Walking Dead's Creator Ranks the Story's Strongest Character, and It Isn't Daryl

Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead, once revealed his pick for the franchise's "strongest character" was Carl Grimes; readers of the comic will know that Carl was the centerpiece of the series' epilogue, while viewers of the TV adaptation will recognize many of the character's greatest qualities in screen-only fan-favorite Daryl Dixon.

The Walking Dead Deluxe #101 – written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard – reprints the original issue's letters page, including a telling response to a fan, in which Kirkman extols Carl's importance to the series, which would go on to run for nearly another hundred issues.

Including a tease that Carl had "a lot of life left in him," – which prefigured the ending of the series, intentionally or otherwise – Kirkman made it clear that the young son of Rick Grimes was his choice for the series' ultimate survivor.

At A Pivotal Point In The Comic Series, Robert Kirkman Confirmed That Carl Is Walking Dead's Strongest Character

The Walking Dead Deluxe #101 – Written By Robert Kirkman; Art By Charlie Adlard; Color By Dave McCaig; Lettering By Rus Wooten

The Walking Dead #100 infamously featured the official introduction of Negan, and the brutal death of Glenn at his hands, which was later adapted for the first episode of the AMC TV adaptation's seventh season. The Walking Dead #101 was the start of a new paradigm for the series – and as with the preceding one hundred issues, the re-release renders this in stunning full color for the first time. Along with new annotations from author Robert Kirkman, the Deluxe edition also includes the original supplemental material, offering insight into how readers were reacting to the book at the time.

By the 100-issue mark, Carl Grimes had already been through more than most adults could bear – and yet continued to display an unmatched reservoir of resilience. As Robert Kirkman put it in a response to a piece of fan mail:

Carl is quite possibly the strongest character in the series...he handles this stuff better than anyone...which should be terrifying. He's got a lot of life left in him...I think.

In the end, Kirkman's words proved true. Carl continued to rank as The Walking Dead comic's most unrelentingly determined character until the conclusion of the series; in retrospect, it can be argued that he continues to hold the title – despite competition from characters such as the TV-only Daryl Dixon.

The TV Version Of Walking Dead's Carl Had The Character's Strength – But Not His Longevity

Carl's Exit: Season Eight, Episode 9, "Honor"

As fans of The Walking Dead TV series know all too well, Carl was dramatically killed off in the middle of the series' eighth season. This was more a result of behind-the-scenes production concerns than the natural trajectory of the character, who up until that point, had been largely faithfully adapted for the screen – at least in comparison to some of the franchise's other characters. That is to say, the TV version of Carl embodied the virtues of the comic character, up to the point where his arc was cut short.

This kind of death was in line with the overall "no one is safe" ethos of the franchise, on the page and on screen, and looking back, it stands as an effective point of severance from the source material. How that impacts the character's status as the franchise's "strongest character" is up for fans to debate; of course, comparing across page and screen is difficult, and the discussion is more likely to yield a more in depth analysis of how adaptation necessitates changes than a definitive power ranking of characters.

Daryl Stepped Into The Role Left Open By The Changes To Carl's Story Arc

The TV Series' Ultimate Survivor

However, for the sake of it, if Walking Dead fans do try to compare characters across mediums, the closest to competition for comic-Carl's title of "ultimate survivor" would be Daryl Dixon. Not just because the character remains alive and active in the TV continuity, but because of the popularity the character forged as a protagonist from his origins as a new feature of the adaptation. Entirely new characters added to adaptations of stories run the risk of being rejected by existing fans, but the flip side is the potential to be a vital part of bringing in new TV-only audiences.

In some ways, Daryl represents many of the same core attributes that made comic-Carl Robert Kirkman's pick for the franchise's "strongest character." Daryl's constant desire to survive, his uncompromising integrity, and his sense of loyalty are just some of the character traits that reflect Carl Grimes in the comics, and so despite not having a direct analogue in the source material, Daryl can be considered an extrapolation of the qualities that pass for heroic in Robert Kirkman's zombie apocalypse. Given that these traits originated with comic-Carl, it can be said that he remains The Walking Dead's strongest character.