Robert Kirkman knows how The Walking Dead is going to end

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The Walking Dead seems to have the longevity of the zombie apocalypse itself, but in the unlikely event that the media juggernaut should meet its grisly demise, creator Robert Kirkman has a plan. In an interview on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, Kirkman said:

It’s a very popular show, and [the executives at AMC] seem to want it to go for 50 seasons. And it may go for 50 seasons, but there is definitely an end point at some point. The idea is that this story that’s longer than it has any business being, but it’s that length and watching those characters evolve over that time that’s gonna make it be this piece, that when it’s all done, you’ll look back on it and be like ‘what the hell, I thought they were just killing zombies. There’s totally an arc here and a thing going on, and I didn’t think the story was about this!'

When asked if the show's writers would ever consider completely solving the show's "zombie problem," Kirkman replied:

Maybe. You never know. I do hope that The Walking Dead goes on long enough that when it ends, it’s like, ‘good thing we took care of those zombies.'

Kirkman's seemingly hopeful outlook doesn't seem to reflect the show's tone, but he sees a bigger picture at work above the episodic stories of grisly murder, gore and loss:

People talk about how The Walking Dead’s very bleak, and if you take a certain cross-section of the story, yeah, it’s horrible. People [are] getting their loved ones eaten and they’re having a horrible time. But I see the story from beginning to end, over many, many years, so I think it’s a very hopeful story about humanity overcoming this insurmountable, apocalyptic situation … it’s just gonna take them a long time to do it.

For the time being, though, the show is still merrily shambling along. Season 6 of The Walking Dead will premiere on AMC on October 11th. The episode is said to be the biggest in the show's history, with 654 walker extras having been on set during filming.