Since it’s impossible to retcon Carl’s death, The Walking Dead can bring him back as a hallucination in Rick’s spinoff. Hallucinations and dream sequences aren’t uncommon in the franchise and act as the perfect way to let Carl make his return. It was his death that helped Rick end the war with the Saviors and spare Negan (Jeffery Dean Morgan). Rick’s kids are obviously an important part of his life and help drive the character, meaning Carl still has a heavy influence on the narrative. Given Rick still has children to return to, Carl’s return becomes more impactful as he can serve as Rick’s moral guide in the spinoff.

Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) return will likely see her reunite with Rick and give him support, but with all Rick has been through, he may still seek advice from his firstborn child. With Rick and Michonne expected to battle the CRM, it could be one of the franchise’s biggest arcs and would only be fitting to involve one of its biggest characters. It is unfortunate Carl can’t contribute to the physical battle but giving him a role in helping his father defeat or even escape the CRM would highlight his importance in The Walking Dead universe, even years after his death.

Walking Dead Already Set Up Carl Returning In Rick’s Head

Previous moments in The Walking Dead have already built up the idea of Carl returning in Rick’s head. After the death of Rick’s wife, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), he began hallucinating. During the prison arc, Rick would hear a phone ringing, answering it with the belief there was a safe community out there contacting him. The last phone call he received was from Lori herself despite already being dead, cementing to both Rick and the audience that these phone calls were in his head. His grief led to these hallucinations and he struggled to move on, but it wasn’t the only time he had them.

In Rick’s final Walking Dead episode, he appeared to be bleeding out and constantly blacked out, seeing people from his past. They talked with him and guided him, much like Carl could do in The Ones Who Live. The sinister nature of the CRM would make it probable that Rick has been treated poorly by them and kept as a prisoner. As a result, there is a high chance Rick could hallucinate and essentially look to the people closest to him for advice, as has been seen in the past. All these prior insights into Rick’s mind prove that Carl’s return in this form can work.

Rick Hallucinating Would Explain Why Carl Looks Older

If Carl is to come back to The Walking Dead, he will naturally look older, but the hallucinations would still explain this. Chandler Riggs will be five years older if he is to reprise his role, meaning the character will look older than when Rick last saw him. Rick imagining his son looking differently from when he was on the show could bring confusion yet is easily explained. Bringing in the aspect of a father not fully getting over his son’s death would allow the different appearance to make sense. Imagining what his son would look like now if he was still alive is a completely valid explanation.

Carl is still a huge part of Rick’s life and picturing him grown up and what he’d look like as a young man is understandable. Given Carl may be essentially advising his dad and passing on his wisdom, it would only add to this more mature look. The visual difference between Riggs now to when he was on the show isn’t unrecognizable. Long-term viewers would still easily know it’s the same actor playing the character and seeing a slightly older version of Carl would be a nice full-circle moment due to how young he was during his first appearance.

Carl’s Walking Dead Return Would Fix A Major Walking Dead Mistake

A return for Carl Grimes would give The Walking Dead the opportunity to fix one of its greatest mistakes. Killing off Carl was easily one of the show’s worst decisions. Carl Grimes’ Walking Dead death not only removed one of the show’s most significant characters, but it was also largely pointless. He becomes Rick’s successor in the comics, essentially replacing him as the protagonist. Given Rick was written out of the series less than a season later, it left a hole at the heart of the show. The Walking Dead should be led by a member of the Grimes family and Carl would have been the perfect choice in Rick’s absence.

He improved as a character massively and his death did little for the show either. The episode where he was killed off didn’t get great reviews, nor did the remainder of season 8 which lacked in quality without Carl who was central to that arc. Allowing Riggs to return as Carl for a more minor role in The Ones Who Live would allow the show to fix his messy, underwhelming exit. The return of Rick Grimes is huge for the franchise but with Carl, it would be even better. The Walking Dead is returning to form with its spinoffs, and Carl’s return would continue steering things in the right direction.