The Walking Dead storyline has many characters never heard from again in the series without explanation. It is frustrating for fans, and it is doubtful that answers will ever be given about the fate of these characters. Names that come to mind include Eduardo (Peter Zimmerman), Kal (James Chen), and, more recently, Luke (Dan Fogler) and Jules (Alex Sgambati). But one of these missing characters that could easily reappear in a spinoff series is Heath, who Corey Hawkins plays.
In season six, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his group are situated at Alexandria, and while Eugene (Josh McDermitt) is guarding the gate, three Alexandrians return from a supply run. This is our first introduction to Heath, Scott (Kendric Green), and Annie (Beth Kenner). Sadly, Annie was devoured by walkers in a later season, but Scott was still a vital community member as far as anyone knows by the end of the series.
Heath went missing after a two-week scavenging mission with Tara (Alanna Masterson) in the season 7 episode “Swear.” He then disappears without a trace, and no one ever asks what had happened to him.
Is this lazy writing? Or did they have a better idea to reintroduce this character later on?
The Walking Dead, what happened to Heath?
One subject this often Google’d is Heath’s death, but as far as anyone knows, he is still alive. Showrunner Angela Kang confirmed that Heath was taken by Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), and her Scavengers then traded to another community. We have since learned this community is the CRM (Civic Republic Military). Jadis made a deal with this group, trading people for supplies for years.
Viewers also know that Jadis/Anne traded Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) to the CRM as her ticket to enter the community. She then confessed the trading of people to Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) in season nine of The Walking Dead, and to save herself, she used a severely wounded Grimes to barter her way out of Alexandria in season 9.
After leaving the main series, Jadis crossed over to The Walking Dead: World Beyond spin-off series, and in a promo video, she comments to someone out of the camera view, “Hope we get to catch up while I’m here.” Of course, everyone hoped this would be a Rick Grimes appearance, but it wasn’t.
Since Heath was traded to the CRM, his fate was either an A, and he was being used to experiment on, or a B, meaning he is part of the military. Fans hoped he would appear in an episode of World Beyond but never did. This would have been a great way to answer what happened to him and give fans some closure.
Heath is one of several characters who could appear in the Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) series, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. This series will premiere on AMC and AMC+ in 2024 and continue the couple’s epic love story. It was confirmed in the coda scene of The Walking Dead’s last episode that Rick was traded, escaped, and possibly recaptured by the CRM. If Heath had enlisted in the military, he could likely appear in this series and play a vital role in Rick and Michonne’s story.
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