With The Walking Dead season 8 fast approaching, AMC hosted a Preview Special this past Sunday to drum up excitement for the return of Rick Grimes and the crew.
Andrew Lincoln’s leader has been through hell and high water for the past 99 episodes of The Walking Dead, and at least based on comments from series showrunner Scott Gimple, not to mention season 8’s extended synopsis, things are only going to get worse before they get better.
But when it comes to Rick Grimes, in particular, one fan theory that has gripped the Internet ever since the unveiling of season 8’s first trailer suggests Lincoln’s protagonist has been in a coma this whole time. It’s one that can be traced back to the “Old Man Rick” scene, one in which The Walking Dead stalwart is seen lying on a hospital bed that is eerily reminiscent of the original medical room from Atlanta. But it would seem that the show’s impassioned community jumped the gun, as Scott Gimple appeared on last night’s Preview Special to debunk any rumors that Grimes had spent the past eight years in a coma.
Further details on that “Old Man Rick” sequence won’t be included in the season 8 premiere, either, so it’ll be some time yet before The Walking Dead fans are able to sink their teeth into some firm answers.
Gimple, meanwhile, was fairly conclusive when asked about the Rick/coma theory:
He is not waking up from the coma. Robert [Kirkman]’s dad saw the trailer and said, ‘People are gonna think he’s waking up from the coma.’ No coma. It’s not a coma.
The Walking Dead returns for its eighth season on October 22nd. The only question left now is, will you be tuning in late next month? Chime in with your thoughts and TWD predictions via the comments.