With the latest heart-wrenching deaths on The Walking Dead, speculations about the futures of other characters are bound to pop up. The latest victim of these speculations is Chandler Riggs’ character, Carl Grimes. Son of Rick and Lori Grimes, Carl’s gone through his adolescence in a zombie-ridden time, and some are starting to think his time might be coming to an end.
These people have evidently not spoken to fellow Walking Dead survivor, Tom Payne, who plays Paul Monroe–colloquially known as Jesus–on the program. The Wrap reports that Tom Payne is quoted as saying, “I think Carl is the future of the show,” to the AOL Build Series. The actor quickly clarified his remarks, noting, “I mean, is the future of the comic books, I think.”
Other theories note that Carl may share the same fate as the two unlucky characters in the season premiere. Carl, whose grown to be quite the confident young man, has already tussled with the incorrigible Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and may not survive a third infraction.
Additionally, these rumors are fueled by Chandler Riggs’ own family. His father, William Riggs, proudly posted a picture with his son with the caption: “Completed 7 years on TWD! #freedom #thewalkingdead.” After the announcement that young Riggs has been accepted to Auburn University, fans have been nervously waiting for his fate to be decided.
However, Tom gives credence to both sides of the speculation. “At the end of the day, I think Carl is the guy at the end on the last page,” he added. “And I don’t know if they’ll go that way on the TV show, but I think it would be a logical place for them to go. Who knows?”
The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC.