The Walking Dead star Andrew Lincoln has been campaigning for his character, Rick, to follow in the footsteps of his comic book counterpart by losing his hand.

In The Walking Dead #28, Rick Grimes first encountered one of the comic book series' greatest villains, the Governor. When Rick refused to tell the Governor where his camp was, the Governor retaliated by cutting off the hero's right hand. Rick spent a great deal of time adjusting to the loss of his hand and eventually had it replaced with a prosthetic claw.

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During The Walking Dead panel at New York Comic-Con 2017, it was revealed that Andrew Lincoln, the actor who plays Rick in the TV series, wants Rick to finally lose his hand. The Australian actor joked that the incident has yet to occur due to what it would cost the effects department.

The series is already past the moment in the comic books when Rick was supposed to lose his hand. If they had followed the source material, it would have been cut off during season 3 or 4, back when the Governor (David Morrissey) was still alive. However, there have been plenty of events in the comics that have come late to the show, meaning that the Governor's death doesn't rule it out.

The possibility of Rick losing his hand has been addressed numerous times before. The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has consistently spoken against the idea, but not because of a budget or effects issue. Comparing the situation to the loss of Herschel's leg, Kirkman has stated if they really wanted to cut off Rick's hand, they would. The main problem with Rick missing a hand is that it would complicate action scenes.

According to Kirkman, a one-handed Rick is easier to write in the comic books because they don't necessarily have to show his every action. In the case of the TV series, a one-handed Rick would be much more difficult to pull off. Kirkman pointed out that Rick wouldn't be able to reload his gun. Kirkman also referenced another scene on the show where Rick had to climb onto a truck. Without his hand, the scene would have been much more challenging to write.

Based on Kirkman's past comments, it's unlikely that this moment from the comics will be brought to life - at least not any time soon.

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Season 8 of The Walking Dead premieres Sunday, October 22 on AMC.

Source: Bleeding Cool