For many years, The Walking Dead's universe brought zombie-loving fans together under one roof as it tore through gut-wrenching stories and high-stakes trials that saw the show's characters come under a slew of life-threatening events. However, in Robert Kirkman's comic book of the same name, The Walking Dead's narrative and beloved group could have seen things go a much darker and more finalized route if the creator had gone with how he initially planned it.
The franchise has dipped into its ever-compelling universe with a host of spinoffs that include Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and Daryl Dixon. This continuation into the undead's world has not only given a creative spin on many of The Walking Dead's stories that were crying out to be told, but also allowed new characters, and some main characters, the opportunity to flesh out new perspectives, as well as enable viewers a deeper look inside its savage world. As fans prepare for another apparent AMC spinoff that could show how the zombie virus has affected other countries around the globe, The Walking Dead could have ended any further development if Kirkman had gone with his original "scrapped ending" in the comic books.
As noted in a recent article by ScreenRant, which discusses The Walking Dead Deluxe #84 comic book, creator Robert Kirkman expressed in the comic's creator notes that the "original scrapped ending" would have seen the end of any forthcoming Rick, Carl, Michonne, Negan, and Andrea sagas. Kirkman said that the series' ending would have been "bleak, sad, possibly terrible" if he had gone with his first idea and ended the comics the way it was initially heading. His original ending idea even went as far as telling The Walking Dead's executive producer Greg Nicotero and Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) before the series started in a bid to warn them that this was the route the franchise would head down.
"The idea was that Alexandria was successful enough for Rick to live out his life there and have a statue erected in his honor, but ultimately... the city fell, and the scourge of the zombie apocalypse just... continued on. So, we'd leave readers with the idea that no matter what people did, the zombies win. I know, right?"
Thankfully, Kirkman kept putting off this ending idea for a long time, stating that he could include it at any time throughout the series. As The Walking Dead grew in popularity, Kirkman came up with new (and better) stories for its characters, which saw this devastating ending slowly start to fade from his mind. "I didn't want to end the series; I was having too much fun. Please believe me when I say writing this series was a huge source of joy in my life," said Kirkman in the creators' notes. "For a while, I just kept pushing this ending back. A speech that transitions to a statue of Rick? Eh... I could do that any time. But over time, I, rightfully, realized it was just not a satisfying ending. Not after spending so much time with the characters, so I abandoned it altogether." And thank goodness he did.
