Robert Kirkman, "The Walking Dead" series creator, has finally spoken up about the backlash the show has received in the wake of Carl (Chandler Riggs) impending death on the show.
When Carl was revealed to be bitten by a walker during the Dec. 10 midseason finale (signaling his impending death), fans were outraged at AMC since Carl was one of the most beloved characters of the series, and is one of only five original season 1 characters still on the show.
The backlash was so great that even Rigg's father has expressed his disappointment over AMC, and a Change.org petition was even made to fire showrunner Scott M. Gimple. Chandler Riggs, Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), and Scott Gimple have all said their take on the show's newest character kill-off, but it's the first time Robert Kirkman has weighed on the matter.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Kirkman said: "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," he added.
Kirman also said that he's aware of the fans' distress concerning the plot, as some of them think that the show might not follow the source material anymore now that they have decided to kill Carl. To those who don't know, Carl's character is very much alive in the comic book series, with no hint whatsoever that he's going to be written off just yet.
Kirkman said that "it's by design" to make some fans upset by big plot twists such as Carl's death, as it's normal to be worried about what comes next to the show. He also said the production team behind "The Walking Dead" has worked hard to pay off that move and prove to the viewers that the decision was worth making in the end.
Executive producer Greg Nicotero also said that fans will be blown away by the midseason premiere this February, and he's positive that the anger of some of the fans will dissipate by the time they've watched the episode.
"The Walking Dead" will return on Feb. 25 on AMC.
