The Walking Dead: World Beyond – Why CRM didn’t take the asset sooner

One big question remains after The Walking Dead: World Beyond season finale

As soon as The Walking Dead: World Beyond introduced the idea of an “asset” that the Civic Republic Military was seeking, fans assumed that the asset was Iris. However, the final two episodes of the season introduced a twist: The asset is Hope. But if the CRM wanted Hope all along, why would they wait so long to obtain her?

From the start, World Beyond threw out a red herring for the audience by making it seem like Iris was the asset. As soon as we learned about CRM’s interest in this “asset” it looked like Huck was trying to get to Iris, but she was really after Hope all along.

It seems like things would have been a lot easier if CRM had grabbed Hope sooner, but the reality is that if they had made their move at any other point it would have backfired.

The CRM doesn’t need Hope for her blood or bone marrow. They need her mind. The only way to make sure she arrives safely and is willing to work with his father is to have her buy into the plan.

Elizabeth was planning on eradicating the Campus Colony when she arrived. That’s likely what she was using the storage containers for. (They either held soldiers for mass transport, or they would soon house new test subjects) That means she couldn’t leave Iris behind because Hope would find out what happened and stop helping them.

To ensure that Hope left the Campus Colony, she gave the sisters the map knowing that they had already received messages from their father – only those messages were from Huck. The sisters set out on a rescue mission that was orchestrated by Huck, Elizabeth and the CRM. The mission got them out of Nebraska and away from the bloodshed.

Huck is able to convince Hope to leave now because Hope knows that Iris is relatively safe. Hope is smart enough to know that the CRM won’t hurt her because they need her, and she won’t help them if she thinks her sister is in danger.

Naturally, this arrangement hinges on being able to trust the CRM, which would be foolish, but the CRM can easily make the promise to Hope because they need her so much. We heard Dr. Lyla Belshaw telling Dr. Bennett that their good friend from Oregon had gone back to see a family member when the truth is that he’s already dead. The CRM could use the same move on Iris, Felix, Silas and Elton (and Percy) if they wanted to, but they might see more value in keeping Hope’s friend around as leverage.

At the end of the day, the only reason Hope couldn’t be captured earlier is that she never would have helped them if she thought her family was in danger. Hope was the one who didn’t trust the CRM from the start, so strong-arming her wouldn’t work. They needed her to come of her own free will, so they put together a plan to make it happen.

That in itself says a lot about Hope’s potential and the resources that CRM is willing to expend to get what they want…and it’s terrifying.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond will return for season 2 in 2021.