He has been in the hands of the CRM for 8 years

The Walking Dead may be over, but many of the characters’ stories aren’t. These will be passed on in future spin-offs. Likewise those of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), whom we saw for the first time since Season 9 in the final series minutes of the finale.

We’ve taken a closer look at the ending of The Walking Dead and put together all the information we know ahead of the real return in The Walking Dead: Rick & Michonne, which starts in 2023. Both the epilogue and the spin-off The Walking Dead: World Beyond have already revealed something about Rick’s fate.

Where is Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead present?

In season 9, badly injured, Rick Grimes was escorted out of the show in a helicopter by the CRM. The CRM is the autonomous military unit of the so-called Civic Republic, a mega-community including government apparatus, which is home to 200,000 souls in an unknown location. The Walking Dead ending revealed the location of the Civic Republic for the first time. We see Rick standing by the Delaware River. In front of the skyline of Philadelphia.

This community maintains alliances and trading posts across the United States. Their three-ring logo symbolizes an alliance of three major communities (Omaha, Portland, and the Republic itself). Your goal is to restore the status quo of humanity while researching a cure for the zombie virus. The Civic Republic sees itself as last hope of mankind.

To protect the security of the Civic Republic and its work, the CRM takes the secrecy of their existence and true goals extremely seriously. Anyone who has once joined the community (whether voluntarily or not) may never leave it again. And that includes Rick Grimes, who tries in vain to escape from his captivity.

Rick’s Escape: When Exactly Does The Walking Dead Epilogue Set?

In the world of The Walking Dead, many years have passed since Rick Grimes disappeared. At the end of the series he is already part of the Civic Republic for about eight years. Michonne (Danai Gurira), on the other hand, has been looking for him for about two years.

The appearance of Rick in the The epilogue, however, does not take place in the present. This can be seen from his belongings, which he throws onto a boat in a backpack. Michonne finds this same boat in The Walking Dead season 10 and discovers Rick’s diary, smartphone and shoes.

So Rick’s failed escape attempt is timed before the events of the 13th episode of season 10 (Michonnes way) to classify. At this point, the former leader has been missing for a little over six years.

What Rick’s new weapon reveals about his CRM destiny

For a long time, fans wondered what position Rick might have taken in the Civic Republic after all these years. Is he a full member of society? Is he a soldier in the CRM? Or is he even a prisoner? The The Walking Dead epilogue is now available insight into its status quo – by his clothes and his new weapon.

Rick carries a weapon with him that already played a role in the spin-off series World Beyond. If we take a closer look at the story of the character Silas (Hal Cumpston), the a similar CRM outfit with the same weapon carried, it can be deduced which task Rick holds in the Civic Republic.

This “Kill Sticks” are namely in as “Cull Facilities” named Decontamination Centers used. In these become Prisoners of the CRM as forced laborers deployed. Your task is to attract masses of undead and destroy them with targeted explosions. Any remaining undead are then dealt with manually using those death sticks.

Who is Rick’s new greatest adversary?

“come on rick He told you. There is no escape for the living“, an unfamiliar voice sounds from the helicopter, which tracks Rick in the escape in the epilogue. But who is the mysterious person the pilot is talking about?

The spin-off World Beyond provides clues again. In it we learn that a certain Major General Beale is the supreme commander of the CRM and is behind its machinations. We haven’t seen him yet. However, we did meet his teenage son, Mason Beale.

Rick in the Civic Republic: More clues from World Beyond

The Walking Dead spin-off World Beyond takes place 10 years after the zombie apocalypse began, roughly coinciding with Rick Grime’s escape scene from the series finale. World Beyond revealed one in its 2nd season seething conflict in the Civic Republicwhich Rick is inevitably drawn into.

When the Civic Republic was founded, the military became total autonomy for a period of 10 years assured in which the CRM can act freely to ensure the survival of mankind. After 10 years, oversight of the military is to be handed over to the civilian government. But there is a problem.

The CRM wants them Prevent transfer of power by all means and even simulated a devastating attack by a mega-horde of undead. For this, the CRM killed 100,000 people in the Omaha community. So within the Civic Republic there is a conspiracy and the Danger of an imminent military coup.

World Beyond provides another clue to Rick’s fate after his escape. Namely, a main character (Elizabeth Kublek, embodied by Julia Ormond) is eliminated from the plot for several episodes in order to take care of an undefined Incident in the so-called Health and Welfare Complex to take care of in the Civic Republic.

This is a kind re-education camp for people who do not completely submit to the system and critically question its methods. So there is a possibility that Rick will be taken to that re-education camp and start a riot there. Or could he be completely indoctrinated there?

The next The Walking Dead series: When will Rick Grimes return?

Rick Grimes will return. But not as originally planned in a film trilogy. Instead, Michonne and he become the main characters of their own series, in which the broken couple must find their way back to each other. This should start in 2023 in the US at AMC.

It is not yet known how the “Richonne” spin-off will fit into the chronology of The Walking Dead universe. Because while Michonne is looking for Rick in the epilogue, two years have passed since his escape. So Rick’s Civic Republic experiences could be skipped or explored further through flashbacks.

All 11 seasons of The Walking Dead are streamed on Disney+*. Unfortunately, it is not yet known where the Rick and Michonne series will be shown in Germany.

Hear our live talk about The Walking Dead finale

My colleagues and The Walking Dead fans Max, Yves and Sebastian discuss the series and the grand finale one last time:

What was the best Rick moment? Which season stands out in the 11 years of The Walking Dead? How did we find the ending? Listen up!

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