‘The Walking Dead’ Keeps Carl Alive in Season 9 Detail

The life of Carl Grimes came to a tragic, and very unexpected end during The Walking Dead‘s eighth season, but a couple of the characters who remain on the show are doing everything in their power to keep his memory alive.

It’s easy to see how Rick is honoring the legacy of his fallen son. The leader of the Alexandria survivors quickly changed his mind at the end of the season, keeping Negan alive as his son Carl had suggested.

Michonne’s tribute to Carl is a little less obvious, but impactful all the same. According to showrunner Angela Kang, there’s a Carl-inspired addition to Danai Gurira’s Michonne wardrobe this year.

While breaking down some new images on the AMC blog, Kang came to a photo of Michonne holding Negan’s dreaded bat, Lucille. After she explained why the moment was significant for the character, she dropped a little hint about a touching Carl Grimes Easter egg.

“We see Michonne holding a bloodied baseball bat, looking horrified,” Kang said of the new photo. “Michonne was complicit with Rick in deciding to keep Negan alive for the sake of the future. That decision tied Michonne to Negan and his story, which is something we’ll be exploring this season. And it’s hard to see here, but if you look closely at Michonne’s hair this season, you’ll see she has a small plaid wrap around one of her dreads. That’s a piece of Carl’s shirt, which she’s now wearing to keep his memory close.”

As she said, it’s incredibly difficult to see, but trust that it’s there. I piece of Carl’s memory is hidden within Michonne’s iconic dreads, and his spirit will live on as long as she does.

What do you think of this new tribute to Carl on The Walking Dead? Let us know in the comments below!

Fear the Walking Dead returned for the back half of its fourth season on Sunday, Aug. 12 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. The Walking Dead returns for its ninth season on Oct. 7, 2018. For more updates and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter!