6 Definitive Rick Grimes Moments No Walking Dead Will Ever Forget (Even if They Stopped Watching)

Rick Grimes delivered some of the most memorable moments in The Walking Dead and its spinoffs that even the most casual viewers will never forget. Andrew Lincoln portrayed Rick Grimes, the former sheriff’s deputy of King County, Atlanta, and the leader of The Walking Dead’s central group of survivors, for eight years between the series’ premiere in 2010 and his departure in 2018’s season 9. He reprised the role for a guest appearance in The Walking Dead’s finale before starring in a spinoff, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, alongside Danai Gurira as Michonne.

The Walking Dead experienced a noticeable lull after Lincoln’s departure in 2018, with many considering Rick Grimes to be the heart and soul of the series. Rick was involved in most of the major storylines in The Walking Dead, and provided some of the series’ most iconic, memorable, and important moments in the entire show. While Rick Grimes has delivered many notable moments, these six are the ones that have stuck with us for years after they were first brought to our screens.

6) Rick Wakes Up After the Apocalypse Has Started

The very first episode of The Walking Dead will go down in history as one of the most iconic episodes of television ever. “Days Gone Bye” sees Rick Grimes wake up from a coma several months after the start of the zombie apocalypse. He explores the abandoned hospital, finds a door marked “Don’t Open Dead Inside,” and walks through empty streets where he meets his first Walkers. The Walking Dead episode 1 marked a strong debut for Rick Grimes, and was referenced again during Rick’s final episode on the parent show, cementing its importance in TV history.

5) Rick Cuts Off His Own Hand to Escape

It was thrilling to see Rick and Michonne return to headline The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live in 2022. The pair reunited after years of being apart, but Michonne found her lover without one of his limbs. In his determination to escape from the Civic Republic Military, Rick had cut off his own hand to free himself from cuffs, finally bringing this iconic moment from The Walking Dead’s graphic novels to life on-screen. This was a seriously intense moment to open the spinoff with, and comic fans had been waiting years to see Rick remove his hand in live-action.

4) Rick Bites Joe’s Throat to Save Carl

The Walking Dead season 4 was one of the most intense of the entire show, as the Governor (David Morrissey) destroyed the prison and separated the survivors. On their way to Terminus, Rick, Michonne, and Carl are met be the Claimers, led by Joe (Jeff Kober), who they had an altercation with earlier. Joe and the Claimers threaten to assault and kill Rick and his group, leaving Rick only one gruesome way out. He bites into Joe’s throat and tears out his jugular vein, killing him and allowing the others to take down the rest of the Claimers.

This shocking moment is remembered as one of The Walking Dead’s most daring and desperate moves. This proved just how far Rick was willing to go to save his family and friends, and also proved just how dangerous Rick had become to anyone who opposed him. The Walking Dead season 4’s finale was intense for many reasons, including the shocking Terminus reveal, but this harrowing moment has gone down as one of Rick Grimes’ most iconic and memorable scenes.

3) Rick Becomes the Survivors’ Dictator

While The Walking Dead season 2 is often considered the weakest era of the series, the finale, “Beside the Dying Fire,” is one of the best. After killing Shane, Rick leads the survivors away from the horde attacking the Greene farm and then reveals some dark truths to the group. He reveals they’re all infected, they’re all going to turn, and he killed Shane because he threatened him. In the face of doubters, Rick delivers the now-iconic line, “If you’re staying, this isn’t a democracy anymore,” thereby starting the Rick-tatorship and firmly establishing his position as the group’s leader.

2) Rick Spares Negan’s Life to End the War

Many agree that the war between the coalition communities and the Saviors went on too long, but its ending was fantastic. The Walking Dead season 8’s finale, “Wrath,” saw the war culminate in a hand-to-hand fight between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Rick, with the latter winning by slicing the former’s throat. While Rick could have brought down his wrath by letting Negan die, he chose to be better, having him spared and imprisoned as an example to others. This established a new status quo for Rick in The Walking Dead, but his new leadership techniques unfortunately wouldn’t last long.

1) Rick Blows Up the Bridge Expecting to Die

Rick Grimes’ final episode in The Walking Dead was season 9, episode 5, “What Comes After,” which saw Rick, seriously injured, experience visions of his former friends while trying to lead a massive horde of Walkers away from the bridge construction camp. Eventually, however, he leads the horde to the bridge, hoping that its weight will destroy it and they’ll be washed away. When the bridge doesn’t buckle, he makes the swift decision to blow up the bridge, fully expecting to be caught in the explosion, thereby sacrificing his life to save his family and friends from the Walkers.

This would have been a very fitting end to the legendary leader, but Rick Grimes survived the explosion and was recovered by Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), who delivered him to the CRM. His life was saved, but he was separated from his loved ones for many years until The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live ended with Rick and Michonne returning to Alexandria after freeing the Civic Republic. This leaves the door open for Rick Grimes to deliver even more memorable moments in the future of The Walking Dead’s franchise.

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