For more than eight seasons, Andrew Lincoln‘s Rick Grimes has centered AMC‘s The Walking Dead, but that is all about to change in season nine.
In what will be the most significant change from the Walking Dead comic books to date, Rick Grimes is set to be no more after the first-half of The Walking Dead season nine, not only marking a turning point for the series, but also closing a chapter.
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Fans of the series have watched as Rick passed on his sheriff’s hat to his son, Carl, as he became the de facto leader of a group of survivors, and as he became one of the only remaining Atlanta survivors, at times being brought to the brink of insanity. Over the course of eight, going on nine, seasons, Rick Grimes has had some unforgettable moments that will remain in fans’ minds long after he makes his exit.
Before Rick Grimes hangs up his sheriff’s hate for good, check out some of his most memorable moments.
Birth of the Ricktatorship
Perhaps no moment is as iconic as the birth of the Ricktatorship.
After the fall of the farm and the death of Shane, Rick found his authority and ability to lead in question by those who had fled with him, and he made it clear that this was no longer a democracy.
“Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there’s a place for us, but maybe… maybe it’s just another pipe dream. Maybe… maybe I’m fooling myself again. Why don’t you… Why don’t you go and find out yourself? Send me a postcard. Go on, there’s the door. You can do better? Let’s see how far you get,” Rick says in the season two finale. “No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight… you’re staying. This isn’t a democracy anymore,” he said.
Killing Shane
Rick’s relationship with Shane opened the series and it played out over the course of the following two season, but it came to a head in “Better Angels” when Rick finally came to the realization that Shane wouldn’t stop until he killed him.
After an episodes-long fiasco with a hostage, Shane manages to lure Rick out into an open field under the ruse that they are searching for their escapee, though it quickly becomes clear that his true intentions are to kill Rick. After putting the pieces together, Rick is forced to kill his former partner, a moment that is made even worse when Carl is forced to put him down when he turns into a walker.
The moment, understandably, changed Rick forever.
“I hear Nebraska’s nice”
It was his first self-defense kill, and it remains one of Rick Grimes’ most memorable moments.
Occurring in season two’s “Nebraska,” Rick, along with Glenn and Hershel, find themselves face-to-face with two men inside one of the town’s bars, and it quickly becomes apparent that neither of the men have good intentions when they begin asking about the farm.
“The farm is too crowded as is. I’m sorry. You’ll have to keep looking,” Rick says.
“Keep looking. Where do you suggest we do that?” Dave questions.
“I don’t know. I hear Nebraska’s nice,” Rick responds.
Dave makes an attempt to draw his gun, but Rick is much faster, drawing his Colt Python and firing a shot, killing Dave with ease before killing his accomplice.
Reuniting with Lori and Carl
After waking up in the hospital in The Walking Dead‘s pilot episode, it became clear that Rick Grimes’ driving force was finding his son, Carl, and his wife, Lori, an effort that took him through the overrun city of Atlanta and into contact with a group of survivors.
After making it out of Atlanta in “Tell It to the Frogs,” Rick is brought back to the camp where the group is currently living, where his genuine expression of shock at seeing Shane there turns to tears when he discovers his family is there, too.
Rick Channels His Inner Walker
Fans knew that the Claimers were bad long before Rick ever encountered them, but when Rick, Michonne, and Carl ran into them in “A,” the group’s terrifying tactics led to one of the most infamous kills on the AMC series.
While it initially seemed impossible for the trio to escape, Rick, on the brink of losing his family, used his own teeth as a weapon, biting a chunk of flesh from Joe’s neck before stabbing the man to death who was attacking Carl.
Breaking down after learning Lori died
In what is one of the most heartbreaking scenes to date on The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes broke down for the first time after learning that Lori had sacrificed herself in order to allow Judith to live.
The moment came in “The Killer Within,” after one of the prisoners allowed a number of walkers inside, forcing the survivors to retreat into hiding just as Lori went into labor. As the survivors begin to reunite after the threat is dealt with, Maggie emerges from the prison with Carl and baby Judith in her arms, and it takes a moment for Rick to piece together that Lori had died.
His subsequent breakdown still causes fans to cry, and Lori’s death led to major character development.
Killing Pete
After a rough start in the Alexandria Safe Zone, including a meltdown in the middle of the streets, Rick Grimes’ fate ultimately came down to a vote. That vote was interrupted, however, when Pete, the very man Rick had fought, barges in with Michonne’s katana, shouting that Rick is “not one of us.” As he moves in to kill Rick with the katana, Reg Monroe gets in his way, causing Pete to accidentally slit his throat.
After a tear-filled moment, Deana looks pointedly at Rick and declares, “Rick, do it,” and Rick doesn’t hesitate a single second before drawing his gun and shooting Pete.
“I made you a promise”
The red machete now has its own web series, but it first became popular after Rick Grimes made another character a promise.
After being corralled into a shipping container in the season four finale, season five opened with the group being forced to kneel over a trough at Terminus, where Gareth threatened to kill Bob if Rick didn’t tell him where a bag with weapons was buried.
“AK-47, .44 Magnum, automatic weapons, night-scope. There’s a compound bow and a machete with a red handle,” Rick listed the contents of the bag. “That’s what I’m going to use to kill you.”
Rick kept that promising, using that very red handled machete to kill Gareth when the remaining survivors of Terminus descend on the church where Rick and his group are living.
