Rick Grimes avoided becoming one of The Walking Dead throughout the entire run of the survival horror series, and its subsequent spin-off, The Ones Who Live. However, thanks to a new AI-created motion image, everyone can watch the popular character decay into a hideous zombie just for the fun of it.

Andrew Lincoln played Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead from its inaugural season through to his original departure in Season 9. While the series shambled on without him, fans were promised that Rick would return, and he finally did in a stunning new series that once again reunited him with Danai Gurira’s Michonne, this year’s The Ones Who Live. While the future for the character is now a little more uncertain, everyone is at least safe in the knowledge that Rick lives on, unlike the version of him depicted in the post shared by Immagina Ai Dream on Instagram. Check it out below.

In the post, the user comments, “Imagine the leader of the survivors, the brave sheriff, transformed into one of the creatures he’s fought for years. An alternative ending that will send chills down your spine. My creation shows us a zombie Rick Grimes, a disturbing yet fascinating image. What would have happened to the world if he had fallen too?”

Thankfully, this is not something we need to think too much about. While Rick arrived at Death’s door on many occasions, his ability to survive even the most impossible situations became a huge part of his journey in The Walking Dead, and one of those unwritten laws of TV shows – the main guy cannot die because he is on again next week.

What is Next for Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead Universe?

Currently, Andrew Lincoln has hung up his hat as Rick, but that is not to say he is done with the role forever. Fans rated The Ones Who Live as one of the best Walking Dead projects ever, and that is exactly the kind of reaction that will have Walking Dead’s overseer Scott Gimple considering how to make the most of the love shown to Rick on his return after several years.

Currently, the two other recent spin-offs – Dead City and Daryl Dixon – are continuing into their new seasons soon, but The Ones Who Live fell into the category of limited series, suggesting that those waiting for Season 2 will be sorely disappointed. However, Rick is still out there in the world of The Walking Dead, and that means he hasn’t been ruled out of an unexpected appearance in one of the other shows currently on the horizon.

Gimple has previously teased a possible convergence of the storylines of The Walking Dead’s three spin-offs, but also noted that if such a thing were it happen it would be some way off in the future. Dead City is filming Season 2 now and will return to screens in 2025. This September, Daryl Dixon’s second season will roll out on AMC/Disney+ depending on where you are in the world, and Season 3 is currently filming. This means that with or without Rick Grimes, The Walking Dead, unsurprisingly, continues on.