The Walking Dead will never introduce a cure or immunity (Comic Con 2017)

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Something that sets The Walking Dead apart from other zombie titles is the knowledge the characters have about the ghastly disease that plagues the world. That is to say, many of the protagonists are by now aware they are already infected, and that they’ll become a walker the moment after they expire no matter what. This is thanks to a trip Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and friends paid to the CDC at the end of Season One, when scientist Jenner (Noah Emmerich) whispered the truth into Rick’s ear mere minutes before allowing himself and the building to blow up. (Not big on revelations, Rick didn’t let the rest of the group know until the end of Season Two.)

Usually it’s a zombie bite that’ll make you do the zombie shuffle after your demise, but in the world of The Walking Dead, you’re living with the knowledge that you’re going to become part of the undead family no matter what… unless a helpful friend blows your brains out first, of course.

This distinction aside, The Walking Dead shares many characteristics with the classic zombie stories of old, including this: There is no stopping the plague. Not that it was ever necessarily in doubt, but writer/producer Robert Kirkman confirmed as much during The Walking Dead’s Hall H panel after a fan inquired whether or not there would ever be a character who is immune to the plague, or a cure that could stop the process of becoming a mindlessly roaming sack of guts.

“No and no,” Kirkman responded, adding that he thinks it would ruin the mystique of the show to introduce a cure or immunity. He also said he liked that these are characters who would not go looking for a cure (though of course they did at the very beginning); they’re stuck with this situation and just have to deal with it.

It’s actually quite chilling, when you think about it. Even if the survivors take control of this mess and wipe out nearly every walker on the face of the Earth, they’ll still always have another set of gnashing teeth to worry about, because you can’t stop people from dying. Even if your friend or loved one passes away of natural causes, you’ve still got to bash them in the head until it’s jelly. Pretty grim stuff, par for the course with The Walking Dead.

Season 8 premieres on October 22nd.