Rick Grimes
Richard D. "Rick" Grimes is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the post-apocalyptic comic book series The Walking Dead, the live-action television series of the same name and its franchise, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the character made his debut in The Walking Dead #1 in 2003. Rick is a small town sheriff's deputy and is married to Lori. They have a son, Carl, and a daughter, Judith. He awakens from a coma after a life-threatening gunshot wound to find the world overrun by reanimated humans dubbed "walkers".
In the comic book series The Walking Dead, Rick served as the protagonist, with the series' epilogue taking place decades after his death. In both media, Rick awakens from a coma into the apocalypse and searches for Lori and Carl, finding them in the Atlanta camp where he becomes the group's leader. Although Rick quickly adapts to the notion of killing walkers, his morality towards the living is constantly tested against the safety of his family and friends. Over time, after multiple conflicts with other survivors, his morals diminish and he becomes "colder" towards his enemies. Rick struggles to keep his humanity intact throughout the series. He is tested by his own group when encountering non-group members, who believe his community should join them. Rick manages to rebuild his convictions through agreeing to join, and becoming a father once more, but antagonists exploitation of his group ushers him to maintain a hardened stance. Ultimately, they succeed in rebuilding society. An alternate version of Rick, dubbed Rick Grimes 2000, is introduced in Issue 75 in 2010, from a reality where an alien invasion occurred in the midst of the "Alexandria" arc and Rick was rebuilt as a cyborg to face a resurrected Governor; a comic book limited series following the character, Skybound X: Rick Grimes 2000, was released from July 7 to August 4, 2021.
Rick has been described as an everyman character who emphasizes moral codes and values. Lincoln obtained the role in April 2010; Kirkman felt he was an "amazing find". In preparation for the role, Lincoln sought inspiration from Gary Cooper in his work in the American western film High Noon, as well as the television drama series Breaking Bad. Lincoln has been well-received for his portrayal of the character, and has been nominated for several awards, winning the Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television in 2015 and 2017.Appearances
Comic book series
Before the zombie apocalypse, Rick was a police officer in King County, Georgia. While in a shootout against an escaped convict with his partner and best friend, Shane Walsh, Rick is wounded and subsequently awakens from a coma some time later. After Duane Jones mistakes Rick for a zombie and hits him over the head with a shovel, Duane's father Morgan Jones takes Rick in and informs him about what unfolded during his coma. In search of his wife, Lori, and son, Carl, Rick heads to Atlanta, where it is said people were taken for protection. Rick runs out of gas and stops at a farm. Rick finds the owners inside who have committed suicide. Rick throws up outside and searches their barn where he finds a horse. Upon arrival, Rick is rescued from a large group of walkers by a fellow survivor named Glenn Rhee, who takes him to a camp where Rick is reunited with his wife Lori and son Carl, as well as Shane. Tension between Rick and Shane over leadership of the group and Lori's affections boils over in a confrontation which ends with Carl shooting Shane to protect his father. Afterwards, Rick leads the group away from Atlanta, trying to find shelter and safe haven from the undead. Rick's early settlement plan proves to be disastrous, as the abandoned planned community he thought to be safe is ultimately found to be zombie infested, resulting in a death of one of their own. Lori Grimes, Rick's wife, shamefully admits to Rick that she is pregnant, but Rick plans to care for it. Carl Grimes, Rick's son, is accidentally shot in the back by a man named Otis, who escorts Rick and another survivor, Tyreese, a recently joined member of Rick's group to the farm of Hershel Greene and his family. The group stays there for a brief amount of time before Rick is held at gunpoint by Hershel and forced to move out. While on the road again, two other members of the survivors discover a prison, where everyone seeks refuge and settles down.Prison arc (2004–2008)
Rick and the group settle into the prison where they meet the former prison inmates who hadn't managed to escape. Rick and Dale Horvath soon decide it is best to have as many people as possible at his new settlement, and decide to convince Hershel and his family to leave the farm and join him at the prison, as the farm grows increasingly precarious. The group's concept of the prison being a safe haven quickly diminishes when Rick and Tyreese find Tyreese's daughter, Julie, shot dead in a suicide pact with her boyfriend, who remained alive. Julie surprisingly reanimates as a roamer, which causes the revelation that everyone is infected with the mysterious virus, regardless of being bitten or not. After this event, the inmates try to assimilate with Rick's group with mostly disastrous results. This leads Rick into his first murder, that of the inmate Dexter, during an armed conflict with the other inmates. Weeks after their conflict with the prisoners, Rick, Glenn, and the mysterious, katana-wielding woman Michonne, search for a nearby crashed helicopter which leads them into the town of Woodbury, Georgia. At the town, they meet a man called The Governor, who leads Woodbury by extreme manipulation, cunningness, and ruthlessness. Fooled by The Governor's pseudo-hospitality, like most Woodbury inhabitants, Rick ultimately has his right hand severed in an attempt to get him to reveal the location of the prison. When The Governor sees Rick will never give up his family, he decides to torture both Glenn and Michonne instead, but yet again fails to find the location of the prison. Rick escapes the town with his group and new Woodbury ally, Alice Warren, after Michonne exacts her revenge on The Governor, as she tortures and mutilates him. Rick happily reunites with his family after his captivity in Woodbury. Alice also begins updating Lori on her pregnancy. Alice delivers Lori's baby, whom the Grimes family name "Judith". However, their happiness is short-lived when The Governor, now horribly disfigured, finds the prison and captures Tyreese and Michonne. He manipulates his followers into believing Rick's group are marauders. During the final assault on the prison, Tyreese is executed in front of the group as an act of force to lure the group out of the prison, and both sides suffer significant losses. Lori and Judith are killed as they try to escape.Post-prison (2008–2009)
Carl is enraged by Rick, claiming him responsible for their losses. Rick also begins to suffer hallucinations of his wife. The survivors of the prison assault — Rick, Michonne and Carl — return to Hershel's farm where they reunite with the remainder of the prison group who left before the assault. They meet a new group of survivors who are on a mission to Washington, D.C., which consist of Abraham Ford, Eugene Porter and Rosita Espinosa. On the journey to D.C., the group face many threats. As Rick and Abraham take the interstate to Rick's hometown, they are confronted by a group of marauders who hold them at gunpoint, as one tries to sexually assault Carl. Rick, overcome with rage, bites one of the bandits' jugular vein, which distracts the other bandits. Abraham shoots the bandit holding him at gunpoint and comforts Carl as Rick proceeds to stab the remaining bandit to death. Rick later reunites with Morgan in his hometown, who has lost his sanity after his son's death. Rick, Abraham, Carl and Morgan encounter a large horde who follow them back to the survivors' camp. Later, after suffering several losses, the group meets a preacher named Gabriel Stokes and confronts a cannibalistic group of hunters.[|Alexandria] (2009–2011)
On the way to the capital, they find out that their mission is bogus as Eugene Porter has been lying to them about the cure. They decide to still push on to D.C. because of their close proximity, and they find out that the capital is just as infested as the other major cities. Despite these set backs, they are recruited by Aaron to stay in a secluded and secure township on the outskirts of Washington, called the Alexandria Safe-Zone. Each person tries to find a semblance of real life, but Rick doesn't trust the leader of the town, former U.S. Congressman Douglas Monroe. Rick soon becomes the Constable of the Safe-Zone, attempting to keep the peace in the town, but is eventually forced to kill Peter Anderson, a man who was abusing his wife and child and soon murdered Regina Monroe, Douglas' wife, during an assassination attempt on Rick's life. Rick having been through so much since the prison, slowly starts resuming more leadership-like roles until finally Rick assumes leadership of the Alexandria Safe-Zone, after Douglas soon finds himself losing his grip on life, and his leadership position exacerbating as a result of this. The town becomes endangered after a scavenging group's attack attracts a nearby horde of walkers that quickly breach the town's defensive walls. Morgan and Jessie are two of several casualties in the distress of the situation. As the survivors fight for their lives, several people are killed and Rick's son is grievously wounded by a gunshot to the head. Using the combined strength of all of those remaining in the community, the survivors fend off the horde and Rick tends to Carl, whose condition is very dire. Following the attack, Rick concludes that the undead can be beaten if the survivors put their differences aside and work together. Rick mentions that this is the first time in very long that he has hope for the future. Rick's mindset on survival changes and he gradually develops an optimistic outlook on the community and its true potential. Later, Carl wakes up from his coma with minor amnesia. Rick worries that the son he knew is gone, as he shows no grief over the loss of Lori. A small insurrection is later formed but defused without bloodshed and Rick forgives the transgressors. Rick and Andrea continue to become very close concerning Carl in his coma. Andrea develops feelings for Rick. Rick resists out of fear of what might happen to him in the event of her death.