After addressing what he called the “elephant in the room†and confirming for fans that season nine of Walking Dead will be the last for Rick Grimes, Andrew Lincoln thanked everyone in Hall H for their commitment to the show. “I’m particularly fond of the people who watch this show, you people. This has been the most extraordinary, amazing, and beautiful experience of my career, and largely because of you guys, and the relationship we have here with you in this room, and in rooms across American and the rest of the world.â€
As for what will come next for Lincoln, he said the only immediate plan is a break and spending time with family, and he closed his final Walking Dead panel at Comic-Con for reiterating his love for the show, his character, and the fans. “These guys here and everybody back in Atlanta are the greatest surrogate family I could wish for, but I do have a real family, and it’s time for me to go home,†Lincoln said. “It’s been so much a part of my life. I’ve breathed it for 10 years. There are a couple of things that I’m thinking about doing, but I’m so in love with Rick Grimes and the people in this show, that I don’t if I can put him down yet. But the short answer is: I’m going to bed.†Norman Reedus then cut in right before the panel ended and asked the crowd to join him in a standing ovation for Lincoln, which they definitely did, and the actor assured fans that their hero would always be part of his DNA. “My relationship with Mr. Grimes is far from over, and a large part of me will always be a machete-wielding, Stetson-wearing zombie slaying sheriff’s deputy from London, England.â€