Warning! SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: World Beyond season 1 finale.
World Beyond is something different from The Walking Dead universe. The show largely focuses on a young teen cast experiencing the world outside their community for the first time, and has only been occasionally hinting at the bigger machinations of the mysterious Civic Republic.
In World Beyond's season 1 finale, "In This Life," the full truth about Huck's role as a CRM double agent is revealed. Not only has she been in communication with Elizabeth Kubleck (aka her mother), but she is the one who sent the last messages from Hope and Iris' father that led them to leave Campus Colony in the first place. It's been her mission to bring Hope to the Civic Republic, but the addition of Iris, Felix, Elton, and Silas complicated matters.
World Beyond's season 1 finale reveals the reason the Civic Republic is so desperate to have Hope, as well as what the Civic Republic is working so hard to attain. Both reveals set the stage for where World Beyond goes in season 2, and may even tease what's to come in the Rick Grimes movies.
Civic Republic Mission & Reveals Explained
The Civic Republic remains a mysterious organization, but we now at least have a strong idea of what it is they're trying to achieve - civilization. Already, the Civic Republic has managed to recreate life as it once was pretty successfully. Elizabeth makes this point herself when reprimanding a soldier and pointing out all the conveniences they enjoy. This is only the beginning, however, because as Dr. Lyla Belshaw says in her practice speech, humanity's time is running out. "Every model shows that if we don't make progress in the next 30 years," Dr. Belshaw warns, "human life will be gone from the planet."
This is why achieving the cure is so important, because without it, humanity has no chance of returning the world to the way it was before. If humans continue to carry whatever disease makes them turn into walkers upon death, civilization will always be at risk. This is the mission driving the CRM and what leads them to act so ruthlessly. Nothing is more important to the Civic Republic than ensuring humanity has a future - except, perhaps, that they be the ones who gets to shape this future. And anyone who doesn't fit with their view of the future is expendable.
Why Hope Is So Important
With a key component of the Civic Republic's plan being the creation of an immunity vaccine, it's crucial they have the best and brightest working for them. Already, they've brought Hope and Iris' father, Dr. Leo Bennet, a renowned immunologist, to come and work at their New York research facility, but now they need more help. Specifically, they need the asset - Hope.
Hope's identity as being the Civic Republic's much sought-after asset was revealed in the previous episode, but World Beyond's season 1 finale explains exactly what that means. Hope is so crucial to the Civic Republic because she's a genius. World Beyond hasn't made a secret of Hope being especially clever, and in the previous episode she was able to crack the CRM's code with relative ease. At a very young age, Hope began demonstrating unique gifts, like surprising her father by tearing down and rebuilding a PC when she was only six. All of this is to say that Hope isn't just smart - she's ridiculously super smart.
So smart, in fact, the Civic Republic orchestrated the entire scenario in which Hope leaves Campus Colony in search of her father, experiences but survives the horrors of the post-apocalyptic world, and arrives at the research facility determined to do whatever is asked of her to help the Civic Republic save the world. Now, it hasn't exactly turned out like that on World Beyond, but Hope has been delivered to the Civic Republic and is on her way to assist her father with his research. What remains to be seen is just how well she cooperates and what it is they'll exactly be asking her to do.
What Happened At The Campus Colony
Along with revealing the Civic Republic's mission and why Hope is the asset, World Beyond confirms the grisly fate of those who remained at Campus Colony. The season 1 premiere ends by showing what appears to be the aftermath of a massacre at Campus Colony while CRM soldiers stand around. There are also several walkers being put down, some of which are painted blue. It's a strange scene and one that still raises a lot of questions, leaving it unclear if the CRM mowed down a bunch of innocent people or simply arrived too late to save them from a walker attack.
World Beyond's season 1 finale doesn't fully explain everything, but it does confirm that Campus Colony is no more, with both Elizabeth and Will commenting on its fate, explaining to Huck and Felix, respectively, that they have a lot to catch up on. Elizabeth's remarks come as Huck mentions wanting to lead the "loose ends" back to Campus Colony, and Will's to Felix come at the shock of finding him alive. Clearly, the colony has been destroyed, and judging by differences in the delivery of that news from Elizabeth and then Will, it's almost certain the CRM is responsible for wiping out Campus Colony.
World Beyond Season 2's Story Setup
World Beyond season 1 ends with the group split up. Hope has been taken by the Civic Republic, while Iris and Felix try to survive on the outside. When they say their goodbyes, however, Hope reminds Iris of how capable she is, and that the Civic Republic is underestimating her. The asset, she explains, is actually the two of them, Hope and Iris working together, and together, they're going to take down the Civic Republic. Presumably, this means World Beyond season 2 will see Hope and Iris attempting to sabotage the Civic Republic from both inside and out.
Hope isn't all alone, though, because Silas also manages to get himself caught by the CRM. He gives himself over in order to buy time for Elton and Percy to escape. It's unclear exactly what fate awaits him, but assuming he isn't immediately turned into a walker for their experiments, Hope will be lucky to have another ally nearby. The CRM is also well aware of those still out there, like Iris, Felix, Elton, and Percy, and considers them liabilities because of what they know. Expect this conflict to only grow in World Beyond season 2, especially with Iris and Felix meeting up with Will and a group of people who are likely the survivors of Campus Colony.
Along with Hope and Iris' plans to bring down the Civic Republic, their father is also growing suspicious of the CRM's true goals. He says as much to Lyla, but seeing as she is well aware of the plan to bring Hope to them, it's more likely she'll betray Leo before she does the Civic Republic. Come World Beyond season 2, more about the Civic Republic and specifically their research facility is sure to be revealed, laying the groundwork for what comes next.
What World Beyond's Ending Means For Rick Grimes Movies
World Beyond's season 1 finale reaffirms the Civic Republic as a ruthless organization that will go to any length to ensure they are the ones who save humanity and build the future. This means wiping out anyone who may not agree with them and experimenting on their own people. They are very much a 'by any means necessary' type of group and that is very clearly setting them up to be the final major villain of The Walking Dead universe.
In whatever form it ends up taking, the final battle against the CRM is sure to happen in the Rick Grimes movies. His character has been linked with the mysterious group ever since he was whisked away in that helicopter. Since confirming what the 'A' and 'B' designations mean, it's been assumed Rick, a 'B', somehow found himself working for the Civic Republic. But knowing Rick isn't the sort to take orders from a shady organization, it's hard to imagine his relationship with them has been a good one.
In fact, if there's a growing resistance to the Civic Republic, it wouldn't be all too shocking to learn Rick Grimes is involved. This would potentially lead characters like Hope, Iris, and all those survivors of the Campus Colony massacre, to meet up with Rick as they take their fight against the Civic Republic from a ragtag rebellion to all out war. The Walking Dead: World Beyond has already been confirmed as directly setting up the Rick Grimes movies, and with its season 1 finale leaving its characters now fully committed to fighting the CRM, this conflict is sure to the basis for the films.