Alicia borrows an unused Rick Grimes comic book story in Fear The Walking Dead season 7 – but with a dark and skeletal twist. When the printed incarnation of Rick Grimes faced off against a similarly inky Governor, the villain took an immediate disliking to Rick’s right hand and promptly cut it off at the wrist. Rick losing a hand (plus a bit of arm) so early in his zombie apocalypse journey forced the protagonist to adjust as The Walking Dead‘s chapters went by. He learned how to shoot left-handed, became accustomed to the stump left behind, and eventually – when his domain had advanced enough – received a prosthetic.

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AMC’s The Walking Dead never adapted this crucial element for Andrew Lincoln’s live-action Rick Grimes. Several episodes teased Rick’s injury, but the trouble of constantly covering a lead actor’s real hand evidently outweighed The Walking Dead‘s desire to tell that story. Other characters have lost hands or arms since, but these have either been supporting figures (Aaron), or their story has ended shortly after the amputation (Tyreese, World Beyond‘s Elton).

Fear The Walking Dead‘s “Padre” reveals how Alicia was bitten by a zombie between seasons 6 & 7 and forced to hack off her own limb at the forearm. Back in the present day, the ramifications of that loss are being keenly felt. Alicia isn’t completely free of the shock and trauma that understandably haunts still her but, not unlike Rick Grimes, she’s also learning how to exploit having a prosthetic limb. When Strand unleashes a zombie on Morgan, she protects him by putting her false arm in the way.

Alicia’s Fear The Walking Dead season 7 arc is the closest AMC’s zombie apocalypse franchise has ever come to adapting Rick Grimes’ hand loss. Whereas previous TV show amputations glossed over the aftermath, Fear The Walking Dead is tackling those consequences head-on – the infection, the trauma, the relearned skills. If Alicia’s medical diagnosis is anything to go by, Fear The Walking Dead won’t be following Alicia for long, but with war against The Tower approaching, season 7 still has plenty to say about her arm loss.

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Another unavoidable similarity between Rick’s hand and Alicia’s arm can be found in their respective prosthetic replacements. After meeting Earl at Hilltop, Rick finally received a prosthetic forearm – a small metal claw with hinges and a wire for flexibility. Alicia crafts herself something similar in Fear The Walking Dead season 7 – but it’s much, much darker in tone. Without access to a blacksmith, Alicia recovered her lost limb and fashioned the prosthetic out of her own bones. There’s a strong visual echo of Rick’s arm, with the metal frame and same claw-like attachment to replace the missing hand. Whereas Rick’s replacement was connected by a black cone, however, Alicia’s ulna and radius bones have been used to clasp her new metal claw in place.

It’s a far grimmer solution than Rick found in the Walking Dead comics, perhaps reflecting Alicia’s more disturbed mindset. Rick Grimes reacted to losing his hand as well as anyone possibly could, but Alicia is evidently struggling. Not only has she decided the Walking Dead virus is slowly killing her, but Alicia also makes Morgan follow a zombie around, believing the corpse will lead them toward PADRE. Alicia’s skeletal prosthetic is a stomach-churning indication that all is not well with the protagonist in Fear The Walking Dead season 7.

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About The Author


Craig Elvy
(3627 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

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Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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