Viewers of AMC's zombie apocalypse drama "The Walking Dead" are still reeling from season 8's winter finale episode, where Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) revealed his walker bite to his father, Rick (Andrew Lincoln). This suggests that the character will bid his last farewell very soon, which will be the most heartbreaking point of season 8. While the death of a major character is not uncommon in the show, some fans believe that Carl's impending death is not essential to the storyline, and is probably due to a management decision. Interestingly, there are rumors that Carl should be killed off due to the actor's current age.
Soon after the winter break finale of "The Walking Dead" season 8 aired, many fans expressed their disappointment that a character who has been around in the show since the very start would end up dead. Showrunner Scott M. Gimple then revealed that Carl needed to die in the show to move the story forward, much to the dismay of the viewers. With this, several theories have been posted online regarding the real reason behind Riggs' exit from the show. For one, the actor is already older than his character in the series.
Riggs took on the role of Carl Grimes in the first season of "The Walking Dead" when he was 10 years old. It appears that the TV series is still following the original comic book storyline, wherein Carl is still around 10 to 12 years of age. Riggs already turned 18 last year, which makes him quite old to continue portraying the character in season 8.
If this was the the case, many fans believe that Carl's death would be unnecessary, especially since the TV version could always deviate from its source material. Moreover, some fans suggest that the show could introduce a six-year time jump to keep the actor's age in pace with the character. Still, it looks like Carl's death is inevitable in the mid-season return of "The Walking Dead" season 8.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director of the upcoming episode 9 of "The Walking Dead" season 8 teases a very emotional and powerful moment. This could be due to Carl's tragic death in the episode, as his loved ones will have no other choice but to kill him before he turns into a walker.
"I think it's one of our most powerful episodes that we've ever produced," director Greg Nicotero revealed, adding, "When I watched the first cut of this episode, tears were coming out of my eyes 20 minutes into it."
The heart-wrenching comeback of "The Walking Dead" season 8 will air on Sunday, Feb. 25, at 9 p.m. EST on AMC.
