In a break from tradition, Rick Grimes did not assume control of the CRM after The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and there was a very good reason why. Across its 11-season run, The Walking Dead typically followed a familiar pattern. The cycle would begin with Rick Grimes encountering a new community, then Andrew Lincoln’s character would somehow dethrone the current leader and, ultimately, become the new boss himself. This first happened with Shane’s group in The Walking Dead seasons 1 and 2, then repeated with Alexandria, the Saviors, and some smaller crews along the way.

Although Rick himself was absent, his spirit was felt when The Walking Dead‘s heroes battled for control of the Commonwealth in season 11. That fight was won, and The Walking Dead ended with Ezekiel in charge, taking over from the prior regime’s Pamela Milton. In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Rick took the first two steps of the cycle by entering the Civic Republic Military and killing its existing leader, the villainous Major General Beale. Rather than replacing Beale as the CRM’s new boss, however, Rick seemingly walked away from assuming new responsibilities, breaking his long-running habit.

The CRM Had A Replacement For Major General Beale & It Wasn’t Rick Grimes

The Civic Republic’s Ruling Council Would Have Taken Charge

The biggest reason Rick Grimes never took control of the CRM after was subtly revealed by both The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Even before Rick was captured and taken there, the Civic Republic was gripped by a power struggle. On one side stood the elected ruling council responsible for leading the Civic Republic itself; on the other was Major General Beale as commander of the CRM.

While Beale essentially wanted to scrap the ruling council and install complete military rule over the Civic Republic, the ruling council sought to do the opposite by bringing the CRM under fair civilian oversight. When Rick killed Major General Beale and wiped out most of the CRM’s upper echelons alongside Michonne, he all but destroyed the CRM’s plan to stage a coup on the Civic Republic.

Instead, Rick and Michonne’s heroics cleared a path for the Civic Republic’s ruling council to finally take charge of its own military rather than the CRM enjoying total autonomy. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live‘s ending never explicitly confirmed what became of the Civic Republic after Rick and Michonne’s explosive assault, but based on prior hints and the happy tone of the spinoff’s final scene, this is the most logical outcome.

Rick was only too happy to hand over all responsibilities to a democratically-elected body.

Whenever Rick took another community under his wing previously in The Walking Dead, he did so because he reluctantly accepted himself as the most suitable person for the job. Rick took control of Shane’s group because it was their best hope of surviving together. He became the leader of Alexandria because those already in power weren’t strong enough to endure the rigors of the zombie apocalypse. He took charge of the remaining Saviors because he was the man who defeated Negan. Each time, Rick fell into his command position due to a lack of viable alternatives.

The CRM situation represented the sole exception to that rule. The Civic Republic’s ruling council was a perfectly legitimate leader waiting in the wings – it just needed someone to get Major General Beale out of the way. Rick duly obliged, and was only too happy to hand over all responsibilities to a democratically-elected body afterward.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Might Have Ended Rick’s Leadership Days

It Was Time For Rick To Finally Take A Rest

The second reason behind Rick not becoming the CRM’s leader is more personal than practical. The possibility of The Ones Who Live season 2 happening remains unclear, as does Andrew Lincoln’s potential involvement in any upcoming projects under The Walking Dead‘s banner. As such, The Ones Who Live‘s series finale may have represented Rick Grimes’ final and full ending in The Walking Dead.

This was perhaps the happiest and most fitting closing chapter Rick Grimes could have had.

It makes sense, therefore, that Rick’s last act was not taking control of yet another community and adding to his growing pile of jobs, but dropping everything to live happily with his wife and children. Rick has been putting his family first since The Walking Dead‘s zombie virus was first unleashed, but that usually meant taking over weaker groups to keep his loved ones protected.

One interpretation of The Ones Who Live‘s final scene is that Rick finally relinquishes all expectations and responsibility to focus fully on Michonne, Judith, and R.J. The world has improved to the point where Rick no longer needs to drag other survivors up to his level. The day the world no longer needs Rick Grimes is a good day for humanity.

The Walking Dead Spinoffs

Fear The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Tales Of The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: Dead City

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

As a family-centric character, this was perhaps the happiest and most fitting closing chapter Rick Grimes could have had in The Walking Dead, especially after the death of Carl. With Ezekiel in charge of the Commonwealth, a council presiding over Alexandria, and another council controlling the Commonwealth, Rick seemed to take his first steps toward a happy retirement when The Ones Who Live ended.

Rick Grimes Could Become A Civic Republic Leader In The Walking Dead’s Future

Rick’s Future Remains Unwritten In The Walking Dead

Because of the ambiguity surrounding The Ones Who Live‘s ending and Rick Grimes’ future in The Walking Dead, the door remains open to a leadership return in the future – even within the Civic Republic. The spinoff’s final scene implies that Rick’s homecoming marks the dawn of a cooperative relationship between the allied Commonwealth communities and the Civic Republic. The Republic already has a partner settlement in Portland, and it can safely be assumed that other groups from across the United States will gradually join as the years go by.

Pure necessity might drag Rick back to the frontlines of leadership.

At some point, the number of connected groups in that network may create a need for a focal leader – a president, if you will – and few individuals are more qualified for that job than Rick Grimes. Not only did Rick first instigate the alliance by uniting Alexandria with its neighboring communities, his methods helped inspire revolution in the Commonwealth. More importantly, Rick played a huge part in saving the Civic Republic and its partners from Beale’s genocidal ambitions. If any single person has earned enough hero points to sit in the post-apocalyptic equivalent of the Oval Office, it’s Rick Grimes.

That’s the optimistic outcome, but Rick might find himself thrust back into a leadership role unwillingly if The Walking Dead‘s situation takes a turn for the worse. As demonstrated by both Dead City and Daryl Dixon, many threats to the allied communities are still lurking in the shadows. Even The Walking Dead season 11 hinted at the existence of a shady group known as Designation 2, which may yet come back to bite the franchise’s heroes.

If another war started in The Walking Dead, it is very hard to imagine Rick sitting idly by as a retiree. Pure necessity might drag him back to the frontlines of leadership if another villain appears after The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.