Carl Grimes

Lore & Background

In the comic book series, Carl is the only son of sheriff Rick Grimes and his wife, Lori Grimes. When the dead rise, Lori takes Carl to a purported safe zone in Atlanta, Georgia, along with Rick's partner, Shane Walsh. Despite being only seven years old, Carl is taught to shoot a pistol. This comes in handy when he saves his mother from an attacking walker.

Later, he is forced to kill an unstable Shane in order to protect his father. After the group buries Shane and leaves Atlanta, Carl is shot and wounded by ranch foreman Otis while searching for supplies in the woods. The survivors are brought to the farm of Otis' employer, veterinarian Hershel Greene, who successfully treats Carl. They eventually find an abandoned prison.

While there, Carl and the others enjoy the prison's luxuries, such as hot showers and open space. When The Governor and his army attack the prison, Carl managed to escape with Rick. During the journey, while returning to Kentucky with Rick and Abraham Ford, he is nearly raped by a group of rednecks before his father manages to kill all of them. In the aftermath, Carl confesses to killing Shane and being a different person than he was before the apocalypse.

Shortly after their return to the main group, Carl witnesses a fellow child survivor murder his brother, and he secretly kills the child when he realizes no one else is willing to do it. He feels deep grief, but does not regret his actions. When they arrive at a gated community in D.C., Carl is unable to fit in with the other children because of his horrific experiences. During a zombie attack, Carl is shot in the face, losing his right eye, and in a coma for weeks.

When he wakes up, he shows a much more negative outlook, berating his father for all of the horrible things that have happened in his life. When Rick decides to attack a group of enemy survivors known as the Saviors, they retaliate by killing Glenn Rhee. Carl decides to sneak into one of the Saviors' vans and launch an assault on them, ending with him as Negan's new 'guest'. Negan takes a liking to Carl, although the feeling is not mutual.

Not long after, Carl is returned to Rick unharmed. After the roughly four-year time gap, Carl decides that he wants to leave the Safe Zone to journey to The Hilltop and start an apprenticeship with Earl Sutton, the blacksmith. Shortly after arriving there, two boys attack him and Sophia, and Carl fights back with a shovel, nearly killing them. He is temporarily held in a cell where he bonds with Lydia, a survivor from a rival group, the Whisperers.

After being let out Carl convinces Maggie to let Lydia out under his watch and they bond further; eventually, Lydia seduces him and they make love. Though Carl and Lydia grow even closer after this Lydia's mother 'Alpha' arrives at the Hilltop's gates demanding Lydia back or she will attack and Maggie is forced to hand her over, a decision that enrages Carl. Later when Sophia goes to check on Carl he is missing and is revealed to have sneaked out after Lydia.

In the final comic, Carl is an adult and married to Sophia. After killing a wandering walker belonging to Maggie Greene's son Hershel, he faces criminal charges in a society where the threat of zombies is largely ignored and forgotten, but he is cleared of all charges with Michonne being his judge. He is last seen telling his daughter, Andrea Grimes, the story of his father, Rick, and how his efforts paved the way for a safer world for everyone.

Reader's Guide

Defining moments include killing a terrified teenager who was advancing on Hershel and Judith during the Governor's attack on the prison, and his death after a walker bite he hid while writing letters to his loved ones; honouring Carl's wish, Rick spares Negan's life.