TWD's Henry Was Never Going To Replace Carl — & That's Why He Doesn't Deserve The Hate

Every The Walking Dead fan has their favorite character, and for many, it is Carl Grimes. While at first he was just a kid trying to survive in a world gone haywire, Carl matured into a capable fighter and an important asset to the team. Sure, he made mistakes along the way, but he more than made up for them with his kindness and hopeful optimism. It’s understandable why fans were indignant when Carl was prematurely killed off The Walking Dead in season 10, despite his character living on in the TWD comic universe.

TWD showrunner Scott M. Gimple explained the reason for Carl’s death, stating that it was an important part of the overall story. Even so, Carl’s death was difficult for fans of both the TV series and the comic books to accept. It became even harder when another character’s story started to closely resemble Carl’s from the comics: Henry Sutton.

Henry Took Over Carl’s TWD Plotlines

He Becomes A Blacksmith Apprentice & Befriends Lydia

Henry Sutton’s first appearance was in The Walking Dead, season 7, episode 2, "The Well". A resident of the Kingdom, 10-year-old Henry was a sensitive kid who was looked after by his older brother, Benjamin. When Benjamin was killed by one of the Saviors, Henry became obsessed with avenging his death. Henry was surprisingly adept at killing, although he never enjoyed it. Eventually, he was adopted by Carol and Ezekiel.

Once Henry’s character was established, the role he would serve in TWD became crystal clear. In season 8, Henry takes an apprenticeship in Hilltop to learn the blacksmithing trade from Earl, leaving his family behind in the Kingdom. Readers of The Walking Dead comics would instantly recognize this plotline, as it was Carl who actually became the blacksmith apprentice in the comic books. However, since Carl’s character had been killed off in the TWD TV show, the creators had to find someone else to fill his shoes.

From that point on, Henry would go on to fill in for Carl in other major plots of seasons 8 and 9. In the TWD comics, Carl was the one who befriended Lydia and helped to rescue her from the Whisperers, while Henry does this on the show. The major difference between them is that in the end, Henry was captured by the Alpha and murdered.

Why Henry Provoked The Ire Of The TWD Fandom

Many Thought He Was A Poor Replacement For Carl

The fan reaction to Henry once they realized what his role would be on The Walking Dead was conflicted, to put it mildly. With Carl being not only an important character in the comics but also on the show, fans were not thrilled with seeing someone else try to fill his shoes. However, the TWD TV series still had some major storylines to carry out, and they needed to create a character who could do that.

It really wasn’t until actor Matt Lintz took over as teenager Henry that TWD watchers really started to hate him. Some seemed to still be salty over the show killing off Carl, especially when he had just evolved into a more likable character. Others thought that Henry was too much of a lovesick puppy, and that he moved on too quickly from having feelings for Enid to being enamored with Lydia.

Fans of the show were so annoyed with Henry that they took to online forums to voice their displeasure for the character. One Reddit poster described Henry as a “simp,” and yet another dubbed him “the worst.” Still, others argued that Henry was acting like any normal teenager would — making mistakes and dealing with the consequences being par for the course.

Why Henry Doesn't Deserve The Hate

It's Not His Fault He Wasn't Carl

However fans might feel about him taking over Carl’s story in the comics, Henry has received perhaps an unfair amount of criticism. The show actually did a decent job of setting up the character in the beginning. As a 10-year-old, Henry was an innocent kid who looked up to his big brother, and was devastated by Benjamin’s death. He quickly latched onto Carol as a mother figure, foreshadowing his adoption by her and Ezekiel later in TWD. And yes, he messed up when he let his emotions get the better of him, just as any child (and even some adults) would.

The truth is that many fans disliked Henry simply because he wasn’t Carl. Ironically, as many TWD viewers may remember, even Carl got his share of hate from the fandom at one point. Carl’s cruel words to Carol about the death of her daughter Sophia were unforgivable. He was also pinned as being indirectly responsible for Dale’s death in season 2. Of course, Carl evolved over time to redeem himself for the wrongs he’d committed, while Henry was killed off before he had that chance.