The Walking Dead TV Universe has not followed the comic source material closely, straying from the original plot as the series progressed. This meant controversial changes, such as Carl Grimes dying in the Saviors War and Judith Grimes living past infancy. While viewers can argue Carl should have lived over his sister, that doesn’t change the direction the franchise took.

Therefore, it’s best to look at Judith’s character as it stands in the universe. Despite not falling in line with the comics, the more mature Judith has been a wholesome addition to the storyline. Her character is a reflection of her father, brother, and adopted mother, showing bravery and resilience when facing tragedy and conflict. She’s also a fascinating look into how children are raised in the apocalypse and how this situation makes most apocalypse babies natural-born survivalists. In the Rick and Michonne spinoff, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which finally premiered in February, it would be an injustice not to include Judith.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on March 19, 2024: The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’s series premiere finally reunites Rick Grimes and Michonne Hawthorne, two of the most iconic characters from the original series. Together again after many years apart, Rick and Michonne face the colossal power of the Civic Republic Military, which threatens to destroy everything they built back home. While the series primarily focuses on its two central characters, some other individuals from The Walking Dead need to appear in the spinoff, including Judith Grimes.

Judith Outlived Her Comic Counterpart

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has finally reunited Michonne and Rick Grimes. But in doing so, the series pulled a highly effective trick.

Cailey Fleming Trivia:

Beginning with Season 9’s massive time jump, Judith Grimes is portrayed by Cailey Fleming. The actor has appeared in several significant franchises, playing young Sylvie in the MCU series Loki and young Rey in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

In The Walking Dead television show, Judith Grimes has long outlived her comic counterpart, who died in the prison as an infant. Not all fans appreciated this change and thought Judith brought little to the adaptation. However, some of the best Walking Dead decisions have conflicted with the source material. Judith wasn’t supposed to be a major influence, but turned out to be the most significant young character in the final season. The found family that makes up the main cast protected each other like they would any relative, especially the children they’ve all taken responsibility for protecting and raising, including Judith herself.

One of the worst aspects of the TWD universe is young characters being killed off before they can influence the world. This includes tragic deaths for shock value, like Carl Grimes, Beth Greene, and Sophia Peletier. Keeping Judith alive finally gave the audience a representation of the future of the post-apocalyptic world. She’s more prepared to survive in the dangerous world than any child thrust into the deadly climate at the beginning of the apocalypse. At this point, it would make far more sense for young characters to survive, becoming the next generation to rebuild their world, rather than resigning themselves to early deaths that remind viewers of the difficult environment.

Judith Was Key in The Walking Dead Finale

The Walking Dead universe may be approaching its ultimate finale–but the story can’t end until this controversial reunion takes place.

Judith Grimes Trivia:

Judith Grimes was born in Season 3, Episode 4 of The Walking Dead, entitled “The Killer Within.”

Carl Grimes dying young in The Walking Dead was a part of the show that restricted the story’s scope. While it was meant to have a tremendous impact on the characters in the series and the viewers watching at home, Carl’s death is a low point for The Walking Dead. In comparison, Judith’s arc has only added more intrigue to the universe. In Season 11 of The Walking Dead, the show capitalized on nostalgia by making obvious callbacks to the earlier seasons. One memorable scene was when Judith is shot and Daryl carries her to safety, reminiscent of Rick carrying Carl after he was shot in Season 2. In this way, the franchise emphasized that Judith’s character was a replacement for the hole in the family following Carl’s demise.

The next generation that has grown up in the post-apocalyptic world was a focal point in the finale. Rosita died for her infant daughter, Coco, who will be raised by Father Gabriel. Eugene had a child with his love interest, Max, who they named after Rosita. There is also the tension surrounding Rick Grimes Jr., who has yet to meet his father. The focus on these children didn’t just create a wholesome tone for TWD‘s ending. It established that the new world, in which people are more capable than ever of surviving the undead, is going on and thriving despite the dangers lurking.

A Family Reunion Will Fit The Ones Who Live’s Theme

The final episode of The Walking Dead set up its multiple spin-offs, but its original, more definitive ending probably would’ve suited it far better.

The Ones Who Live Trivia:

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live was originally conceived as a trilogy of films following Rick Grimes after his capture by the CRM. The trilogy was later reworked into a spinoff series starring Rick and Michonne.

Considering the focus on the next generation, and Judith’s increased relevance to the plot, it would only make sense to include her in the Rick and Michonne spinoff. The show boasts a romantic tone, focusing on Rick and Michonne’s reunion after years of separation. Off-screen, the audience knows Rick has been a prisoner of the CRM for years, and Michonne has been on a journey to retrieve her missing spouse. They finally reunite in the early portion of the show’s first season, but Rick and Michonne’s reunion is not the only one left for The Ones Who Live to explore. At some point very soon, Rick and Michonne must reunite with their daughter.

When they finally learn about the other’s journey since being separated, Judith is a part of the conversation. Michonne assures Rick that Judith is alive and well, but it remains true that even she hasn’t seen their daughter in over a year. Audiences know Judith survived the events of The Walking Dead‘s finale, but she is in sore need of a parental figure moving forward, especially after Daryl Dixon left in search of Rick. With her father and stepmother having come together again, Judith is the next logical inclusion in The Ones Who Live. There are many ways in which Judith could fit into this spinoff. It may be that she goes after her mother, catching up to Rick and Michonne as they continue to fight the CRM. Or, the series may end with Rick and Michonne finally returning to Alexandria, where their daughter and son are waiting for them.

Rick and Michonne’s missing storylines are the focal point of The Ones Who Live. It wouldn’t make much sense for the two to have a reunion, and not eventually include Judith and RJ. While viewers will enjoy an unexpected ending to this spinoff, there are still some reasonable expectations. Rick’s storyline will feel incomplete without reuniting with Judith and meeting his son RJ, who Judith has had a large part in raising during her parents’ absence.