It goes without saying that the death of Carl Grimes in "The Walking Dead" Season 8 midseason finale struck the whole fandom like a thunderbolt. So much so there is even a petition signed by 50,000 fans to fire Scott Gimple, the show's executive producer, for it was his decision to kill off one of the original cast members whom many thought would be the future of the show. At least that's how it is in the comics, with Carl being in the epicenter of post-"All Out War" arc.

With that said, there is no doubt that Gimple's decision to kill off such an important character, who is very much alive in the comics, will have some serious implications for the future of "The Walking Dead" TV show.

And some fans even went as far as to say that Carl's death means that the show will skip the entire "Whisperers" Story Arc from the comics. Let's see why. But be careful though, because the heavy comic book spoilers will follow.

Carl's role in the Whisperer war

Before delving into Carl's post-"All Out War" storyline from the comics, we must banish any thought that he will somehow survive the zombie bite. Basically, pretty much everyone confirmed that Carl's inevitable death is coming as soon as "The Walking Dead" returns on February 25, 2018. So unless they pull the biggest deception in the history of television, Episode 9 will be Carl's last episode.

Now, on to Carl's role in the comics and the Whisperers.

For those of you who don't know, the Whisperers are the mysterious bunch who live among the zombies and wear their faces as camouflage. Needless to say, they use whispers to communicate with each other, and that's how they are able to control the zombie herds. With Saviors defeated and Negan imprisoned, the Whisperers, led by a mysterious woman who calls herself Alpha, are the new villains Rick and his crew will face after the "All Out War."

Carl Grimes is essential for this storyline for it is he that started the conflict between two groups when he fell in love with Lydia, Alpha's daughter, and then decided to "rescue" her from the villains.

So with him dead in the show, the entire core of this plotline is gone.

Carl's death puts the Whisperer war into question

According to Forbes, Carl's death definitely opens up a possibility that Scott Gimple and AMC might cut the Whisperers and instead jump straight to the current bad guys in the comics, which are the militarized Commonwealth.

That would certainly explain the helicopter Rick saw a couple of episodes ago. And speaking of Rick, skipping the Whisperers storyline may also allow Andrew Lincoln to leave the show, an idea he talked about in his latest interview with Hollywood Reporter.
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