If The Walking Dead's Creator Knew How Big It Would Be, He Would Have "Expanded" a Key Storyline

Before its massive success, The Walking Dead was an indie comic published by Image Comics (a creator-owned publication), meaning its success or failure fell at the feet of the creators of the comic as opposed to the publisher itself. In other words, the creators of The Walking Dead - writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore - didn’t know how long the book would run for, so storylines that they’d otherwise take their time on were wrapped up quickly, including that of one character in particular who Robert Kirkman says he would have done more with.

In The Walking Dead Deluxe #108 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, Paul Monroe brings Rick Grimes and his people to a territory known as the Kingdom to meet the leader of that community: Ezekiel. Ezekiel (initially introduced as King Ezekiel) immediately comes off as threatening, mostly due to his pet tiger, Shiva, as well as his title of King. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Ezekiel will make a perfect ally for Rick, mostly due to the fact that Ezekiel hates Negan and the Saviors just as much - if not more - than Rick himself.

While the storyline of this issue is captivating, what’s arguably more interesting is the book’s backmatter, which shows some fan mail being answered by Robert Kirkman himself. The creator of The Walking Dead is asked, “would you have lengthened the opening storyline and Shane?” if Kirkman had known the book would last as long as it did. To that, Robert Kirkman writes back:

Robert Kirkman: YES, had I known the series would continue this long I would have totally expanded the Shane storyline.

Robert Kirkman goes on to explain that Rick and the gang were originally going to find the prison in issue #7, which would have skipped the ‘Hershel’s farm’ storyline entirely, and would have cut out key characters like Hershel and Maggie, and even major plot points like Maggie’s relationship with Glenn. Again, that’s because - when the book first started - Kirkman didn’t know how long The Walking Dead would run for. However, after the first volume, the popularity of the comic became apparent, allowing Kirkman to take his time with the story. Unfortunately, that came after Shane’s death in The Walking Dead #6.

Shane’s Story Would Have Been Expanded Upon in The Walking Dead

Robert Kirkman Admits He’d Keep Shane Around a Little Longer

Robert Kirkman admits that, if he could go back, he would expand Shane’s storyline, which is actually something fans might have picked up on years ago. Robert Kirkman has been very involved with the AMC live-action The Walking Dead series since the very beginning, and one of the biggest changes from the comic to the screen was the fact that Shane stuck around for so long.

Unlike in the comics, Shane made it all the way through the ‘Hershel’s farm’ storyline, and not just as a background character, either, but one who added major conflict to the story. It wasn’t until the end of that story that Shane met his end in the show, which gives fans a clue as to how he’d be handled in the comics if Kirkman knew the series would continue for as long as it did. And, honestly, Shane might have lasted even longer in the comics than he did in the show.

Indeed, Negan made it all the way till the end of The Walking Dead, and he’s one of the most vile villains in the series, which means Shane could have had a fair shot at making it all the way. Maybe Shane would have gotten a redemption arc? Maybe he would have fallen even further into villainy and aligned with someone like the Governor or the Saviors? Unfortunately, fans may never know what could have been for Shane, even if the television series gives fans a decent look at how long he would have made it if he didn’t get killed by Carl in TWD #6.

Walking Dead Creator Already Teased What Shane’s “Expanded” Story Would Be

Robert Kirkman Almost Had Shane Kill Rick

Interestingly, Robert Kirkman once revealed that not only would Shane’s storyline be expanded in The Walking Dead, but that Shane was originally going to kill Rick and become the first - and arguably greatest - major villain of the series. Again, Shane was killed by Carl in issue #6 after he threatened to kill Rick in the woods, overcome with jealousy by the fact that Rick and his wife, Lori, were getting back together after Shane and Lori started a relationship when they thought Rick was dead. Carl stopped Shane by shooting him in the neck, killing him. But, what if Carl didn’t pull the trigger?

In The Walking Dead Deluxe #6, Robert Kirkman speaks to that ‘What If’ scenario, admitting that it was a genuine idea that nearly came to fruition. The scene basically would have played out the same, except Shane would have killed Rick, and Carl would have seen him do it in secret. At that point, Carl would hold silent hatred and resentment towards Shane, and The Walking Dead would have followed Carl for the remainder of the series, presenting Shane as his ultimate, personal villain. It’s an interesting idea, but ultimately the book was better off keeping Rick over Shane.

This Isn’t the First Time The Walking Dead Changed from Its Original Intent

Robert Kirkman Admits to Some Wild Ideas for the Series that Never Came to Be

Funny enough, the idea of Shane killing Rick isn’t the first time Robert Kirkman left some pretty wild plot points on the proverbial cutting room floor. In fact, in The Walking Dead Deluxe #84, Kirkman admitted in an answered fan letter that he originally intended to have the zombies win at the end of the series - and effectively end the series with its 84th issue.

The story would have gone like this: Rick makes an inspirational speech about how Alexandria is a new beginning for humanity before the book cuts to an uncertain point in the future, revealing a dilapidated statue of Rick that was erected in honor of that very speech. The panels would then slowly reveal Alexandria in ruins, with zombies casually wandering through the destruction. This would have implied that humanity fell to the Walkers, and that no matter how hard they fought to take back their world, it was all for nothing.

That would have been a pretty bleak way to end the series, but bleak or not, that’s almost what fans got, just like how they nearly got a version of The Walking Dead where Shane lived and Rick died. But, aside from ‘What If’s, the main takeaway from all this is what Robert Kirkman actually would have done if he could go back and tell his younger self that The Walking Dead would last as long as it did, which would have been to expand Shane’s story.