'Walking Dead' Springs Major Twist in Mid-Season Finale

We expected that something big would happen as The Walking Dead cruised toward its mid-season hiatus, but we suspected the twist would be the departure of Morgan, who is set to take up residence in the prequel series, Fear The Walking Dead. TWD's big mid-season twist this week, though, involved a totally different character, and it's perhaps the biggest surprise that the series has delivered to date.

If you don't want big spoilers, stop reading right now.

Via The Hollywood Reporter.

[Warning: This story contains major spoilers from episode 808, "How It's Gotta Be," of AMC's The Walking Dead as well as the comic book series on which the show is based.]

AMC's The Walking Dead just delivered the biggest shocker in its 100-episode-plus history when, during Sunday's season eight midseason finale, the zombie drama set the stage for the unimaginable death one of one of its most untouchable characters.

Revealing that he had been bitten on the ribs a few episodes prior, Carl Grimes — Rick's teenage son, who has been played by Chandler Riggs since the show's pilot — is on death's door. "Yes, Carl is going to die," Riggs tells The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive interview. "There's no way he can get back from that. His story is definitely coming to an end."

To put the events of the episode in context, Riggs — who was cast at age 11 and is now 18 and taking a gap year before starting college — and Andrew Lincoln (Rick) are the only original series regulars who have been with The Walking Dead since the pilot. Carl was widely seen as the future of the post-apocalyptic world as Rick, a former sheriff, has been grooming him to take over as the leader of the survivors. The version of Carl in creator Robert Kirkman's comic series continues to be a force to be reckoned with and the future of the new world as the source material is roughly 75 issues beyond where the AMC adaptation sits. Outside of killing off leading man Lincoln, this is the biggest departure from the source material ever.

But before viewers scream for Carl, it's worth noting that Riggs still has one episode left — episode 809, the 2018 midseason premiere (airing Feb. 25) when Rick, Michonne (Danai Gurira) and the rest of the core Alexandrians will watch as the young man dies before them in what can only be described as their biggest loss to date. (Sorry, Steven Yeun, we knew Glenn's death was coming since issue 100 of the comics.)

Below, Riggs talks exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter about getting the dreaded death call from showrunner Scott M. Gimple, how Carl's heroic death will be used to service the story and if Rick could be next.

Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Will you be sorry to see Carl go? Tell us in the comments below.