Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead series finale!
The Walking Dead followed Rick Grimes and his group of survivors for 11 seasons, but his daughter Judith was always the main character. Judith was introduced in the early seasons as the illegitimate daughter of Lori and Shane, who got together after assuming Rick had died after being left in a coma during the onset of the zombie apocalypse. Since The Walking Dead's time jump in season 9, the 10-year-old Judith became a more prominent character who was wiser and braver than a typical kid.
The final scene of The Walking Dead focuses on Judith Grimes, and in hindsight, she has always been the main character. Several survivors have had more screen time than Judith across The Walking Dead's run, but she has been a crucial part of the show since the start. Before even appearing, Judith's controversial conception was one of The Walking Dead's first non-zombie-related dramas, adding to Rick and Shane's feud. Since then, The Walking Dead followed Judith through her childhood as one of the first post-apocalypse babies and established her as a fully-fledged hero in the final season.
How Judith Could Return In The Walking Dead
Judith Grimes has been a symbol of hope for the future throughout The Walking Dead, and given the franchise is continuing with three new spinoffs it makes sense that she features at some point. An appearance in Rick Grimes and Michonne's show is the most likely way that Judith would return to The Walking Dead. Since Michonne, Judith's adoptive mother, departed in season 10 to search for Rick, it has seemed inevitable that there will be a Grimes family reunion. While Rick Grimes and Michonne finally finding each other will be a huge moment for The Walking Dead, their story won't be complete until they return to their children, Judith and Rick Jr.
Elsewhere in The Walking Dead’s planned spinoffs, Judith could make a brief appearance in Dead City before Maggie and Negan head to New York, given her unique relationship with the former Saviors leader. It's unlikely that Judith will appear in Daryl's spinoff because the two already said their goodbyes in The Walking Dead finale. But there is potential for Judith to get her own spinoff in the future given she is one of the few main characters to not have her own show, and it could adapt Carl's final storyline in The Walking Dead comics which follows Rick's son as an adult in a less fraught post-apocalyptic world.
Carl Should've Been The Walking Dead's Main Character (Not Judith)
Before Judith's rise to a Walking Dead hero, Carl Grimes was being primed to be the show's main character. Carl developed from a terrified boy into arguably The Walking Dead's bravest survivor, and he was the natural successor to Rick as the community's leader. Although he was willing to fight for his people, Carl was more ideological than the likes of Rick, Negan, and other Walking Dead leaders who frequently resorted to violence. But following Carl's shocking death, The Walking Dead had to find a new successor and Judith was the next best choice given her role in the Grimes family.