The Walking Dead: Carl Grimes’ Death, Explained

Everyone has their “Walking Dead” breaking point. It’s the death that pushes you over the edge, curdling your love for the seemingly endless AMC zombie franchise into something more bitter and jaded. For me, it was the loss of Beth (Emily Kinney) in season 4, a pointless surprise death that was the exact opposite of the empowered narrative the show’s cast and crew had been hinting towards in press junkets ahead of time. Many fans, I think, peaced out when Steven Yeun’s beloved underdog Glenn Rhee was gratuitously beaten to a pulp in front of his loved ones (a narrative choice that still inspires people to yell at Negan actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the street).

Different “Walking Dead” deaths hit fans in different ways, but the season 8 death of Carl (Chandler Riggs) packed a massive emotional punch for several reasons. For one thing, the son of series antihero Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) had been with the series since day one, and several of its earliest gasp-worthy moments featured the naive, sweet kid (real ones remember losing it when he got shot in season 2!). So much of Carl’s young life had been plagued by relentless disaster, and he’d pulled through it so admirable. He was one of the only “Walking Dead” characters who fans thought deserved long-lasting plot armor, but when it came time to up the stakes yet again in season 8, his day on the post-apocalyptic chopping block finally arrived.

By season 8 of “The Walking Dead,” Carl has grown from a helpless kid into a capable, compassionate teenager, and he puts all his skills to good use during his heartbreaking last hurrah. Carl dies in the mid-season premiere episode, “Honor,” after preparing several survivor communities — Alexandria chief among them — to survive an imminent assault by Negan and the Saviors. While trying to help a man named Siddiq (Avi Nash, who would become a main cast member after Carl brought his character into the fold), Carl gets bit in the abdomen by a walker. It’s a death that’s at once shocking and expected: after all, how did we expect he’d die in a zombie apocalypse?

In classic zombie story fashion, Carl doesn’t initially tell anyone about his zombie bite, and he spends much of his last hours with his sister Judith. He also writes letters to his loved ones, and when he finally does reveal his status to Rick, Michonne, and Daryl, they bring him to a church where he describes a dream he has for the future. In it, an older Rick has established lasting peace and is raising his family in a community that includes everyone — including Morgan’s often-villainous Negan. Before he dies, Carl saves the Alexandrians with his escape plan, and Daryl tells him he’s a hero. In perhaps the most upsetting detail of the episode, Carl shoots himself with the gun his dad gave him early in the series – ending his life before the virus can turn him into one of the undead.

In Robert Kirkman’s “Walking Dead” comics, Carl has a completely different ending, living into adulthood and raising a family of his own. In the show, his death ultimately serves as a reason for Rick to forgive Negan, allowing both men to live and diffusing a seasons-long showdown that had to reach an end date at some point.

“The Walking Dead” franchise is known for delivering out-of-left-field deaths that shock both the audience and cast alike, but few stories of surprise exits have been as depressing as that of Chandler Riggs. “It was devastating for me and my family because the show has been such a huge part of my life for so long,” Riggs told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “For a few days, we didn’t know what to do.” The young actor noted that he had just bought a house in Georgia before getting the news that he was done on the show.

Interviews and statements in the wake of Riggs’ exit seem to hint at the idea that the actor, at least according to certain parties involved, got a raw deal. In a now-deleted Facebook post shared by Comic Book Resources, Riggs’ father William Riggs allegedly refuted rumors that Riggs had asked to leave the show after being admitted to college. According to the elder Riggs’ alleged post, the actor who had played Carl for eight years planned to do online school, and that writer and then-showrunner Scott Gimple told him he’d be needed for 3 additional years. He signed a one-year contract with a second-year option, per William Riggs, but the family was then called into a meeting with Gimple in which he said Carl would be killed off in the new season.

In the post, per CBR, Mr. Riggs wrote that he “was disappointed Scott had been dishonest with a 17-year-old making life decisions and waited to tell us,” calling the situation a case of “unkind timing.” In his THR exit interview, Chandler Riggs noted that he didn’t have any discussions about the potential for keeping Carl alive, explaining, “When Scott told me, that was his decision.” Gimple, for his part, told the same outlet that Riggs’ exit “was a story turn, that’s it. We did not receive a request [from any actor] or anything like that.”

At a fan festival a year later (per Digital Spy), Riggs said that filming his goodbye “sucked,” but that he’s “really happy with how it turned out.” As brutal as the circumstances surrounding Riggs’ exit appear to be, he’s consistently noted how fortunate he is to have been a part of the show, and how excited he’s been to work on new projects after leaving.

Carl’s exit may have been painful as heck, but “The Walking Dead” saga has frequently honored the character in the years since he met his fate, often putting his last bits of wisdom at the center of major, game-changing moments. When Rick finally slits Negan’s throat in the season 8 finale, he shows mercy at the last second, remembering the letter Carl wrote asking the two to make peace. Rick ultimately decides to build a better future thanks to his son’s insights, showing restraint as a way to honor Carl.

Carl’s memory also drives – and nearly breaks – Rick in the spinoff series “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.” After a five-year time-jump, an amputated hand (finally!), and a reunion with his love Michonne (Danai Gurira, who co-wrote the epic reunion episode), Rick confesses that he had to learn to live without Carl twice. The first time was when Carl actually died, and the second was when, after being captured and kept on a short leash (sometimes literally) by the Civic Republic Military, he stopped dreaming of his son. Rick was scared to death, both of forgetting Carl’s face and of letting himself love someone (namely Michonne) he might lose again. Once again, the memory of Carl pushes Rick to keep going, and Michonne presents him with an engraving of their boy that inspires Rick to give life with Michonne another chance.

After the abrupt and upsetting way Riggs left the series, it initially seemed like he might end up never going near “The Walking Dead” again. A year after his exit from the series, Riggs told Good Day Sacramento (via Looper) that he was surprised to hear that Andrew Lincoln was leaving too, noting that he hadn’t been in touch with the actor in months. But according to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Riggs took the initiative of asking executive producer Denise Huth if he could come to set for the series finale shoot. It was a move that not only reconnected him with his past coworkers but also landed him a surprise cameo in the episode.

Riggs can be spotted in the background of a wide shot during a series finale scene featuring three of the last remaining original castmates from the show — Melissa McBride’s Carol, Lauren Cohan’s Maggie, and Norman Reedus’ Daryl. In a scene set at the Hilltop community, the actor plays a resident who’s farming, and he says the idea to have him cameo came together so quickly that he didn’t even change out of the clothes he’d arrived in. “They were like, ‘Let’s get you in there. Here!'” he told EW, noting that the wardrobe department did give him a wide-brimmed, Father Gabriel-esque hat to wear. Series finale director Greg Nicotero, who held many roles on the show throughout its 11-season run, says that he had the idea to throw Riggs in a shot and that it “wasn’t planned” at all.

“It was a lot of fun,” Riggs told the outlet. “It was just a quick thing before the rest of the filming for the day, so it was pretty cool.” After the complex context surrounding Riggs’ exit, it sounds like his finale experience brought some closure – and a chance to reunite with former cast and crew members. “Chandler is such an amazing guy,” Cohan told EW, adding, “He’s just really lovely. It was a class act for him to come that day.”

In the years since leaving “The Walking Dead,” Riggs has stayed busy; he’s not only continued working as an actor but has also released music, launched a production company, and directed a short film and a music video. At the “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” premiere last year, Riggs told ComicBook.com that he was working on a short film that will feature Madison Lintz, who played Carol’s ill-fated daughter Sophia in the first two seasons of “The Walking Dead,” and Katelyn Nacon, who played Carl’s one-time love interest Enid beginning in season 5. According to IMDb, he worked on the 2024 short “The Unicorn That Never Lies,” and his next upcoming short has a great name: “Brad Pitt Dies A lot.”

On the acting front, Riggs has had a recurring role on the weepy ABC drama “A Million Little Things,” and he’s also starred in the critically acclaimed holiday indie film “Breakup Season.” Riggs played Peter Parker in the short “Spider-Man” fan film “The Spider,” which put a horror spin on the teen hero story and voiced Superman in a feature-length animated Justice League film. Up next, he’ll appear in the Western movie “Florida Wild” alongside Mira Sorvino and Lee Majors.

In his ComicBook interview, Riggs said he started a production company called Smooth Blend Films, and according to an interview with the New York Post, he’s also DJed and created “cinematic electronic music,” citing Hans Zimmer as an influence. Riggs has officially released music under the stage name Eclipse. Speaking to the Post in 2019, the actor, now 25, said one of the biggest changes post-“Walking Dead” came from no longer being the baby on set. “I can go out for some drinks with my castmates and just be an adult,” he explained. “I’m getting to work with so many professionals that don’t see me as just ‘the kid on the set’ and that’s really cool.” 

He’ll always be Carl Grimes to us, but it’s also clear that Riggs is making the uneasy transition from child star to adult actor about as gracefully as possible. We’re excited to see whatever he does next.