Is Rick dying in The Walking Dead season 9? Andrew Lincoln’s final day on set may have given us our answer

Rick’s definitely leaving in The Walking Dead season 9 but the big mystery is whether he’s riding off into the sunset or rummaging through walker guts. Now, we might know the answer. Entertainment Weekly has the lowdown on Andrew Lincoln’s final day on set and, while it may involve terrible Annie Lennox karaoke and some old faces cropping up, it was pretty much business as usual for the actor until a very final-sounded scene – one that could come to define the character. Possible spoilers follow…

You ready? As described in the scene, ‘Rick will walk through a pile of bodies – many nameless to Walking Dead fans; some, not so nameless’. Goosebumps. But, more than that, answers. No-one’s ever had a happy ending involving walking through a pile of limp bodies, no matter how many messy student union nights ended with you face-down in a ditch at 5:45am.

In fact, the whole thing reeks of Metal Gear Solid 3. Bear with me a moment but – in the game itself – the protagonist, Big Boss, saw himself nearing certain death. He was tasked with taking down the Sorrow, who tormented Big Boss by showing him each and every person he’d killed up until that point.

This feels like The Walking Dead season 9’s very own version – right down to the familiar faces. After all, Jon Bernthal’s Shane is returning for a cameo. Could this be it? Don’t bet against it. Picture this: Rick’s nearing the end and, along the way, he hallucinates everyone who ever left him: Carl, Shane, Lori. Everyone. Goosebumps… again.

At the risk of burying the lede, Lincoln also spent some of the day, as EW reveals, belting out Annie Lennox tunes. “I used to have demons in my room at night,” Lincoln crooned. Now he’s departed the show, he’s firmly put those flesh-eating demons behind him – by walking straight through them and towards the door.

Don't waste all your tears on Rick Grimes. There are plenty more new TV shows coming your way in 2018 to get worked up about.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.