During the ninth season of The Walking Dead, fans had to bid farewell to Andrew Lincoln, who had spent the last decade or so of his life playing the role of Rick Grimes. This character was the heart and soul of the series, so dealing with his exit was a very emotional experience.
The last we saw of Rick, he was severely injured by an explosion and being rescued by Jadis (Pollyanna Mcintosh). He was flown away in a helicopter bearing the CRM three rings symbol, a connection that we’re still trying to piece together. Since then we don’t know where he’s been, but the one thing that we do know is that Rick is very much alive.
In fact, right after that that season 9 episode, “What Comes After“, aired, it was announced that Rick is alive and will be seen again in The Walking Dead feature films. That was pre-COVID, though, and since then we’ve only heard that the films are still happening, but there is no timeline yet.
Where is Rick in the current Walking Dead timeline?
Because the current shows are not all in sync temporally, it’s tough to say when Rick is at this moment. However, the second spin-off show of the franchise, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, does very vaguely address what happened to him immediately after we last saw him.
In its second and final season, we see Jadis and learn that she has become part of the CRM. They let her in because of a trade she made, and it’s implied that the “trade” was Rick.
So no, Rick Grimes did not die on The Walking Dead, but given his unintentional extended absence from our lives, it’s starting to feel like he did. Hopefully, the folks in charge of the franchise will have some updates for us soon!
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