TWD Spoilers: Robert Kirkman breaks his silence about Carl

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't watch AMC's THE WALKING DEAD. I tuned out after season 2 at that damn farmhouse. All the same, as a writer for AITH, I am kept up to date on all the happenings in the series by pure osmosis.

So it is with this in mind I know all about (SPOILERS!!!) the recent death of Chandler Riggs' character Carl. Truth be told the little guy isn't exactly dead yet (right?) as he was only bitten and has yet to play out his death scene or whatever twist the series throws at us (human bite?).

Anyhow, TWD creator Robert Kirkman has been mostly mum about the subject of Carl biting the big one. Until today that is. Recently he spoke with EW about the controversial death and you can read his thoughts below.

Robert Kirkman on Carl's death:

I think Scott first brought it up to me as a possibility probably about a year ago at this point. At first, I was kind of like, ‘Well, that’s a big one, you know?’ I might have had a little bit of trepidation. But once he laid out to me exactly what his long-term plans were, and the things that come out of it, and the things that it leads to, it was something I got on board with.

I know that some fans online have been very upset, but that’s by design. We’re not supposed to be happy when these characters die. We are supposed to be worried about what comes next, and anticipating what comes next, and stressing about what comes next. That just shows that you’re engaged and you’re interested. Our job is to now pay that off and fulfill that interest, and prove that this was a decision worth making. That’s what we’ve got to do.

He continues:

It’s a great tribute to Carl the character, and Chandler the actor. It’s definitely Chandler’s best work. His work in this episode is absolutely amazing. It’s something he should really be proud of. I think it’s something people will be talking about for a good long while. We’re just really excited to share with the audience.

And finally:

There are big, huge stories coming up that you might think will be massively altered because of the absence of Carl. But we have known these storylines have been coming for years. There are plans in place to make it all work. The loss of Carl doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to be losing big swaths of the comic book story. It means that there will be some differences to them. The goal is that those differences will be as exciting to the audience as they are to me.

What did you think of Carl's death on THE WALKING DEAD? Did you care? Do you think this is all merely some kind of ruse? Make sure to hit us up and let us know in the comments below or on social media!

The Walking Dead S9 begins this fall, and S8 resumes February 25th.