6 Ways Rick Grimes Could Leave The Walking Dead

The main goal for anyone living in this post-apocalyptic nightmare is to survive. However, for Rick, the goal has always been something a little bit different. While survival was very much at the centre of what he was doing, it was keeping his family safe that kept him going.

When he woke from a coma in Season 1, Rick made it his mission to track down his wife Lori and their son Carl. But Lori died, which left Rick as Carl's only guardian and that was enough reason for him to keep on fighting.

But Rick lost his main reason to keep going the minute that Carl was killed. While showrunner Scott Gimple tried to use Carl's death as a way of Rick reclaiming his humanity, the pay off didn't really work. We saw how fragile the character was in the back half of Season 8, as he tried to process the death of his son, and not even fulfilling Carl's dying wishes brought him peace.

So, with that in mind, instead of moving on or leaving his friends behind, Rick might decide to end it all and kill himself. At the end of the day, a protagonist without a goal isn't a concept that really works in television and, without Carl, what's left for Rick to fight for?

With Carl's death finally sinking in for Rick, perhaps he will make the decision to end his own life because he can't go on without his beloved son. It would be a tragic end, that's for sure, but one that's entirely plausible given the circumstances.