The Walking Dead Confirmed The Real Reason People Turn Into Zombies

The biggest rule explaining humans turning into zombies in The Walking Dead was once shared by the comic book’s creator Robert Kirkman, as he confirmed the reason people transformed into walkers. In a letter page in The Walking Dead Deluxe, Kirkman wrote that whatever changes people into zombies after death is something everyone already has – as it’s not something someone can necessarily prevent.

In The Walking Dead, death plays a key role in the series, as those bitten by zombies are transformed into flesh-eating walkers. However, that’s not the only way humans can be transformed into zombies, as the death of Shane confirmed the horrifying truth behind the undead. After Shane was killed going after Rick Grimes, he came reanimated as a walker, despite never being bitten – confirming that it wasn’t necessary to be turned into a zombie. The Walking Dead’s creator, Robert Kirkman, once shared the rule behind how people are turned into zombies without coming in contact with them.

In The Walking Dead Deluxe #41 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Rus Wooton, and Dave McCaig, Kirkman responded to fan letters about the comic book series. In one question, a reader asked if they were ever going to find out why some people were infected by zombification, and others were not. Kirkman explained his rule in The Walking Dead regarding zombies, writing that whatever causes them is “something everyone already has” born from death – no matter what the cause. He added, if you “stub your toe, get an infection and die… you turn into a zombie.”

Kirkman explained that the only reason someone wouldn’t turn into a zombie after death in The Walking Dead comic is if their brain is damaged. For example, if someone gets shot in the head, they die. However, if someone ends up being killed due to natural causes or a violent incident that doesn’t impact the brain, the person will return as a zombie, as his rule dictates.

Getting bit by a zombie remains one of the biggest fears for the survivors in The Walking Dead, as it will quickly transform them into undead walkers. However, everyone will eventually turn into a zombie, barring significant brain damage, as death is the leading cause of the infection. The Walking Dead’s biggest rule regarding zombification is grim, but in a story plagued by a zombie outbreak, death, even without getting bit, ensures walkers will always exist in the comic book world.