“The Walking Dead” was a rather dark show, constantly killing the characters in brutal and horrifying ways. It was a show filled with monologues about how humanity is destined to suffer. However, there was one constant source of hope throughout the series, which many fans took for granted. The trustworthy young Carl (Chandler Riggs) represented the new generation of survivors who grew and were in charge.
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Rick’s generation grew up comfortably just to be thrown into hell, but Carl’s generation grew up in hell and lived to see society itself rebuild. Most of the other young characters on the show were angry and tragically died, but Carl was able to maintain his wisdom for nearly eight seasons. Even if the group came across cannibals and dictators, as bad as things were obtained, Carl’s development provided a tough, courageous young man with many promises for the future of the world.
And “The Walking Dead” killed him in season 8. In the season finale, “How do you do it?” Carl reveals to Rick Walker’s bite with the torso that he reached a previous, seemingly disposable scene. Or, as Chandler Riggs does. Then please explain on Twitter“You spent three years in the Apocalypse, but when you died BC, you stumbled and fell.”
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Inevitable after the bite was revealed in the Season 8A finale, Carl’s death shoots in the head to avoid turning Karl into a pedestrian until Season 8B’s premiere “Honor.” The episode was not well received by fans. They thought the show would come down to full-fledged, miserable porn, so they wondered what the point would be if it didn’t lead to a satisfying place in all of Carl’s moody teen storyline. Comic Carl (who survived everything) has the best arc in the Whisperers storyline, but the show hasn’t done yet. Why kill him before he really lets his time shine?
Official reason for the Walking Dead to kill Carl
“the all It has something to do with the bigger story of the season,” showrunner Scott Gimple I explained it at the time. “It’s very clear. This terrible incident relationship – this very intense story has something to do with the bigger story. I don’t even need to answer because I see it in the next half of the season and it has something to do with what happens throughout the rest of season 8.”
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After finishing season 8 of “The Walking Dead”, you can easily see what Gimple means. Carl is able to share farewell words with Rick before Rick dies, and those words motivate Rick to save the life of villain Negan. I can argue that Rick probably has a better way to reach this point, but I think Carl’s death will at least get the job done. Rick’s decision in the season 8 finale led to a tense postwar situation in the first half of season 9, paving the way for the fascinating Maggie/Negan dynamics, which led to its own spinoff.
Comic creator Robert Kirkman defended the decision To kill Carl, even if it means that major comic events need to be changed:
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“There are big, big stories that are likely to be changed significantly due to Carl’s absence, but I know these storylines have come for years. I have plans to do all the work.
Indeed, Carl’s future storyline was absorbed fairly seamlessly by his new child character Henry and Carl’s sister Judith (Kairy Fleming) after nine jumps in the mid-season. I would have wanted to have Karl – as I would have wished if Beth hadn’t died unnecessary in that hospital – the final season of the show could at least make the most of his absence.
Unofficial Reasons to Kill Carl
The big rumours about Carl’s death come from a behind-the-scenes conflict between Scott Gimple and Chandler Riggs. More precisely between Gimple and Chandler’s dad, William Riggs. “It was a shame to see his son shoot his son two weeks before his 18th birthday after saying he had hoped for him for the next three years.” Riggs wrote at that time. “I never trusted Gimple or AMC, but Chandler knows how much it hurt him. But I absolutely know how lucky we are and we are part of it and we are grateful for all the love we’ve had from our fans over the last few years!”
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The theory of the “Walking Dead” fandom was that Gimple discovered William Riggs was difficult to deal with, and that influenced his decision. Another theory was that Chandler, who is about to turn 18, is set to pay more as an adult actor, giving AMC stingy executives a financial incentive to kill him. Chandler Riggs also occasionally imply that this whole controversy is his fault. I replied that I said“I agree with LOL. I think I was decent for the first few years, but when the writers should have given me more material, I definitely became lazy.” He later replied, “Tldr: Yeah, when that became an issue, I sucked, but I’m a good actor now I should have someone hire me.”
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But even years later, the showrunners claimed that they simply thought Carl’s death was the best choice for the overall story, not a reflection on Riggs’ acting skills or what his father was involved in. As Gimple I explained it at the time:
“This was the turn of the story, that’s it. We didn’t receive the request. [from any actor] Or something like that. This has something to do with the story. As long as we work with him, it’s incredibly difficult to lose the person you worked with. That was really difficult. We want to tell a story that deserves it. ”
