The Walking Dead Comic Revealed What Rick Grimes' Fate Might Be

Robert Kirkman's comic series The Walking Dead -- the source material for the AMC series of the same name -- revealed a shocking development in Issue No. 192, out today, that could show how Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln) story ends in the in-development TV movie trilogy. If you don't want to be spoiled, STOP READING!

The issue is the resolution of a cliffhanger from Issue No. 191, in which the sheriff was shot in the chest by Sebastian, the wicked son of Pamela Milton, the leader of the Commonwealth, which is a community the show has not yet reached but may be where Rick Grimes was spirited away in a helicopter during his final scene on the show in Season 9. In 192, it's revealed that Rick dies, as Sebastian shoots him twice more, finishing him off. Later, he is put down after he zombifies by his son Carl.

No plot details of the Rick Grimes movies have yet emerged, but it's possible that they'll head toward this. The movies will complete the story of Rick Grimes, and generally in the world of The Walking Dead, a character's story is completed with death. The fact that he was taken in a helicopter -- and the appearance of a soldier from the same community in the most recent episode of Fear the Walking Dead -- indicates that he's been taken by a more technologically advanced group, which the Commonwealth is. So it would not be a surprise if he is taken there or someplace like it. And if the movies follow the comics, this is where the story will go.

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On the other hand, the show has diverted from the comics immensely. Carl is already dead on the show. The comics are only a loose guide at this point. In fact, not a single death on the show has played out exactly as it happened in the comics. So if Rick Grimes dies in one of the movies, odds are it will actually be pretty different than this. There may be elements taken from the comic, but the overall scene will be screenwriter Scott Gimple's vision, not Robert Kirkman's.

So the TL;DR version is this: What happens to Rick in Issue No. 192 may signal Rick Grimes' eventual movie fate if the movies follow the broad strokes of the comic, but it will inevitably be different. We'll see what happens.

Fear the Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. The Walking Dead will return for Season 10 in the fall. The first Rick Grimes movie is expected in 2020.