Robert Kirkman discusses weapon skull penetration in The Walking Dead

Characters in The Walking Dead universe seem to effortless pierce the skull of walkers in the comics and television shows, but why is this so easy to do?

The world of The Walking Dead is a weird place. There are many instances where realism takes a back seat and fans just have to accept some of the parts of the franchise which might not be scientifically accurate.

For example, the human skull is VERY hard and curved. It would take a significant amount of pressure and accuracy to stab through the bone to reach the skull of a walker. Yet, we see nearly every character on the show and in the comics make this kind of kill.

In the April 2019 issue of the comics, a reader named Tom the Country Boy wrote in to discuss this phenomenon and it was answered by both Robert Kirkman and Sean Mackiewicz in the letter Hacks section of issue 190.

Tom wondered if they were forging weapons out of special metal or if they are designed in a way that makes it easier to pierce skulls. The responses were both funny and amusing.

At first, Mackiewicz joked that the weapons were being made out of Vibranium, the fictional metal from the Marvel Universe known for its ability to absorb kinetic energy. However, Kirkman had something else to add:

Kirkman explained that while stabbing through the skull is difficult, that it is possible. A large amount of force and specific weapons are needed to perform this move, but it isn’t any outside force that is causing this…it is the individuals themselves.

The creator of The Walking Dead says it is more about the survivors learning how to efficiently execute this move, building strength and technique through experience. He added the following statement:

"“These people look normal, but I assure you they are conditioned to a near superhuman degree that allows them to stab heads as if they were melons. So not special knives…special HUMANS.”"

For fans, this will just have to be one of those situations where you will have to accept that this is just a thing that happens. Science may say it isn’t that likely, but making walker kills significantly more difficult would change the dynamic of the entire franchise…and let’s be honest, things are pretty good just the way they are in The Walking Dead universe.

You can pick up issue 190 of The Walking Dead at your local comic shop or digitally on Comixology.com.