Negan’s little RV ride with Rick in The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere served its purpose, but it’s the one thing that didn’t happen on the trip fans are curious about.
We’re talking about why Rick and Carl both kept their hands. In the comics, Rick loses his hand during a confrontation with The Governor. It’s a moment the show has continuously teased throughout the series, but never got around to doing it. When Negan asked for an axe many comic fans thought the show would finally remove Rick’s hand, but they didn’t.
Here’s what The Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd had to say about the show removing Rick and Carl’s hands.
"The truth is it was the mind game that Negan is playing with them," Hurd told Entertainment Tonight. "It's much more brutal mentally for Negan to threaten Carl -- to threaten Rick's son -- than it was to threaten Rick himself. Rick should have manned up and said, 'OK, take it. If it's going to save someone, then take my hand.' It's much different when he's threatening his sons' hand, so that was really the decision."
It’s unlikely Rick or Carl will lose their limbs in this part of the story. Poor Carl has gone through enough in the past few seasons. The kid has survived two gunshot wounds; let him keep his arm! It also doesn’t make sense for Rick to lose his hand at this point in the show. However, we wouldn’t rule out other characters losing limbs. Yes, we’re looking at you Daryl. Negan has plans for Daryl that may or may not include chopping him up into pieces.
Still, we think it’s safe to say Rick won’t sustain any major injuries in the show. We’re looking forward to seeing Rick handle the Negan threat and coming back stronger than ever.
The Walking Dead Season 7 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.
