Carl’s death tarnished The Walking Dead, but he still remains the foundation of the series and The Ones Who Live. He continues to be the voice in Rick’s head telling him to live a life with Michonne and his children. After the six-year time jump on The Walking Dead, it appeared as though his younger sister Judith was taking up the mantle. She had the hat to set in stone her new role as the Grimes child to take over the series. But on a more implicit level, it’s RJ Grimes who is Carl’s legacy.

RJ is the son Rick never got to spend time with. He wasn’t even aware of his son’s existence until “What We.” Knowing that he had his time cut short with Carl, Rick doesn’t want to repeat history with his youngest son. Everyone can thank Carl for pushing Rick out of the CRM’s door. But it would’ve been a thousand times better if Rick left, knowing his oldest son would be back home waiting for him.

Carl’s Death Redefined The Walking Dead, But Not for the Better

There was always an unsaid feeling that Carl would be the reason Rick wakes up to risk leaving the CRM with Michonne. Rick’s entire arc in Season 9 was about honoring his son’s last wishes, even if it meant losing valuable friendships and the trust of others. Now, in The Ones Who Live, he’s alone in his battle, even with Michonne by his side. He’s mentally struggling to not only escape the trauma the CRM caused, but to verbalize it as well. Not being able to see Carl prevents him from breaking through the mental wall he’s put up. The moment Michonne shows Rick the drawing of Carl is a profound scene that captures how hard it is to grieve someone who’s long gone, but it’s also a troubling reminder that Carl’s death didn’t have to happen.

People can argue all day about why Carl had to die on The Walking Dead. Some fans speculated it was a financial issue due to Chandler Riggs turning 18 and wanting to be compensated as an adult. The showrunner at the time, Scott M. Gimple, cleared the air with The Hollywood Reporter saying it was only a story-related decision. It’s not that Carl didn’t have a story to tell anymore, nearly 200 issues of comics prove otherwise. The writers wanted a reason for Rick to spare Negan, plain and simple. Carl was killed as a plot device to make Rick the morally good hero of the story. Rick wished to establish a civilization where murder was considered wrong on all levels, even of a man who pillaged communities and committed dozens of murders.

The Walking Dead always prided itself on going against the grain and changing storylines from the comics. It worked quite well to keep things unpredictable for a long time, but then the series started making changes that never fit the TV adaptation’s story. If Carl lived, Negan could’ve still had a redemption arc, and Rick could’ve still spared Negan like in the comics. After Carl’s death, The Walking Dead became a tired series that killed characters for shock value. Season 9 was a mass improvement from the previous two seasons, but unfortunately, Carl’s death pushed so many fans away already. Ratings and reputation-wise, it was a downwards slope from there.