Rick Grimes' Walking Dead Spinoff Sets Up The Return Of A Season 1 Villain

With Rick Grimes finally set to return to The Walking Dead, his spinoff presents the chance to bring back one of the show's earliest villains.

Summary

• Rick Grimes' spinoff brings the potential return of an early Walking Dead villain, setting up an exciting storyline.
• The Ones Who Live could use hallucinations and flashbacks to bring back deceased characters, including Shane.
• The return of Shane, Rick's former foe, could play a crucial role in helping Rick escape from the CRM facility in the spinoff.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will finally bring Rick Grimes back into the franchise and in doing so, his spinoff sets up the potential return of an early Walking Dead villain. Rick featured in the first nine seasons of the show before being written out in season 9, episode 5 "What Comes After". In this time, he made many allies, but also plenty of enemies. The Ones Who Lives offers plenty of things to get excited about, such as Michonne also returning to the TWD franchise and learning more about the CRM. However, the potential return of a memorable villain would elevate the spinoff even more.

Although a lot of Rick's former foes have been written out or killed off, there are still ways to bring them back. Throughout The Walking Dead, Rick experienced plenty of hallucinations and flashbacks, which allowed deceased characters to come back to the series. With how much time has passed in the universe since Rick was last with the group, it wouldn't be surprising to see him begin hallucinating once more. The Ones Who Live has already teased a dark Rick Grimes return, with the plot seeming to stack the odds against the protagonist. This all plays perfectly into bringing one iconic villain back into The Walking Dead franchise.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live - Release Date, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know About Rick & Michonne's Spinoff

Shane Could Be Key To Rick Grimes’ CRM Escape

Rick could hallucinate Shane just like he did in TWD

With the focus of The Ones Who Live seemingly on Rick's time with the CRM, Shane could return and play a crucial role in helping Rick escape. Despite being killed off in season 2, Shane appeared again in The Walking Dead through Rick's hallucinations. The spinoff show could use this same tactic to bring back the former villain. Shane's Walking Dead death was a huge moment in the show, as he was one of Rick's earliest kills and changed the character. Shane's outlook on the apocalypse was seen as too sadistic, yet some of his philosophies were adopted by Rick and the group later down the line.

Despite being one of the show's first real villains, Shane wasn't completely irredeemable and was arguably ahead of the curve when it came to the new world. Having him appear in hallucinations could motivate Rick to break out of the facility. In his darkest moments, Rick was ruthless and one of the scariest characters in the show. Shane reminding Rick about having to fight to survive could bring back some of those repressed feelings. Rick's Walking Dead spinoff could also have Carl Grimes return, offering an "angel and devil on the shoulder" dynamic with Shane acting as the immoral yet necessary evil side to Rick's CRM conflict.

Morgan Must Return In Rick Grimes' Walking Dead Spinoff Show For 3 Major Reasons

All 11 seasons of the original The Walking Dead are available to watch on Netflix.

Will Jon Bernthal Reprise His Role As Shane Walsh In The Walking Dead Spinoff?

Details about The Ones Who Live remain scarce, so it is possible

While Jon Bernthal reprising his role as Shane Walsh would be an exciting addition to The Ones Who Live, there is no confirmation of this. Unlike with Daryl Dixon, there haven't been many leaks regarding Rick's spinoff, which makes a potential return still possible. The actor does have a relatively busy schedule ahead, with Jon Bernthal playing The Punisher in the MCU's Daredevil show. He will also be part of Snow Ponies and a sequel to The Accountant. This may seem like bad news regarding a Walking Dead return, but filming for the spinoff is already complete, meaning a secret cameo could happen.

Bernthal also wouldn't need to do much filming to play a significant role in the Rick Grimes spinoff. He would only need a short filming schedule, or the show could even reuse previous lines if they opted to go in a flashback direction, rather than hallucinations. Considering Bernthal has reprised the role before, a Shane return can't be ruled out and would be a great addition to the spinoff. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live does leave the potential for the former villain to make an appearance and if he does, Shane could have a large impact on Rick's character and potential escape from the CRM.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Created by Scott M. Gimple and Danai Gurira, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is a sequel spin-off series in The Walking Dead television franchise. The series picks up some time after Michonne departs from the original series, as she searches to be reunited with her lover, Rick Grimes. Meanwhile, Rick finds himself amid another war between the living and the dead.

Release Date

February 25, 2024

Cast

Andrew Lincoln , Danai Gurira , Pollyanna McIntosh , Lesley-Ann Brandt , Terry O'Quinn

Rating

TV-MA

Story By

Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard

Writers

Scott M. Gimple , Danai Gurira

Streaming Service(s)

AMC+

Franchise(s)

The Walking Dead

Showrunner

Scott M. Gimple