It’s Chandler Riggs’ birthday! The actor who has brought Carl Grimes to life on The Walking Dead for over six years now is celebrating his seventeenth birthday today while deep into production of The Walking Dead‘s seventh season.
Riggs is an actor the world has literally watched grow up right before their eyes. Starting the show at the age of 10, the Atlanta native started the series as the innocent son of Lori and Rick Grimes and has grown into a much more mature and aggressive part of The Walking Dead‘s family.
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At the moment, Carl’s membership to the Survivor Club seems to be in jeopardy as Negan has him lined up as a potential candidate to send his unforgiving message to Rick’s group. However, Carl has escaped death plenty of times before. The character will hopefully make it out of the situation unscathed for another season of great moments and growth.
For now, let’s take a look at the best moments we’ve shared with Carl Grimes!
Shoots Lori
The most heartbreaking moment in all of The Walking Dead‘s six seasons to date belongs to the Grimes family.
As his mother realized she wouldn’t survive the birth of Carl’s sister, she said goodbye to her beloved son on the way out only for him to go on an do the unfathomable: shoot his mother in the head.
As fans of The Walking Dead, we know that leaving a dead body without brain damage means reanimation as an undead monster. Carl made the choice to prevent his mother from such a fate by shooting her. It was a moment which stripped the young character of his innocence but showcased his willingness and ability to survive in such a desolate world.
The only reason the unforgettable moment isn’t ranked higher on the list is because of the complete heartbreak which comes with it.
Otis!
Carl is no stranger to getting shot. The character has taken a pair of bullets in his time in the apocalypse but we’re starting with a less severe injury here.
As Shane and Rick looked on, Carl admired a healthy and innocent deer in the Georgia woods before being shot in the stomach. The shooting would turn out to be a blessing for the group as it lead Rick and company to Hershel’s farm (and Glenn to his wife) but it was a jaw dropping moment for audiences.
The shot turned out to be an accident as Otis was aiming for the deer. However, the bullet penetrated the deer completely and ended up striking Carl. Otis sure did pay the price for his mistake, though, as Shane later left him behind as zombie bait in order to survive himself and bring Carl’s medication back to the farm.
Who will forget Carl falling back to the ground in slow motion and Rick and Shane hustled to his aid just before the credits rolled back in season two?
Shoots Shane
Shane did eventually get what he had coming to him.
Compared The Walking Dead comics, Carl shooting Shane on television took a lot longer which also made the moment much more impactful. After weeks of doing whatever it took to survive and protect Lori and Carl, Shane went off the deep end and could no longer be controlled or act rationally.
Shane lead Rick out into the woods with the intention of killing him but Rick ended up getting the upper hand and took Shane out in an open field. Carl, nearby, saw his father walking back but also saw a quickly reanimated Shane following behind him. Carl sprung into action, raising his gun and shooting the zombified Shane in the head.
The shot marked Carl’s transformation into manhood at a young age.
Dad?
Cementing Carl’s membership to the “I’ve Been Shot Club,” was Ron’s stray bullet. Despite aiming for Rick, Ron shot Carl right in the eye as Michonne drove her sword through hs sternum.
Carl, now a cyclops, stood amongst one of the show’s largest walker hordes with blood gushing from the part of his face where his eye used to be and uttered, “Dad?” before falling the ground.
The moment was one of the most epic scenes in The Walking Dead comics and its adaptation to television left even the most critical fans satisfied. It is a moment which largely defines Carl’s character going forward as he learns to deal with his horrible scarring but realizes he is one of the strongest survivors of the entire group.
Pudding
For Chandler Riggs’ birthday, we decided to go with one of Carl’s happier moments at the top of the list.
Even amidst so much horror, so many threats, and so few resources, Carl Grimes found a way to have a brief moment of joy. The teenager found a gigantic can of pudding and took to a rooftop to treat himself to its chocolate goodness. Forget the walkers trying to grab at him and turn him into a human buffet line! He has pudding!
As the rules of Zombieland go, rule #32: Appreciate the little things.
