While the true ending of AMC's The Walking Dead franchise is yet to materialize, the perfect conclusion slips out of reach with every spinoff. 2022 marked the end of The Walking Dead in the same way death marks the end of a person's mobility in Rick Grimes' post-apocalyptic universe. Although The Walking Dead season 11's "Rest In Peace" capped 12 years of zombie-skewering and gravelly-voiced name-calling, at least five major The Walking Dead characters - Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Maggie and Negan - will appear in spinoffs that directly continue the main show's narrative, while Fear The Walking Dead also rumbles on.
Judith and RJ Grimes looking toward a brighter future while contemplating "we are the ones who live," therefore, was more a glorified cliffhanger than a true crescendo to The Walking Dead. If "Rest In Peace" was just the end of a chapter, of course, what the real ending to the Walking Dead franchise actually looks like remains a mystery. Whether Scott M. Gimple and other Walking Dead producers actually have a proper, overarching conclusion in mind is unknown, but as their property splinters into multiple shows, the most perfect close-out scene becomes more and more unlikely.
What The Walking Dead Franchise's Best Ending Looks Like
The Walking Dead ended with a steely Rick Grimes, played by the returning Andrew Lincoln, sharpening his resolve as he prepared to take on the CRM keeping him captive. No moment in The Walking Dead would pack more emotion and satisfaction than Rick holding his now-teenage daughter, meeting his son for the first time, and sharing a big, brotherly hug with Daryl Dixon. If The Walking Dead spinoffs insist on stumbling beyond season 11, Rick reuniting with his friends and family feels like the only natural place for the franchise to eventually end. The Walking Dead would poetically open and close with the same man in entirely opposing scenarios.
Rick's comeback is also by far the biggest storyline The Walking Dead failed to tell in season 11. If "Rest In Peace" had truly been The Walking Dead's last word, with not a single spinoff or sequel in sight, the only lingering plot thread absolutely, unavoidably in need of solving would be Rick Grimes and his family coming back together. That fact alone highlights the importance of Rick's return, and further proves how perfect the scene could function as a true, decisive ending to the entire The Walking Dead story.
Why The Walking Dead's Perfect Ending Is Unlikely
Unfortunately, the structure of The Walking Dead's future means chances of the franchise ending on Rick Grimes taking a proud stroll back into Alexandria as a returning hero and hugging his children are remote. If Rick is destined for an emotional reunion, that most likely happens in his upcoming spinoff series with Danai Gurira's Michonne. As the slate currently stands, Rick & Michonne is the last planned Walking Dead release, with The Walking Dead: Dead City and Daryl Dixon both preceding it. If all The Walking Dead material stopped after the current lineup, the franchise certainly could end with that perfect Rick Grimes reunion. Sadly, that is one super-sized "if."
The Walking Dead has only revealed plans for 2023/early 2024 so far, but ending the main series only to instigate a string of spinoffs suggests longer-term cogs are turning. No studio designs a shared universe to last only a single year, after all. If The Walking Dead: Dead City and Daryl Dixon both perform strongly, each could feasibly receive a second season, likewise Rick & Michonne if Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira are willing. Fear The Walking Dead season 8 is now confirmed as the OG spinoff's final run, but newer shows could potentially plow into 2024, and AMC president Dan McDermott mentioned Tales of the Walking Dead when listing future projects.
Precisely when The Walking Dead truly ends could be dictated by business factors rather than by providing meaningful closure through storytelling. Rick Grimes may indeed reunite with his loved ones at the end of his spinoff, but if money is still to be made, additional projects will surely follow regardless. The Walking Dead's simultaneous cancelation and expansion, as well as the strange decision to spoil season 11 by announcing major characters for spinoffs, has already demonstrated a mentality that prioritizes commercial interests before creative. The Walking Dead will likely end only when it ceases becoming profitable, and lining up that point with Rick Grimes' homecoming will be almost impossible.
The Walking Dead May Already Have An Ending Solution
Realistically, The Walking Dead may not get total control over what its actual ending will be. The final frame of Walking Dead content to grace AMC TV could come from season 3 of the Daryl Dixon spinoff, or Tales of the Walking Dead season 2, or I Can't Believe It's Not The Walking Dead season 13. Whenever that time comes, however, those closing moments bear responsibility for wrapping up not just that specific release, but the entire storied franchise, and must deliver a conclusion as poignant and powerful as the ideal ending of a triumphant Rick Grimes finally reuniting with his family.
The Walking Dead may already have a solution to this problem. "Rest In Peace" was originally intended to bid its final farewell with a flashforward. Older versions of Judith, RJ and other Walking Dead kids would be searching for survivors in Atlanta, and this scene was not only cast, but filmed. With the unused alternate Walking Dead ending already in the can, AMC will always have a scene it can tack onto any project as a makeshift franchise closer. If, for example, it is decided that no zombie projects will move forward after Daryl Dixon season 2, the Judith & RJ flashforward could be patched onto that spinoff's final episode to act as a swansong for the entire The Walking Dead franchise.