The Walking Dead: 7 Reasons Why Carl's Death Was A HUGE Mistake

2. Nothing To Fight For

The Walking Dead Rick Grimes
Gene Page/AMC

Like with Rick's past, Carl's death leads to serious question marks over what he is now fighting for. The war against Negan was about moving from simply surviving to actually thriving, attempting to carve out a new world for the next generation to enjoy.

That can still happen to an extent, but it's much harder to buy Rick's motivations without Carl there to drive him on. Sure, there's still Judith, but the show will need to age her a fair bit to make that more plausible and turn her into an actual character.

Carl's presence gave us a more concrete reason for Rick's decision to engage in a war against Negan and the Saviours, and serves a similar purpose in the wars to come too. They can still fight for his memory, but it's not as strong a tether as having him around, appearing in scenes with Rick and showing their conflicts and compassion.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.