Time’s running out for Carl Grimes. The Walking Dead‘s midseason finale left viewers with their jaws on the ground when it was revealed that Chandler Riggs’ character had fallen prey to a walker bite, which can only mean one thing: that Rick’s young son is about to meet a tragic end in the upcoming midseason premiere.
Now, ahead of its return this Sunday, AMC has released a new promo that takes an emotional look back at Carl’s journey across the show’s eight seasons so far. Seen up above, the video lets us relive his growth from a young gutsy kid looking out for his friends to a fighter who stands up for those in need. Like he says to his dad, “if you care, you do something.”
The character was one of the very few members of the original cast who had managed to last for the length of the show, but that’s sadly come to an end now. His exit from the series has caught many of his co-stars off-guard, too, as the likes of Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira and, of course, his on-screen father Andrew Lincoln have spoken about how devastating it is to lose Carl on the show and Chandler Riggs as a co-worker.
Though Carl will leave the series after this week’s episode, he’ll still cast a long legacy on The Walking Dead. Showrunner Scott Gimple has teased how crucial his death will be to the rest of the season, while Andrew Lincoln has also stated that Rick’s grief over Carl will be a major mountain to climb over the coming episodes.
First off, though, we have the midseason premiere to get through – which promises to be one of the most emotional episodes that the notoriously gut-wrenching show has ever had. Just look at the above promo photos for proof of that, which see Carl saying goodbye to his loved ones.
The Walking Dead returns to AMC this Sunday, February 25th.