This Walking Dead season 9 fan theory makes a compelling case for Rick Grimes' return in the finale

Image credit: AMC

The Walking Dead season 9 is about to wrap things up with its finale this coming weekend, and while former protagonist Rick Grimes may have left the show all the way back in episode 5, What Comes After, fans reckon the noble sheriff could be making a brief return before the credits roll in episode 16, The Storm.

Their evidence? The below image from the finale, which shows technophile Eugene working on something, presumably the communications system he's been trying to set up since the mid-season finale. Say the Southern savant finally cracks the code to his pet project radio in the next episode, and manages to reach out to a faraway community. Whose voice might we hear on the other end?

That's right, fans are certain that Rick Grimes will be making an audio-only cameo in The Walking Dead season 9's finale, letting everyone know that he's safe and sound, albeit miles away in the mysterious settlement which that blasted helicopter whisked him away to ten episodes ago.

If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. The sound of Rick's voice would be a clever tease for The Walking Dead movies, while also giving impetus for Michonne to go out looking for him (Danai Gurira has already confirmed she'll be leaving the show in The Walking Dead season 10).

What's more, showrunner Angela Kang has promised that the season 9 finale will feature another major twist, but the idea of yet more deaths after the massacre in episode 15, The Calm Before seems... unlikely. Instead, the bookies' odds are on the unexpected return of a Walking Dead icon in the form of Rick Grimes himself. At last, Eugene's intelligence might finally come in handy.

Check out 5 other things you might have missed from The Walking Dead season 9 finale trailer, or watch the video below for more great shows to keep an eye on throughout 2019.

Alex is a former Features Writer at GamesRadar, which once made him responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!