Robert Kirkman has previously stated that Carl Grimes will be the last survivor in the comic of ‘The Walking Dead‘ and now is having to defend why AMC’s smash hit went a completely different direction. Ratings on the decline have been explained away and are supposedly not a reason why showrunner Scott M. Gimple has just changed out of that position, but you can’t help but secretly wonder if this could be why he’s out. With Chandler Riggs only having an episode left fans are wondering why the decision to kill off his character could have happened.

If anyone might have a shot at explaining it away, surely it is the series creator. Here is what Kirkman had to say:

“I think Scott first brought it up to me as a possibility probably about a year ago at this point. At first, I was kind of like, ‘Well, that’s a big one, you know?’ I might have had a little bit of trepidation. But once he laid out to me exactly what his long-term plans were, and the things that come out of it, and the things that it leads to, it was something I got on board with.

We still haven’t actually seen Carl die yet or what the fallout will be, so it is unclear if these plans will resonate with audiences in a positive way that will counteract the disdain of the current decision.

As to how fans are responding? Kirkman understands their frustration:

“I know that some fans online have been very upset, but that’s by design. We’re not supposed to be happy when these characters die. We are supposed to be worried about what comes next, and anticipating what comes next, and stressing about what comes next. That just shows that you’re engaged and you’re interested. Our job is to now pay that off and fulfill that interest, and prove that this was a decision worth making. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

When February 25th, 2018, gives us the final appearance of Chandler Riggs we’ll hopefully get an idea if this death pays off.

Has Kirkman’s words at all eased your annoyance at the decision which was made for ‘The Walking Dead’? Do you think that Carl’s death will end up being for the best on the show’s story or will this be another nail in the coffin of the series? Share your thoughts below!

Source: Entertainment Weekly