Robert Kirkman continues to joke about The Walking Dead origin

It has been 17 years since The Walking Dead comics hit shops and fans are still bugging Robert Kirkman about the origin of the zombie outbreak.

If there is one thing fans of The Walking Dead can always rely on, it is Robert Kirkman having fun with the franchise and its fans. In the past, this was done either at conventions, during interviews, or in the Letter Hacks section of the comics. These days, social media can do the trick.

In the past, Kirkman has stood firm on one thing: the fact that he will likely never reveal the origin of what caused the dead to come back to life and hunger for human flesh. Plus, he continues a running gag of talking about how space is the reason for everything, an obvious nod to how he convinced his comic to be made in the first place.

Recently, Robert Kirkman was once again asked on Twitter about what caused zombies to exist on earth. In classic Kirkman fashion, he played it perfectly. Here is what he told a user entertainingly named 80’s Carl Weathers:

What’s funny is how the creator of The Walking Dead insists that the reason for the outbreak is of literally no importance to the story and revealing it would add nothing to the plot fans have loved over the years.

In addition, Kirkman’s answer could be a nod Night of the Living Dead, which he credits for getting him into the zombie genre. In that film, the outbreak is believed to be caused by radiation when a space probe returning from Venus exploded.

Taking this response from Robert Kirkman seriously and call it cannon to the story would be a bit presumptuous. Much like other members of the #TWDFamily, their ability to joke around can sometimes be misconstrued as breaking news.

For now, fans should see this response as a light-hearted interaction with a fan and not a definite answer to a question that has been asked for almost two decades. Because, as we all know, Robert Kirkman loves messing with everyone, including fans of The Walking Dead.