The Walking Dead still hasn't made much of an effort to replace Rick Grimes, but that could be intentional. Andrew Lincoln portrayed the central figure of the AMC post-apocalyptic drama for nine seasons before his departure. With ratings already dwindling, Lincoln's exit had major repercussions on the show's narrative. There were expectations for other characters to take Rick's place as the central protagonist, but that hasn't been the case in the year-and-a-half following his absence. Looking back at Rick's arc, forgoing a replacement might be for the best as The Walking Dead nears its eleventh and final season.
Like Robert Kirkman's comic book series in which The Walking Dead is based, Rick emerged as the leading figure after waking from a coma in the midst of a zombie outbreak. The former sheriff's deputy reunited with his family before guiding a group of survivors through the dangerous world. As the leader, Rick put a ton of pressure on himself to keep his group safe as they encountered various villains in addition to the continuous threats of walkers. Though he was never able to keep everyone alive, he used grief as motivation to keep building a hopeful future. Rather than follow his comic book counterpart's fate, Rick was extracted from the narrative in season 9 after the character seemingly sacrificed himself to save his loved ones. In reality, Rick survived the event, but he was taken by helicopter to an unknown location.
Following Rick's apparent death, The Walking Dead time-jumped six years, revealing how much had changed since the loss of the primary leader. For a time, it seemed like Michonne (Danai Gurira) or Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) were being groomed to take over as Rick's replacement. Whereas Maggie suddenly exited the series, Michonne spent time as a potential leading figure before Gurira also left The Walking Dead. Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) could have replaced his father's leadership role, mirroring his arc in the comics, but the character was killed off in season 8. Some would argue Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) received more leadership opportunities, but their roles haven't drastically changed enough to present them as Rick's replacements.
Rather than present a character as Rick's sole successor, The Walking Dead has implemented an ensemble approach. The communities in focus once needed direct leadership, but now, they rely heavily on voting to make major decisions. Respectable figures like Carol and Daryl continue to step up in certain situations, but they aren't necessarily portrayed in a Rick-like sense. Instead, aspects of Rick and his legacy are living on through the collective group. Even Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) shares similarities with Rick.
Whether or not The Walking Dead had plans to fully replace Rick remains a mystery. There's still time for a figure to go to great lengths to guide the communities into the future, especially with Maggie's grand return. That said, forgoing a replacement could be beneficial to the series. By allowing the extensive cast to share the spotlight, The Walking Dead can effectively build compelling subplots before tying up loose ends. Carol and Daryl will have the chance to lead their own series when they headline the planned spinoff set to release in 2023. With the lack of other legacy characters, there are really no existing figures suitable to take over Rick's role as the show nears a conclusion.
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