined them, the CRM would only have gotten stronger. World Beyond highlighted that other people did oppose the CRM, but while the show’s protagonists foiled the military’s plan, they didn’t put a permanent end to them. Without Rick and Michonne’s interference, it is likely the CRM would have continued to destroy entire communities.

Without Rick and Michonne’s interference, it is likely the CRM would have continued to destroy entire communities.

The more settlements they took out, the stronger the CRM would become by obtaining even more resources. Alexandria, the Hilltop, The Commonwealth, and potentially Oceanside would all be spared from complete destruction, meaning the franchise’s main survivors would all remain alive. Given they would be invited to join the Civic Republic, Rick’s children would be able to grow up in a safe environment with his allies having a new place to call home. Unfortunately, the rest of America and beyond would struggle to survive the CRM’s gas attacks that have already wiped out a massive community.

Rick’s Decision Would Have Made Him An Enemy To His Own People

The Walking Dead’s Main Characters Would Not Have Agreed With His Decision

Image via AMC

Joining the CRM may feel out of character for Rick, but if he went through with it, he’d become the enemy of his own people. While Rick was part of the CRM, he never fully embraced their mission and was always using the group for his own motivations. He initially joined them to try and escape before attempting to change them from within, but embracing Beale’s mission would turn the people he’s trying to protect against him. While Rick reunited with RJ and Judith in the final scene, they would likely have grown to resent him, as would Michonne.

Their reunion would feel completely different, with the Grimes family disagreeing with the CRM’s methods. Likewise, the other survivors would also feel betrayed by Rick’s decision, as the show’s core group believes in peace and freedom, which Beale’s CRM goal is the opposite of. Taking control away from communities and killing everyone else to protect one single community would go completely against the main group’s beliefs. This would have been a cruel twist, as Rick would have become The Walking Dead‘s biggest villain yet if he had accepted Beale’s offer.

Rick Takes Control Of The CRM After Major General Beale

Major Beale Told Rick He Could Succeed Him In The Future

Once Major General Beale was ready to step down from his role, Rick would be his successor and take over the CRM. There were several twists revealed during The Walking Dead‘s Echelon Briefing, but one huge detail may have gone overlooked. Beale says to Rick, “I think that the next leader in the next decade, that might be you.” Given Rick ended up killing Beale and taking down the CRM, this information became irrelevant. However, if he accepted the offer, Rick would eventually have ended up in charge of the military group, which would have made them nearly unstoppable.

It is unclear exactly when Beale planned on stepping back, but he does suggest it would be within the next decade. The Walking Dead‘s time skips mean that Rick’s leadership of the CRM could have happened soon in the series, with the protagonist’s version of the group quickly taking shape. Given Rick is one of The Walking Dead‘s best leaders, commanding this many people would make the CRM even more menacing than they were under Beale. Rick’s military may have been less ruthless, but if he had become invested in Beale’s vision, he would have continued to destroy communities.

Rick Would Have Faced A Rebellion From His Allies

The Walking Dead’s Main Characters Would Have Rebelled Against The CRM

After Rick took charge of the CRM, the franchise’s main characters would have rebelled against him. While Rick may have someone like Thorne to rely on, the franchise’s main group wouldn’t allow him to kill innocent people for long. It seems likely that the core survivors would have tried to stop the CRM before Rick seized power, but this may have resulted in Beale’s death, forcing Rick to take over anyway. While Rick would naturally be reluctant to kill his own people, the likes of Michonne, Daryl, and Maggie would happily lead the fight against the CRM soldiers.

Leading the CRM would lead to a darker character arc for Rick, but he wouldn’t become evil enough to fight his own allies, especially with Michonne and his children being part of the rebellion.

Despite losing soldiers, it seems unlikely that Rick would order an attack on his former friends. Leading the CRM would lead to a darker character arc for Rick, but he wouldn’t become evil enough to fight his own allies, especially with Michonne and his children being part of the rebellion. His commitment to the CRM wouldn’t overpower Rick’s love for his family, suggesting this rebellion would find some success. However, Thorne may end up overthrowing Rick, leading to a battle against the odds for the main characters, with Rick potentially joining and leading the rebellion against the CRM.

Rick Would Have Eventually Fought Back Against The CRM

Rick’s Loved Ones Would Help Him See The Error Of His Ways

Although Rick would have accepted Beale’s offer for the benefit of his family, seeing them heartbroken by what he had become would force him to change sides and fight against the CRM. Even alongside Beale, Rick wouldn’t truly lose his humanity, which The Ones Who Live proved. The spinoff showed a colder side to him during the early episodes, but despite being in the Civic Republic for close to a decade, Rick didn’t lose himself. Michonne helped steer him back on the right path and she’d do so again even if he led the CRM.

Michonne never gave up on him during The Ones Who Live, and with the help of The Walking Dead‘s main characters, she could win him over eventually. Rick would try and make amends for his errors by helping lead the rebellion against Thorne’s CRM. While Rick and Michonne’s destruction of the CRM was mostly stealthy in The Ones Who Live, in this timeline it would likely be more aggressive like the All Out War arc. With the core character’s creative minds and Rick’s leadership, they would eventually defeat the CRM and bring peace to the Civic Republic.