How Do 'The Walking Dead' Comics End? There's A Plan In Place

The comics that The Walking Dead are adapted from have evolved way past the storylines playing out on the show. They did come first, after all, so they've had more time to take the story farther. While not everything makes the direct transition from the comics to the show, they do still have a lot in common and can provide a little bit of extra information to fans. Many character deaths and major moments are, in a sense, "spoiled" by the comics, giving fans a heads-up about the turns the show may take. So what does the future hold in store for the series? How do The Walking Dead comics end?

The short answer is that they don't. The Walking Dead comics are still being released regularly, with Issue #160 coming out just this month. The events in the comics are at least two years ahead of the events of the show, so there is still intel to be gathered from them, but because there's no end in sight for either comics or show, that ultimate finale is up in the air for now. However, comic series creator Robert Kirkman has a plan in place for how everything wraps up, though he's hoping both forms of The Walking Dead continue running for a very long time.

Kirkman plans for a story that spans years and years, with hopes for three hundred or so issues of the comic and at least twelve seasons of the show. In an episode of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron from a few years ago, Kirkman said, "I do hope that The Walking Dead goes on long enough that when it ends, they're like, 'Good thing we took care of those zombies.' [...] I see the story from beginning to end, over many, many years, and so I think it's a very hopeful story about humanity overcoming this insurmountable apocalyptic situation. It's just going to take them a long time to do it."

Though he may envision an ending where humanity triumphs, that doesn't mean it will be easy getting there. Everyone connected to The Walking Dead is notoriously spoiler-averse, but Kirkman has spoken in vague terms in the past about some possibilities for the series. In 2012, he told DailyDead that he "promise[s] that Rick will not survive the entire run of the book," though he didn't make it sound like Rick's demise would happen anytime soon. In the wake of Rick's potential death, Carl, Michonne, or Andrea (alive in the comics!) would take up the position of series anchor.

No matter what happens, both onscreen or on the page, Kirkman is resolute about keeping the end of the comics to himself. Fans will just have to wait and see to find out how it all ties up.