The Walking Dead series finale ending is 'the same, but different' from the comic book

Sticking the landing when it comes a series finale is always important. But when it comes to the series finale of a national phenomenon that lasted 11 seasons and broke numerous cable ratings records along the way, it is almost impossible to overstate that importance.

That is the task facing The Walking Dead, which will shut down the mothership series on Nov. 20 before splintering off into several spin-offs that will follow Daryl to Europe, continue with Maggie and Negan in New York City, and reunite lost lovers Rick and Michonne. The Walking Dead faces an extra complication in that while it already has an emotional ending to draw upon from the original comic book, that ending would have to be tweaked if not completely changed due to differences between the two incarnations.

NOTE: Major spoilers for the comic book ending of The Walking Dead to follow, so look away (to the flowers, perhaps?) if you do not want to know how that version of the franchise concludes.

Gene Page/AMC Chandler Riggs as Carl on 'The Walking Dead'

Okay, all good? Here we go then. In The Walking Dead comic book, Rick Grimes is killed by Sebastian Milton. Yes, the same Sebastian Milton that recently met his own demise on the TV series. (In the comic, Sebastian lives the rest of his life behind bars for his crime.) We then flash forward approximately two decades to a much safer world, where Rick's son Carl is married to Sophia with a young daughter named Andrea.

The story ends with Carl reading a bedtime story to daughter Andrea, only the bedtime story is a book about her grandfather Rick Grimes and how he led people out of the darkness and back into the light. "People are happy instead of sad, and safe instead of scared, and nice instead of mean," the book reads. "All because someone was strong enough to do what was right. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing… you're there and you're safe because of Rick Grimes."

Staging this exact ending is impossible for the TV version, for a few reasons. For one thing, the TV version of Carl was killed off back in season 8. And his comic book wife Sophia never made it out of the barn alive all the way back in season 2. Also, the Andrea that their daughter was named after was a love interest of Rick's in the comic, but not on the TV show, where Andrea died in season 4. Rick instead became romantically intwined with Michonne on screen. So, yeah, quite a few changes.

There's also the question of TV Rick Grimes still being very much alive. While Andrew Lincoln may have departed the series during season 9, he was very clearly helicoptered to safety by the CRM, and his exploits will continue on the upcoming spin-off. So while The Walking Dead could certainly have Judith (who died in the comics as a baby, but is very much still alive and wearing Rick's hat on TV) take on the role of a time-jumped Carl reading to her young child, would that make as much sense since Rick is still out there in the TV universe and could conceivably be reunited with his daughter at some point? Probably not.

Jackson Lee Davis/AMC Andrew Lincoln on 'The Walking Dead'

So how much will the end of The Walking Dead show differ from the original source material? We posed that very question to chief content officer Scott M. Gimple. Sooooooo, what say you, Mr. Gimple. "It's like a remix," says the man who also happens to be showrunning the new Rick and Michonne spin-off. "Some things simply have to remix, which I think is awesome, because I loved the end of the comic, but we get to see another version of it, because we have to."

According to Gimple, the ending fans watch will play out in a new way, while still retaining the spirit of the comic: "It still takes Robert Kirkman's really cool story and tells his story, but in a very different way and with a different ending. It's like the same, but different."

Gimple also notes that he and the creative team had their work cut out for them coming up with not only a satisfactory end for the story, but each of the characters as well — and this story has no shortage of characters. "I think the cast of main characters on the show might even be a little bigger than how the comic ended," notes Gimple. "All of those characters have endings. It's a very intense last few episodes. Up until the finale, it is just full intensity. The throttle is open."

And if you were concerned that the series would not truly wrap things up due to assortment of spin-offs on the way in 2023, Gimple says you can put those worries to bed: "It ends with a really definitive conclusion for both the series and then each individual character."

Which character gets the final scene now that Carl is gone, and when that final scene takes place, however, remains to be seen.

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