The Walking Dead has been a staple television drama for over a decade, and the story is finally coming to an end. With the show following such a dynamic world, there are a plethora of different routes that the end of the series could take.
Fans have been taking to Reddit since the show's inception to discuss potential endings for the series. While some of the old theories are outdated, like that of the whole show being Rick's dream while he's in a coma, entering the final season has inspired fans to come up with extremely plausible and fresh ideas about what the finale could entail.
Rick Returns
Of course, one of the most commonly theorized endings is that the series' original protagonist will make a triumphant return. Redditor Throoooowaway87458 even says, "Rick comes back. He has to, or this will literally be the biggest ball drop of a storyline in the history of television."
There are a few different ways that fans theorize Rick will come back. One Redditor poses a particularly chilling ending that alludes to the comics, saying, "Episode 16, the series finale, the lone walker roaming a small cornfield...followed by a gunshot. Cut to the boots of Rick mother f**king Grimes... The story basically follows the comic finale. He’s put on trial for killing a walker because it was destruction of property. Same deal. Same story. Hershel’s walker." Of course, in the comics, it is Carl Grimes who is tried, rather than Rick, but this would be an interesting twist on the source material.
Hershel Kills Negan
A few fans envision that The Walking Dead will end with Hershel, Maggie and Glenn's son named for Maggie's father, killing Negan. This would make for a tale of vengeance, as Negan kills Glenn in season 7, which is one of many reasons why Negan is one of The Walking Dead's biggest villains.
Redditor yeyjordan writes, "I think Maggie will finally make peace with Negan, only for Hershel Jr. to kill him in a cowardly way." Another user, The_Glam_Reaper, shares this theory, saying, "I think that Maggie will actually forgive Negan. But because of what she told Hershel, and how she raised him, he will kill Negan."
The Cure
Many fans are still holding out, hoping for a cure that will eliminate the possibility of becoming a walker when someone who has received the cure dies.
Redditor B-Town-MusicMan says of their ending theory, "They find a cure... kind of anyway. The walkers are still around but from now on when you die, you stay dead." This is a fairly evergreen theory that has been around since the show's inception, though it is met with a good amount of resistance from viewers who find it underwhelming.
Generational Immunity
Fans have been playing around with the idea that the next generation will be immune to the zombie virus. Redditor bertmegh took to a thread to discuss the notion of "the new generation being immune to the virus."
Related: 10 Things Negan Needs To Resolve Before The End Of The Walking Dead
While some fans still believe in the concept, others like Redditor LunaTheKoalaGirl are quick to debunk it, saying, "The immunity thing could have worked and made sense, but they didn't set it up. Should have made a point about fetuses fighting the zombie virus..."
Ambiguous Ends
When it comes to a show that has had so many battles between good and bad, it can be difficult to predict whether things will end on a positive note or a negative one for the audience's favorite characters. Some fans believe that it will be neither.
Redditor AllOrNothing13 says of an ambiguous ending, "I think it will be pretty open-ended, so we sort of draw our own conclusions. Everyone being wiped out would be such a disappointing [end] and make it seem like everything was for nothing, but a 'happily ever after' would be as equally unsatisfying." The liberty for the audience to interpret the ending themselves might help the drama to meet expectations for a great ending since the show has been consistently good, except for one bad season.
Judith Grows Up
Redditor Stock-Palpitation-21 says, "I predict that the story will end with a grown Judith." Given that the comics end with a grown Carl and many people believe that Judith will take on Carl's role, this is a pretty common theory.
Another Redditor, Agent_Scully9114, takes this popular thought to the next level with their response, saying, "Yes, I think this too. But adding RJ and Hershel and Gracie and all Jerry's kids." This sets up an ending in which audiences get to see the final world that The Walking Dead spends eleven seasons building.
Maggie and Negan Take Charge
Redditor PuceHercules845 poses that, "Maggie will become leader of the Commonwealth and Negan will become leader of Alexandria."
Both Maggie and Negan have been consistently efficient leaders from the start, and respectively taking charge of the communities of Commonwealth and Alexandria might make sense for a diplomatic end to The Walking Dead. Maggie standing at the head of the Commonwealth would also check off one of the major things that she must resolve before the finale by finding a new safe place.
Family Reunions
On their ideal ending, Redditor macedao spins a story of Rick and Michonne returning to Alexandria, with Judith running to hug them just as Carl does in season one when Rick appears at the campground.
This sweet theory is one of the happier endings that fans have theorized for the series. It calls back to the season 1 reunion between Rick and Carl that started it all, imagining a full-circle ending to The Walking Dead that is especially impactful given that Carl's death is one of the events that changed Rick Grimes.
CRM Incursion
Redditor Doom4104 sums up this theory nicely, saying, "Main villains could end up being CRM spies, and the series ends with a possible CRM incursion into the Commonwealth that is pushed back, Daryl, and Carol learn of Rick being alive somehow, and they set out for their spin off."
The fan theory that the series will end with the CRM, the military operation in the show, invading the Commonwealth is not an uncommon one. The note that main villains will become spies makes the theory make sense, and the end of this Redditor's theory sets up the spin-off well.
War
Plenty of fans believe that the series will end with a theme that has been ever-present throughout its eleven seasons: War.
Redditor Elk0_ writes out their specific theory of war, saying, "... the CRM, the Commonwealth, the North Virginia Communities, the Pioneers, the army Michonne met up with, etc. I believe that these communities will all end up clashing in a final war for power. That war will probably end with the Commonwealth winning."