Why The Walking Dead Just Got Cancelled

5. This Wasn't Rick's Story (Apparently)

His death, in the end came, came during the events of 192. It wasn't heroic, or a major, epic last stand, but a quiet, messy, intimate exchange with Sebastian, who shot Rick in his own bed. As always, the biggest threat in the world of The Walking Dead was people.

After the comic dropped, Kirkman took to the page to explain how the shock death would effect the future of the series, writing:

"While this was always Rick's story thus far, as written about in the first issue, that doesn't mean he needs to be alive to be a presence in the series. This is the story of a world, not a man … it's the story of a world profoundly affected by that man, as we'll see starting next issue … but it isn't exclusively Rick's story."

The message was loud and clear: Rick might be dead, but the story was never just - as Kirkman put it - about one man, but his legacy and lasting impact on the people he met along the way (which after arriving at the Commonwealth, numbers over 50,000).

This is a story that would clearly continue.

Not only had Kirkman teased who would be taking over the role of main protagonist in the show by writing in the pages of 192: "See you next month! And with Rick Grimes gone […] who will be the focus of this series?! I'll give you one f***ing f***ity guess, you f***ers," a clear hint that Negan would be returning, but there would be dramatic gold to mine in the fallout of Rick's death, and its effect on the rest of the characters, especially Carl.

However, it turns out the idea of this not being only Rick's story was all spin to keep The Walking Dead's biggest shock a surprise.