The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus says Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier’s story isn’t over after the long-running zombie drama airs its final episode. Based on Robert Kirkman’s comic series, The Walking Dead has diverged from its source material in a variety of ways. The most popular changes are the addition of Daryl (Reedus) and the expansion of Carol’s (Melissa McBride) character. Not only did the pair become major allies of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), but their prospective tryst turned into a close friendship. Together, they lead The Walking Dead’s cast in its eleventh and final season.
Although the flagship series is coming to an end, The Walking Dead universe will live on with a handful of spin-offs. In addition to Fear The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: The World Beyond, a series featuring Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Isle of the Dead, as well as an anthology, Tales of the Walking Dead, have been announced. On top of that, The Walking Dead’s Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are getting their own spin-off—which will replace the planned Rick Grimes movie trilogy—and Daryl is heading to Europe in his series. The latter has yet to receive a release date/title, and it’s unclear if/how Carol will factor into its story.
During The Walking Dead's panel at SDCC, Reedus commented on the future of Daryl and Carol. When asked if Daryl should be with Carol or his love interest, Connie (Lauren Ridloff), at the end of The Walking Dead, Reedus essentially pleaded the fifth before stressing that the “Daryl/Carol story isn’t over.” Read Reedus’ full comment below:
“I think there's a world where all 3 of them can live happily. I do want to say, since it's been brought up, the Carol/Daryl story isn't over."
At this point, Daryl appears to be going on a mysterious solo mission to Europe in his The Walking Dead spin-off. The original plan was for Reedus and McBride to headline the series as their iconic duo. Things changed when McBride exited the Daryl and Carol spinoff show —which enraged some fans who decided Reedus was to blame for McBride’s decision. Reedus then spoke up and explained that McBride’s exit was a result of the actress needing a break after working on The Walking Dead for 12 years (not to mention the production of the spin-off taking place in Europe).
The Walking Dead’s current showrunner, Angela Kang, has said that the Daryl and Carol spin-off was planned long before season 11. If Reedus’ comments are any indication, Carol will remain an inimitable aspect of Daryl’s story. Even if she isn’t a series regular in his spinoff, she’ll presumably guest star (along with other characters that have gone missing from The Walking Dead). That said, it’s unknown where Daryl, Carol, and Connie will be when The Walking Dead airs its final episode and the trio overcome the Commonwealth.