6 Ways Rick Grimes Could Leave The Walking Dead
Is Rick finally too far gone?
From the very first episode of The Walking Dead, protagonist Rick Grimes has battled zombies, taken on heinous antagonists, and fought for his life to survive the post-apocalyptic world that he lives in.
We've seen Rick suffer on many occasions, from losing his wife to watching his son succumb to a walker bite, and not to mention dealing with issues of his own humanity. No matter how bad things got for Rick, he never stopped fighting, but it appears that his days are now officially numbered.
Andrew Lincoln is leaving The Walking Dead after Season 9, which means that Rick Grimes will no longer be on our screens. In fact, Lincoln will reportedly only appear in six episodes of the upcoming season, so we'll have to say goodbye to the show's main character sooner than we'd planned.
The Walking Dead has always been Rick's story, which is why Lincoln's departure is a hard pill to swallow. However, the one thing that the writers must now get right is the nature of his exit. So how, exactly, is Rick going to be written out of TWD?
6. He Stays Behind In Alexandria
First thing's first: Lincoln's departure doesn't mean that Rick will necessarily be killed off. There are plenty of other ways to write the series star out of the show.
For the past three seasons, the Alexandria settlement has been the main focus of the show, with Rick, Michonne, and Carl building a family there.
But with Negan burning Alexandria to the ground, it's likely that the survivors will move along to one of the other settlements where they can reside permanently. Additionally, the Season 8 finale seemed to suggest that the Hilltop is going to be our survivors base of operations moving forward, so perhaps Rick will opt to stay in Alexandria on his own so that he can rebuild what Negan destroyed?
Alexandria was arguably where Rick experienced the most happiness, so this would make sense. Moreover, due to the destruction and devastation the settlement suffered, none of the other series regulars will be returning there, which means we would never actually need to see Rick. It would be a great way to leave the door open for Lincoln to return at a late stage.