Instead, The Walking Dead kept Rick alive, although not without having him flung off a horse, impaled on rebar, and sent on a mad journey to try and escape a herd.
When rumors of Andrew Lincoln’s impending departure were confirmed over the summer, many fans (including yours truly) believed that the only way The Walking Dead could write out Lincoln and have it make sense would be to kill Rick off.
He ultimately lured the herd to the valuable bridge and blew it up… while still on it.