Whether you’ve followed The Walking Dead since its inception in 2003 or became a fan after AMC brought the hit comic book series to the small screen, you’ve probably had one nagging question on your mind: What exactly caused the zombie outbreak that led to humanity’s near-extinction? For the most part, the franchise’s comics and video games have never really addressed this one, and while the flagship TV show saw a group of survivors traveling to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s headquarters in season 1, there wasn’t much in the way of answers once they arrived.
In fact, The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has gone on the record a handful of times to explain that the origin of the zombie virus would not be explored in the comics since it’s – in his opinion – not really relevant to the ongoing story. It’s surprising then that, earlier this week, Kirkman took to social media to shed some light on the matter, though it’s possible he might have been joking.
As reported by GameRant, just a few days back, one fan on Twitter asked Kirkman what had caused the zombie outbreak. He responded with a simple, and to some, unsatisfying answer: “Space spore.” While this might be a joke response, it’s worth mentioning that when Robert initially pitched the series to Image Comics, he originally conceived the apocalypse was caused by aliens who wanted to “weaken the world’s infrastructure” before invading the planet. This plot thread was never intended to be included in the comics, though, and it was only added so Kirkman could get the series approved in the first place.
So, it might not have been the most fleshed-out response, but at least we can stop debating the cause of the zombie outbreak… right?