It’s possible that the story of Walking Dead movies with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).
Three movies centered on the original protagonist were announced immediately after the season 9 episode that featured Rick’s highly publicized exit from The Walking Dead. At the end of the episode, Rick was prepared to make a heroic sacrifice and blow up a bridge to stop a horde of zombies from reaching the communities. Just when it appeared that Rick’s story in the Walking Dead universe had arrived at a tragic end, his wounded body was discovered by Jadis (Pollyanne McIntosh), who ed the people in the mysterious black helicopter. After receiving his position, they picked up Rick and took him away to an undisclosed location. In the show’s timeline, it’s now been six years since Rick’s disappearance.
The Walking Dead season 10 provided another Rick Grimes tease by having Michonne (Danai Gurira) find a clue that suggested Rick is still out there somewhere. Other than Michonne and Judith (Cailey Fleming), no one in the main cast is aware that Rick survived what happened on the bridge that day. However, they could finally learn the truth – as well as Rick’s whereabouts – if they encounter the World Beyond’s protagonists. Here’s why World Beyond could include a secret story that leads them straight to Alexandria, and what it would mean for the future.
What The Walking Dead: World Beyond Is
AMC has already ordered two 10-episode seasons of World Beyond, the third series in the Walking Dead franchise. It’s already been confirmed that the show will be over once its second season concludes. As for what the series will entail, World Beyond separates itself from the other two shows by kicking off 10 years after the zombie outbreak. By this point in the Walking Dead timeline, people have already become adjusted to the way the world is now. World Beyond’s focus is on a group of teenagers who have practically grown up in the zombie apocalypse.
Leading the show are brand-new characters Hope (Alexa Mansour), Elton (Nicolas Cantu), Silas (Hal Cumpston), and Iris (Aliyah Royale). According to the show’s synopsis, the series will be a coming-of-age story that will explore how these youths will be shaped by the realities of this world. The series will follow these characters as they fight for survival while living in a community in Nebraska. Based on the World Beyond trailer, it would seem that the main antagonists are of the powerful organization that controls the area, one of which being Elizabeth Kublek (Julia Ormond).
How World Beyond Connects & Sets Up Rick Grimes Movies
The villains of World Beyond are what connects the show to Rick Grimes. The organization depicted in World Beyond, known as CRM (Civic Republic Military), uses a logo that consist of three rings. Each ring represents a different community. These three settlements combined make up the CRM. What’s important about this symbol is that it was spotted long before World Beyond was even announced. It was seen on the black helicopter that abducted Rick and on the one that showed up in Fear the Walking Dead season 5.
Fear the Walking Dead provided a glimpse into who these people are and what they want by introducing Isabelle (Sydney Lemmon) and addressing their plans to rebuild parts of society, but their appearances in the Walking Dead universe have been few and far between. World Beyond, on the other hand, will be making them a focal point of the story. That means World Beyond, more so than the other two shows, could hold the answers to what really happened to Rick, what they wante with him, and where he is now.
There’s no denying that World Beyond will be linked to the plot of the Walking Dead movies in one way or another, especially since it was the CRM group who saved him. Regardless of whether or not the show even mentions Rick or his location, whatever World Beyond establishes about CRM and what their purpose is will have to carry over to the trilogy of films. Considering that CRM is integral to the movies, World Beyond is essentially creating the setup for the next chapter in Rick’s story.
Theory: World Beyond Ends With The Group Finding Alexandria
If one of the goals of CRM In World Beyond is to control the people that live in their communities, then the goal of the main characters could be to escape from under their thumb. But getting away from them may not be so easy. It could be that getting away from CRM will lead them all the way to Alexandria. Finding Alexandria could simply be a coincidence, or it could have been planned from the start. World Beyond’s group may be looking for shelter or allies against the CRM. Going from Nebraska to Virginia will be a long – but not impossible – trek, and this could actually be how the show ends. If it is, that would make sense when taking into consideration the fact World Beyond has been limited to two seasons. The timing of the ending could also fit in neatly with the plan for the movie. If AMC intends to release the first Walking Dead movie approximately two years from now, that could line up with World Beyond’s conclusion. If the main characters arrive in Alexandria in the series finale, the movie could pick up with what happens next.
The characters heading to Alexandria could serve multiple purposes. First, it would explain why AMC is willing to end the show after two seasons. Not only would this plan set up the movies, it would also provide a new home for its characters. If World Beyond is a hit, AMC could keep the characters around by moving them to the main series. But perhaps the most important reason for this being the show’s ending is that it would form a bridge between The Walking Dead and the movies. Even if Judith or Virgil (Kevin Carroll) tells Daryl (Norman Reedus) and the others about Rick’s survival, that won’t be enough to pull them toward Rick. They’ll need to be meet someone with inside knowledge of CRM and where their communities are. The teenagers in Walking Dead: World Beyond may be able to tell them where Rick is so that a rescue mission can begin.