3 fan questions about The Walking Dead answered for October 14, 2017

#1. Why does Carl have Rick’s hat?

Casen Hetrick on Facebook asks: “Why does Carl still have Rick’s hat? His father is still alive and he still wears that hat!”

Apparently, the hat that Rick wore on his head to keep him connected to his previous job as a police officer is no longer his. It has become a signature part of the outfit worn by Carl Grimes these days, and that doesn’t look to be changing back anytime soon.

So what is the reason behind the switch? And if the hat was important to Rick, why hasn’t he asked Carl for it back? Those questions and more make the situation with the sheriff’s hat even more puzzling.

The reasoning for the shifting of the hat is important for a couple of reasons. First of all, it signifies Rick’s shift from humanity to the walker world. It also is a symbol for a coming-of-age story involving Carl no longer being a ‘kid’.

Most importantly for fans of the comics, the change for the TV show is important because Judith is the face of the future instead of Carl. Now, they need to make Carl more of a survivor instead of the hope for the future he was because he is no longer the ‘baby’ of the bunch.