The Walking DeadLooking at the bare bones of AMC's hit show, adapted from a comic book series, about life for survivors of an actual zombie apocalypse.
Updated September 24, 2021 122.3k votes 16.7k voters 14.5m views
Voting Rules
Vote up the theories that seem the most plausible.
On this hilltop, you can see SPOILERS everywhere. This list discusses events from The Walking Dead up to the end of season six, so check back in when you’re caught up.
The Walking Dead fan theories: everybody’s got ‘em. Some are steeped in the original comics. Others were born on late night Reddit threads. Many fan theories are totally plausible in this Robert Kirkland and Scott Gimple (by way of Frank Darabont) world. Others are delightfully ridiculous. But if you’re a fan of the show, comics, or both, TheWalking Dead conspiracy theories are part of the deal.
Some of these theories about The Walking Dead have been disproven now that the comic series has ended, but that doesn't make them any less fun. For example: Is Rick immortal, the leader of a blood-thirsty gang, or making all of this up inside his comatose brain pan? Will Negan kill Maggie, Daryl, or finally get around to Glenn as depicted in the comics? Or will he kill someone else entirely? Maybe Carol, Abraham, or Morgan?
There's lots to ponder, for sure. As the seasons wear on, fan theories about TheWalking Dead characters shift and change. Are Rick and Co. the good guys or the bad guys? Will Carl survive into old age to tell the next generation about the world before? Check out these popular Walking Dead fan theories before Negan gets here and all hell breaks loose.
Sure, you may have some chompers growing out of a tree or see a skull pop up in a storm drain, but eventually the world’s zombie population will die out. Considering that we’re just a few years into the apocalypse on The Walking Dead, our heroes have a ways to go before Walker herds are a thing of the past. Enid and Carl’s grandchildren may only know this world through storytelling. And getting stabbed in the head on your deathbed is no big.
The biggest threat will be war between surviving groups, separated by geography and leadership philosophies. TWD may end in the middle of a civil war, with an insane battle scene.
5,015 votes
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4,855 VOTES
Babies Don’t Have the Virus and We Find Out in a Terrible Way
Redditor jonkurtis posted a theory that many fans have held for a long time. Those born just after the apocalypse are immune from the virus. The way we’ll find this out? Judith will die and not turn.
4,855 votes
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4,585 VOTES
Despite Everyone’s Best Efforts, This Is Mankind’s Extinction Event
Turns out CDC doctor Edwin Jenner was correct. The virus that turns humans into zombies is game over for humans. We’re just watching the death spiral of mankind. Rick will last to the bitter end, all alone, the last remnant of man, monologuing into the abyss with a Southern accent.
Ever wonder why they don’t just kill Carl? He seems to be fireproof. Even his hat survives the most grisly attacks, especially when he loses an eye. Maybe the reason Carl survives is that the entire series is Carl, as an old man, remembering the heroes who made the new world possible.
We’ve been watching this crazy world from inside Rick’s fevered brain as he lies in a coma. All of the characters in the world work at the hospital. Hershel’s the doctor. Maggie is a nurse. Daryl is probably a patient in the bed next to Rick’s. Carol is a badass surgeon. The hospital food is worthy of Terminus, etc.
Kirkman debunked the theory on Twitter saying, “Rick is NOT still in a coma. The events of TWD are definitely happening.” But he did fling this fan theory pizza up on the roof about Carl. "He actually NEVER found his family. He’s been crazy since he killed his first zombie. #joking?”
5,320 votes
6
3,906 VOTES
The Walking Dead Is a Study in Human History, Hobbesian Theory
As Redditor zeptimius sees it, Robert Kirkman is simply retelling the history of mankind. "My pet theory is that the makers of TWD are retelling human history through the series. I offer the follow [sic] clues: The farm in season two represents the invention of agriculture and the end of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle (note the hunting accident that triggers it). Woodbury in season three represents the Roman Empire, complete with gladiator games and an insane, cruel guy at the top.
The deadly epidemic in season four represents the Black Death and the Middle Ages. Alexandria represents the aristocracy of the 17th century, living in luxury but oblivious of the harshness of the world ‘out there.’ The only thing that doesn't really fit is Terminus. What do you make of this idea?”
That’s where the Hobbesian theory comes in. In response to the horrors that were done to them, the Terminates began to terrorize and cannibalize others, to rule absolutely so as not to be victims again. Kind of like where Rick and the crew are in Season 6.
