Depending on where you are when you read this, you’ve either already said your goodbyes to Carl Grimes on The Walking Dead and are busy drying your tears, or you’re mentally preparing yourself to bid farewell to Chandler Riggs’ fan favorite character. Either way though, the time has come for Rick’s son to make his exit, and the show’s impassioned community is going to have to come to terms with yet another significant character death.
Said to have an incredible impact on The Walking Dead moving forward, Carl will no doubt leave a long lasting legacy, but according to Riggs, this might not be the last we see of him. After teasing that he’d love to return as a walker one day, the actor told Entertainment Tonight that it’s also possible that we may see the young Grimes boy again in a flashback.
“Oh definitely, yeah, I definitely think it’s possible,” Riggs said.
Of course, Carl wouldn’t be the first Walking Dead character to return via a flashback, dream or hallucination of some sort. Over the years, we’ve seen Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), Shane (Jon Bernthal), Hershel (Scott Wilson), the Governor (David Morrissey), Beth (Emily Kinney), Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and more re-appear, much to the surprise of viewers.
Whether Rick’s son does the same remains to be seen, of course, but like Riggs say, it’s definitely possible. If it does happen, we don’t imagine it’d be any time soon, but fans can at least take solace in knowing that maybe, just maybe, they haven’t seen the last of Carl yet.
Staying in the present, though, The Walking Dead will continue on with the back-half of season 8 next week when it returns to AMC with a new episode titled “The Lost and the Plunderers.”