Chandler Riggs has revealed that he regrets that his character departed The Walking Dead prior to the war currently building with a new threat: The Whisperers. As Carl Grimes, Riggs had been a staple of the apocalyptic drama since the very beginning; and, alongside his father Rick (Andrew Lincoln), fans assumed he would be one of the characters perpetually safe from death. Despite outlasting numerous showrunners, Carl wasn't destined to make it out of season 8. Succumbing to a walker bite, the departure of Carl was a shocking deviation from the source material, rivaled only by Lincoln's subsequent exit in season 9.

Following the conclusion of the All Out War storyline, The Walking Dead jumped six years into the future. Although many lamented that they would be glossing over the grieving process provoked by the departure of the show's erstwhile lead, new showrunner Angela Kang succeeded in breathing new life into the show. The arrival of The Whisperers proved to be a big part of that process. Eagerly anticipated by fans of the graphic novels, the new group was first mistaken as newly evolved, talking zombies, but the truth was revealed, however, in the mid-season finale, following the murder of Jesus. Wearing the skins of the dead in order to camouflage themselves, The Whisperers have since come to the fore, with recent episodes fleshing out the on-screen backstory of Alpha (Samantha Morton), the group's brutal leader.

Related: The Walking Dead: 15 Character Exits That Hurt The Show (And 10 That Need To Go)

Speaking at Walker Stalker Cruise 2019, ComicBook, Riggs announced that he was disappointed not to have been part of the new storyline. In the comics, not only is Carl very much alive, but he is very much at the center of the chaos that is the war with The Whisperers. Riggs first expressed disappointment last year, having been excited by the concept of exploring Carl and his relationships in a world without Rick. This weekend, however, he addressed more directly the storylines from the comics he'd like to have explored, namely the dynamic shared with captive Whisperer and daughter of Alpha, Lydia (Cassady McClincy). He said, “I was looking forward to a lot of the storylines, specifically with Lydia because it was just such a unique storyline for Carl and it meant so much to the storyline."

Riggs was quick to bring the subject back towards something more positive, saying, “But it’s all good, I’m on ABC,” referring to his role as PJ on A Million Little Things. He also has two movies currently in post-production and due for release later in the year: Only and Inherit The Viper. The latter also stars Josh Hartnett and Bruce Dern.

Back on The Walking Dead, with Robert Kirkman always referring the tale as a coming-of-age one, Carl's comic-book storylines have since been parceled out. His half of the star-crossed relationship with Lydia is currently being played out with Henry (Matt Lintz); the character's younger sister, Judith, meanwhile, fills in for him in bringing to life the fresh dynamic with former Alexandrian nemesis, Negan. There is no substitute, however, for the bond audiences form when following a character's growth and development from the beginning, and reactions to the replacements haven't been as favorable as the show would no doubt like, especially in regards to Henry. Although Rick is due to return in Walking Dead movies and the world is set to expand potentially into a third TV show, it's extremely unlikely that Carl will ever return as anything more than a flashback cameo or hallucination. As such, fans will simply have to take solace that the actor is just as disappointed as them.

More: The Fallen Cast Of The Walking Dead: What They're Up To Now

The Walking Dead season 9 continues with "Guardians" on March 3, 2019 on AMC.

Source: ComicBook