'The Walking Dead' Season 9 Latest Spoilers: Rick Grimes May Get the Death He Deserves After All

Rick Grimes's (Andrew Lincoln) exit from “The Walking Dead” season 9 is undeniably one of the biggest draws of the show's current season. With the character's departure from the show set in stone, fans are all wondering how exactly the show will be able to let go of its primary protagonist without losing the love of its fanbase.

Fan theories have usually been the domain of such speculation, with fans predicting Rick's death in “The Walking Dead” season 9 at the hands of a walker, by season 9's newest antagonists, or even through a rebellion. But it seems like there is a bigger possibility that Andrew Lincoln's beloved character will get a dignified – possibly even natural – exit.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “The Walking Dead” season 9 showrunner Angela Kang talked about the importance of the passage of time on the show and how it has manifested differently in season 9 compared the show's previous installments. Kang mentioned that previous installments have focused on races against time, with whole seasons sometimes only taking up a timeframe as short as a few days.

But “The Walking Dead” season 9 and its first few episodes have gone in a different direction. The series has opted to take small time jumps between episodes such as the 30-day time jump between the first and second episodes. According to Kang, the current season has been more focused on showing how time itself – not just the assurance of safety against the walkers – is just as important to the survivors' future.

When asked about the possibility that Rick Grimes's exit could simply be explained by a long enough time jump, Kang teased about the possibility of such an end to Grime's story. This could mean that Grimes could essentially die of natural causes and the show could simply introduce a new cast of characters to take up the “The Walking Dead” season 9 mantle.

Fans looking forward to seeing how exactly “The Walking Dead” season 9 will continue to build up Andrew Lincoln's exit can look forward to the show's next episode, when it airs during it usual Sunday broadcast schedule on Oct. 21.