The Walking Dead’s Shocking, Somewhat Happy Official Ending Revealed

The Walking Dead came to an abrupt end with Wednesday’s issue #193. On the heels of a joint-story between issue #191 and issue #192 which saw Rick Grimes being suddenly assassinated at the Commonwealth community, Robert Kirkman dropped a shocking and unannounced series finale. The triple-sized issue #193 wrapped every narrative thread of The Walking Dead into a little bow, neatly concluding every remaining characters’ story, and it’s drastically different from the options available to the TV series when AMC decides to wrap it up.

Spoilers for The Walking Dead issue #193 follow. Major spoilers!

The first and only issue to follow the issue where Rick Grimes officially died took place decades in the future. Where issue #192 ended on a collapse from Carl Grimes thinking he could not go on without his father Rick, issue #193 shows that he turned out just fine. Carl Grimes survived the apocalypse and made a family with Sophia, the daughter of Carol, who also endured the apocalypse in the comics unlike both of the characters’ television counterparts. Ultimately, the final panel of the book sees Carl, a character named after series creator Kirkman’s own father, rocking in a chair with his daughter.

To top things off: his and Sophia’s daughter is named Andrea.

Years in the future, things are quite different. Walkers are hardly a threat and killing them is apparently a crime in the new and civilized post-post-apocalyptic world. When Carl kills a walker which frustratingly wanders onto his farm, he is put on trial because it belonged to the now-grown Hershel Rhee. Overseeing that trial is none other than Michonne, whose last name is finally revealed when she is referred to Judge Hawthorne. Maggie, the leader of the now much more advanced Alexandria Safe-Zone, and Judge Hawthorne ultimately elect to spare Carl Grimes of any punishment. Instead, he has to replace the walker for Glenn Rhee’s traveling walker show because that is a thing now.

Carl, like his father, believes in swift action to protect people from threats. The new generation is unaware of the treachery him and his family endured before the world was rebuilt. Michonne, however, is very much aware of this struggle which influences her ruling.

Furthermore, Michonne is given a granddaughter, just a few issues after unexpectedly reuniting with her daughter Elodie and the Commonwealth community.If the AMC series is going to follow the conclusive lead of The Walking Dead issue #193, some serious remixing is in order. Danai Gurira will exit the show and her role of Michonne in the upcoming tenth season, Andrew Lincoln bowed out as Rick Grimes in Season 9, and both Carl and Sophia have long been dead. Maggie might return pending a decision from Lauren Cohan. Most of the major players from the end of the comic are no longer a part of the TV series but remixing the book’s narrative is no strange thing for the adaptation.

Negan is never revisited, having last appeared in 2017’s issue #174. According to Kirkman’s final words in the back pages of the final issue: “Negan lives.”

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The Walking Dead issue #193 is available in comic shops now.