Issue 193 of The Walking Dead adequately tied up many of the loose ends and showed all of the surviving characters in their new roles 25 years into the future. It even told a solid story with Carl along the way, showing that he was one of the few people who remembered the past and had a hard time letting go of it.
There’s still plenty of material that could be used in future storylines, be them with Carl as the leading man going forward or with one-shots similar to what they did with Negan Lives. The one-shot route would probably be the best as it could focus on different parts of the current landscape.
10 Expanding On The Antagonistic Relationship Hershel & Carl Have
The tension between Carl and Hershel was palpable throughout the final issue of the comic, their two mentalities representing exact opposites of one another. To many, Hershel is a spoiled brat who isn’t much different from Sebastian Milton, and Carl is the character that’s stuck living in the past, unable to embrace the future. Seeing the two continue to butt heads could have led to an interesting storyline, especially with Maggie in charge of the commonwealth.
9 An Outbreak Happening In The City Due To Hershel’s Traveling Show
Much of the conflict that Hershel and Carl have with one another is due to his ‘See The Walking Dead’ traveling show that Carl feels puts people at unnecessary risk. It’d be interesting if Carl’s fears were proven right, and a few of the walkers got free in the city, spreading the infection and forcing the new generation to deal with a threat they aren’t accustomed to. It’d let Carl ascend into a savior role not all that dissimilar from his dad.
8 A Short Series Detailing How Sophia & Carl Reconnected & Eventually Married
The final issue ties up a lot of loose ends and does focus a lot on Carl’s feelings for his father but tends to gloss over Sophia and him. A short series that goes into the details of their relationship would be interesting, giving a greater look into Carl’s psyche, especially when it comes to dealing with the death of his father.
Much like the Negan prequels, it’d help breathe new life into the adult Carl and show how he became the man he is in the final issue.
7 Sebastian Milton Escaping & Causing An Uprising
If Carl was going to become the new leading man, there’s no greater foe than Sebastian Milton. He’s the spoiled brat that killed his father, the perfect foil to Carl’s character. Walking Dead is always at its best with human villains, and Sebastian finding a way to break out of prison to cause havoc on the commonwealth would be interesting. He could try to create an uprising to usurp Maggie from power or outright target Carl and his family.
6 A Flashback Going Into Maggie’s Rise As President & The Fracturing Of Her Family
Maggie becoming the president of the commonwealth felt like a fitting end for her character, but one that would have been nice to see elaborated on rather than simply told about. How did she handle the job? Was it as easy for her as leading a community was? More than that, showing the effects the position had on both Hershel and Sophia would be the real meat of the story. The fracturing of that family would lead to some great dialogue, namely between Sophia and Hershel.
5 A Story Built Around Lydia’s Life As A Courier For The Commonwealth
Courier may be the one position in the commonwealth that comes with some degree of danger, forcing Lydia to travel all around the various settlements on its banner, bringing with it potential for walker attacks.
As a character who never got much development beyond her relationship with Carl, it’d be fun to have a story focused solely on her. It’d allow for the typical zombie killing action that fans are used to while giving them a different viewpoint to look through. It could even focus on her journey to move beyond the past.
4 Expansion On Negan & Lucy From The Negan Lives One Shot
It’s never stated what happens to Lucy at the end of Negan Lives as she’s nowhere to be found in the final issue with Negan laying flowers at Lucille’s grave. That opens up plenty of opportunities for stories, even if it’s just another one-shot. Did the two journey the world together, or did Negan end up betraying her after her friends tried to kill him? It’d be nice if Negan kept her alive, showing he’d truly become a new man and managed to make an actual friend for once.
3 Eugene’s Railroad Expansion & The Dangers Walkers Present To The Frontier
Eugene’s expansion of the railroad opens a lot of story possibilities, be it getting to see the western alliance for the first time or showing the hardships that come from working out on the frontier. If Laura’s words are anything to go by, the influence of Rick and the commonwealth are less impactful out there, making it more like the world most readers are familiar with. Getting to see both characters in a staring role would be fresh, and connecting the east with the west opens up plenty of story possibilities.
2 The Western Alliance Isn’t Keen on Joining Forces With The East
The mention of the western alliance could have just been a throwaway line by Eugene that was merely meant to say the world would be whole again, but it could lead to some interesting stories. The biggest of them is if the western alliance was less than friendly, having no desire to work with the east. What if they were run by someone like Negan or worse, The Governor? A dictatorship threatening to ruin everything the survivors worked for would present a similar story but place it on a grander scale.
1 Exploration Of The Western Side Of The World
Even if the western alliance ended up friendly rather than an adversary, it’d be nice to explore that side of the world. What were the survivors like? Were their communities much like the ones on the eastern side? It opens the world up immensely, giving room for plenty of stories with a variety of different characters. The story could even be told from the western’s perspective, presenting all-new characters that the reader could fall in love with.
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