Walking Dead: Biggest Questions About Rick's Departure

After 8 and a bit seasons, Andrew Lincoln is leaving his role as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead and there are some biggest question marks hanging over his impending departure. Season 9 of The Walking Dead has been pretty eventful thus far and, after a 18-month time skip, sees Alexandria working hand-in-hand with Hilltop, the Kingdom, Oceanside and the Sanctuary to create a brighter and more civilized future - all thanks to Rick.

However, it was reported prior to the season 9 premiere that Lincoln, who has portrayed Rick since 2010, would be departing before the season's conclusion. Around that time, it was also confirmed that Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie, would be taking some time away from her character. Having killed off Rick's son Carl back in season 8, The Walking Dead is effectively losing three major protagonists within a season's worth of episodes.

After the third episode of The Walking Dead season 9 aired, AMC confirmed that only two episodes remained until the show went Rick-free but many questions still remain over the character's exit. With time rapidly running out for the gravel-voiced former sheriff, we take a look at the most pressing questions regarding Rick's approaching departure.

This Page: How Will Rick Exit The Show?
Page 2: Who Will Be The New Rick?

Is Andrew Lincoln Really Leaving?

Andrew Lincoln playing Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead

Almost certainly. Since rumors of Lincoln's departure first surfaced, the news has been confirmed by several of The Walking Dead's cast and crew including Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) and franchise creator Robert Kirkman. Most importantly, Lincoln himself addressed the reports at this year's San Diego Comic Con, citing a desire to spend more time with his family as the motivation behind the decision.

Rick fans may still be holding onto the ever-fading hope that this is all a monumentally misguided publicity stunt to drum up ratings. Alas, announcing the departure of your lead actor is hardly a surefire way to draw in more viewers and even if this was the intention, viewing figures are continuing to decline regardless. In short, Rick's going.

Will Rick Die?

While Lincoln's departure is a near-certainty, whether or not his character will survive is still very much up for debate. The nature of The Walking Dead's zombie apocalypse setting means that any figure confirmed to leave is usually expected to die, and this has largely proved true over the course of the show's history. Only in rare cases has a major character walked out in one piece, with Morgan (Lennie James) being a recent example - and he only went as far as Fear the Walking Dead.

Despite this trend, Lincoln and others have suggested in several interviews that his character may buck tradition and not be killed off. It has also been confirmed by Lauren Cohan that while Maggie will leave the show, the Hilltop leader will not meet her demise yet. Logically speaking, if The Walking Dead can find a way to keep Maggie off-screen but still alive, it's possible that the same can be done for Rick.

Possible, but unlikely. In contrast to Cohan who is leaving for career-related reasons, there have been no suggestions from producers that Lincoln is expected to return to the role of Rick and his reasons for departing seem definitive. Keeping Rick alive 'just in case' also makes little sense from the show's perspective. The loss will inevitably have a huge impact on The Walking Dead and major adjustments will need to be made, but neither the series nor the viewers could truly 'move on' if the prospect of Rick returning still existed. After such a significant loss, a clean break is needed.

The Walking Dead will also surely seek to use Rick's departure for the benefit of the story and there are far more plots that can be set into motion by his death than his survival. Rick's departure could help introduce a new enemy for example, but it's difficult to see how the loss could propel The Walking Dead into the future if Rick simply rides into the sunset unharmed.

Can The Walking Dead Continue Without Rick?

Whether or not The Walking Dead can continue without the man who has been its focal point since day one is a question likely keeping the AMC bosses up at night. Rick remains the central protagonist in the show's comic book source material and even though his departure is supposedly imminent, Rick has remained The Walking Dead's central focus in the first three episodes of season 9.

Without doubt, The Walking Dead is losing its most vital character and they don't appear to have an obvious replacement lined up. Maggie and Carl both could've been contenders to take over as lead if they'd stuck around, Daryl has the popularity with fans but Norman Reedus himself has admitted that his character isn't a natural leader and although Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan has the star-power and charisma required, he'd need more time to pull off an effective transition to being one of the good guys.

On the other hand, it's impossible to ignore the fact that The Walking Dead has been on a ratings slide over the past few seasons and this trend only continues to become more apparent. Losing your main protagonist does at least offer a chance to implement wholesale change and while Rick's absence could definitely worsen The Walking Dead's viewership problems, it could also provide an opportunity to give the series a makeover.

Exactly what a Rick-less zombie apocalypse looks like probably won't start to become clear until the end of The Walking Dead's current season but, without a doubt, it's a make-or-break period for the show.

Page 2: Who Will Be The New Rick?

If Rick Dies, How Does It Happen?

If Rick is unlikely to leave The Walking Dead peacefully, how could such a hardened and storied survivor finally meet his end? Perhaps the most predictable outcome is that he is killed by Alpha, leader of forthcoming villains the Whisperers. This would certainly be one way to provide Rick with a dramatic exit while also establishing the new antagonists as the show's biggest threat yet by achieving what the Governor, Negan and many others couldn't.

However, the Whisperers aren't Rick's current problem. That would be Daryl and Maggie who, as of the latest episode, have decided that Rick's vision of a peaceful community isn't for them and that the Saviors should pay for the crimes they committed. Clearly, it's highly unlikely that Maggie and Daryl's discontent will see them go as far as to attempt an assassination but that doesn't mean that their animosity won't somehow lead to their friend's death. If the duo's attempt to get revenge on Negan somehow ends in Rick's demise (the latter taking a bullet for the former, perhaps?) then this would not only make for a poetic and tragic end for Rick, but would also provide enough reason for Maggie to exit, possibly leaving Hilltop out of a mixture of guilt and grief.

There are a myriad of other ways Rick could feasibly be killed off, however fans can surely rule out a routine zombie bite death. Back in season 8, it was an unwelcome chomp from the undead that took down Rick's son Carl and The Walking Dead would likely want to avoid repeating the same trick.

Who Could Replace Rick?

The Walking Dead Season 8 How Its Gotta Be Michonne Daryl

Although there's no obvious immediate replacement for Rick, The Walking Dead are going to need a new lead protagonist at some point; even shows that feature an ensemble cast generally require a character to act as a focal point. Perhaps the leading candidate out of the current crop is Michonne. In The Walking Dead's latest episode, Rick even uttered a line that let viewers know Michonne has been running Alexandria in his absence, essentially setting her up as their next leader. Danai Gurira certainly has the star power to lead the series and her character is popular enough with the fan base. Unfortunately, viewers haven't seen too much of what Michonne is capable of in season 9 so far, but if that were to change, the character could quickly become the show's lead.

Another figure who could potentially step into Rick's shoes is Negan. Although he's currently a villain in the show, the The Walking Dead comic series slowly turns Negan into a protagonist following his incarceration and he eventually develops a level of trust with Rick, saving his life on one occasion without any gain for himself. Repeating the trick on television will undoubtedly take time but in Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Walking Dead has a talented enough actor to pull off the transition and go on to lead the cast convincingly.

Alternatively, The Walking Dead could introduce a completely new face to act as a central figure. For example, Magna has been confirmed as appearing in season 9, a character from the comics that leads a group of her own and later joins Alexandria. Although her print incarnation is yet to become a major player in the series, she's clearly an interesting personality and would give AMC the chance to rebuild The Walking Dead around an entirely fresh face.

After eight years fighting the undead, it's only natural that Andrew Lincoln's exit on The Walking Dead would raise a lot of questions and create an aura of uncertainly. With ratings still falling, the departure has the potential to kill the show entirely but The Walking Dead is determined to stagger resolutely forward and while the odds are firmly stacked against it, the potential to freshen things up could prove the perfect solution to current ratings woes.