The Walking Dead: 5 Ways Rick Is Different In The Comics (& 5 Ways He’s The Same)

After 11 seasons, the popular apocalyptic thriller, The Walking Dead, is coming to an end.  Based on the successful comic series created by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead has brought to life a morbid world plagued with terrifying zombies, and equally as terrifying humans. There are many reasons the show became has celebrated as it did, and chief among them are the characters. From Daryl Dixon to Negan, the characters are the soul behind the immense success of the franchise.

Fans all have their opinions on who the best survivor is, but most agree that the most important is Rick Grimes. Throughout both the comics and television series, Rick has to lead the survivors through hordes of walkers and menacing adversaries. Like any comic character adaptation, Rick Grimes changed quite a bit in the jump from page to screen. But in many ways, he is also the same character that graced the pages of Image Comics.

10 Different: His Hand

In the television series, Rick suffered many injuries in his fight for survival. From gunshots to impalements and everything in between, Officer Friendly has certainly had his fair share of wounds throughout the show’s run. One injury the comic version endured that his television counterpart was spared from was the loss of his right hand.

In issue 28, Rick comes face to face with The Governor, one of the first in a long line of advisories for the survivors. In a show of menace, The Governor cuts his hand off with a knife. While the image of Rick’s metal hand has become iconic, the closest we have come to see this on the small screen was Merle Dixon early in the series.

9 Same: He Is A Born Leader

Arguably one of the defining characteristics of Rick Grimes is his skills as a leader, a trait the comic version shares with his on-screen portrayal. Regardless of the situation, Rick has continually led the survivors through unthinkable horrors and had them mostly come out on top.

While his methods are oftentimes questionable or even dangerous, Rick always has the safety of the group as his top priority. Whether it is clearing out a new area to set up camp, or facing a baseball-wielding baddie, Rick has excelled in inspiring and ensuring the survival of his friends and family.

8 Different: His Taste In Women

While both versions of Rick are married to Lori Grimes at the beginning of the outbreak, they diverge in their romantic companions after her tragic demise. In the show, Rick’s relationship with Andrea is strictly platonic, but the comic version falls hard for her and eventually marries her.

Rick chooses a different romantic path in the series, however, choosing instead to marry Michonne. Both versions of Rick cared immensely for Lori, however, in finding a significant other in the aftermath of tragedy, they couldn’t be more different.

7 Same: His Handling Of Lori’s Death

Although under slightly different circumstances, both the comic and television version of Rick Grimes lost his wife Lori during the war with The Governor. This came as a huge blow to Rick and caused him to experience hallucinations and delusions from the trauma. He began to see her in the woods surrounding the prison and began receiving phone calls from her on a phone that wasn’t even connected.

While typically headstrong and able to control his grief, Lori’s death served as Rick losing one of his biggest connections to the world he once knew and made this new apocalyptic reality all the more real. This proved too much for him to handle and almost sent him on a path he would never have recovered from.

6 Different: His Children

Both versions of Rick had one son, Carl, before the outbreak and a daughter, Judith, born shortly after he wakes from his coma. The two versions diverge early on when in the comics, Judith dies at the same time Lori does. While surviving the events of the comics, Carl dies in season 8 of the show.

Carl and Judith are shared between the comic and series, although their fates differ. Rick has a third child not present in the comics when he has a child named Rick Jr. with his wife Michonne.

5 Same: He’s Willing To Do Anything For The Survival Of The Group

While a good man at heart, the apocalypse hardened Rick. As the leader of the survivors, he is willing to go to great lengths to ensure the survival of his people. He will let nobody stand in the way of what he feels is the best for the group.

This led to many brutal, often bloody confrontations with other humans who threatened the well-being of his people. While certain things may be questionable, everything Rick does is for the good of the group in his mind.

4 Different: His Ruthlessness

The two versions of Rick will do whatever it takes for the good of the group, but the comic version takes it one step further. The comic portrayal walks the line between a brutal leader and a ruthless dictator and on certain occasions, Rick has mercilessly slain adversaries without thinking twice.

Luckily that line has never been crossed, because at these low points, if Rick had gone all out as he felt urged to, he may not have come back from that darkness.

3 Same: His Rivalry With Negan

Negan remains one of the most infamous villains in the Walking Dead universe. From his first menacing appearance, he has been a fan favorite for many. Rick has never been on to back down from a fight, and Negan is no exception. While biding his time and playing Negan’s game, he eventually shows him who exactly he has been dealing with.

The war with the Saviors is one of the greatest story arcs in either the comic or series, and that is mostly due to the two leaders’ bitter hatred of one another. While eventually forming an uneasy alliance in the comics, in the series, Rick and Negan remained enemies until the very end.

2 Different: The End Of The Road

Every journey must come to an end, and Rick Grimes is no different. This remains one of the biggest differences between the two mediums. In the series, Rick’s story is still open-ended. After escaping near death, the last time we see Rick he is picked up by mysterious people in a helicopter. His story, from here, will be told in a movie to be released at a later date.

His comic ending is far less ambiguous, though. After being threatened at gunpoint, Rick is shot multiple times and left in his bed to die. Carl finds his reanimated corpse and has to fire the final bullet to finish his father off.

1 Same: His Vision Of The Future

Rick Grimes awoke from a coma to see the world he once knew was gone. He faced unthinkable odds in a fight to see the world he left behind resurface.

This is the reason Rick Grimes is such a successful leader and inspiration to those around him. He chooses not to focus on the nightmare of the present, but instead to see the dreamscape the world can once again become. This gives Rick a reason to continue fighting and makes sure as many of his group are there to see his dream come to fruition.

About The Author