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The Walking Dead: ‘Leaving’ doesn’t have to mean character death

By Sarabeth Pollock

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 10: Andrew Lincoln of 'The Walking Dead' attends 'The Walking Dead' event at Smithsonian National Museum of American History on October 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for AMC)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 10: Andrew Lincoln of 'The Walking Dead' attends 'The Walking Dead' event at Smithsonian National Museum of American History on October 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for AMC) /
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With rumors and reports swirling of Andrew Lincoln’s departure from The Walking Dead after season 9, writers could leave the door open for a return.

The Walking Dead universe isn’t the most hospitable place for actors. There’s no such thing as safety in the zombie apocalypse (or in The Walking Dead writer’s room) but just because a cast member is leaving the show doesn’t mean that the character has to die. With reports that Andrew Lincoln plans to leave the show after season 9, there’s always the possibility that the actor could return for a future cameo.

Rick Grimes is the backbone of The Walking Dead and it’s hard to imagine a world where he isn’t in it. Fans have lost many beloved characters over the past eight seasons, with Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) being the most recent shocking death to rock the fandom. Carl was supposed to be the future, and so rumors that Rick Grimes could be gone, too, have left the TWD Family shaken to the core. 

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But maybe there’s a way around all of this. Without confirmation of this news, either from AMC or Andrew Lincoln’s camp, maybe there’s a way to leave Rick Grimes in an open-ended story that could make it possible for him to return in future seasons as a cameo.

In other words, don’t kill him. Make him into another Heath.

“Leaving the show” more often than not means that a character is destined to be killed off. These days, even comic book canon isn’t enough to save characters, as we saw with Carl’s untimely demise.

But what if Rick went off on a mission to find supplies or to scout a new community, and he just doesn’t come back right away? That could work for other potential departing cast members, too. If Danai Gurira feels the need to leave the show after Lincoln, Michonne could accompany Rick on his mission. It would provide an opening for Lauren Cohan, too. Perhaps Alexandria will be rebuilt in season 9, and a group of survivors will embark on a new story arc away from comic book canon. None of these characters need to die, rather they could (and arguably should) be left as question marks, clearing the path for a return in the future.

Next: Op-Ed: Check your sources with TWD news

Until fans receive official confirmation of Lincoln’s departure, it’s important to consider that Lincoln leaving the show doesn’t necessarily mean that Rick Grimes is going to die. Leaving the door open for a future return could still be possible if the writers (and Lincoln) make it happen.

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