What would The Walking Dead have been without Rick Grimes? It’s almost impossible to imagine. He's the driving force behind everything that makes the show unforgettable, and the reason the story felt alive, intense, and impossibly gripping.
From his cautious first steps into a world overrun by walkers to his bold acts of heroism and moral dilemmas, Rick’s journey is packed with iconic moments that have remained with fans to this day. Now, as we approach the three-year anniversary of The Walking Dead series finale, we thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on some of these moments that made Rick a truly memorable character.
The Walking Dead season 1, episode 1
Honestly, the entire pilot episode was amazing. However, if we had to pick one scene in the episode that just really stuck out, it would have to be Rick cautiously stepping out of the hospital into the deserted streets after being in a coma. Inside the hospital, he encountered his first glimpses of what horrors awaited. But nothing could have prepared him for the complete emptiness and silence of the world outside.
Rick walked out the hospital doors to see a bunch of dead bodies lying on the ground before actually seeing a walker with half of its body gone, crawling towards him. At that moment, the full scale of the apocalypse hit him, and the sheer terror of this new reality set in.
The Walking Dead season 4, episode 16
Who remembers this episode? It's the season 4 finale, so it was expected that a lot would go down. However, the scene that most fans remember from this episode is the scene when Rick goes full-blown savage mode against Joe and his Claimers crew. It showed Rick’s primal survival instincts and how far he will go to protect his family and friends. In a previous episode of the season, Rick had killed one of the Claimers' members so Joe wanted revenge.
After tracking Rick, Michonne, and Carl down to a spot in the woods, Joe and his gang ambushed them. Daryl then suddenly appeared and tried to negotiate and offer himself as a replacement, claiming Rick, Michonne, and Carl are good people. But Joe rejected his offer and threatened the group with death and sexual violence. As one of the Claimers attempted to sexually assault Carl, that's when Rick made his move by head-butting Joe, who was holding him at gunpoint.
A physical fight then broke out between the two before Rick got the upper hand and bit Joe’s neck. He ripped out his carotid artery, causing him to bleed out. Rick then took things even further and began repeatedly stabbing the Claimers member who was trying to harm Carl to death.
The Walking Dead season 9, episode 5
This episode is iconic because it marks Rick's farewell episode in the beloved zombie series. The scene that stands out is when Rick detonates the bridge to stop the massive walker herd, putting himself directly in harm’s way to save Alexandria and the other communities.
It was the ultimate culmination of everything Rick has ever been: a fearless leader, a protector, and a man willing to risk everything for the people he loves. In that moment, Rick embodied the very essence of heroism. And for a short moment, we were led to believe that he might be dead. But then we found out he survived, badly injured but alive, rescued by a mysterious helicopter and taken to the Civic Republic of Philadelphia.
You can stream all 11 seasons of The Walking Dead on Netflix right now.