WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "Rick Grimes 2000," in Skybound X #5, available now.
In the original The Walking Dead comics,s Rick Grimes didn't get to kill Alpha and Beta, the leaders of the Whisperers. Many hoped he would have gotten his shot, especially since he didn't get a chance to murder the Governor for killing Lori and baby Judith. And since Negan was ultimately redeemed instead of executed, Rick really never got the chance to kill a high-profile villain during the original series. But at least in Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, Dave McCraig and Rus Wooton's Skybound X #5, he rectifies this with the Whisperer bosses.
In the world of "Rick Grimes 2000," the zombie apocalypse was revealed to be the first wave of an alien invasion that also involves Rick's been rocked as Andrea's Sanctuary has been invaded. The walls have been breached by Negan, and he's using his bat to summon Alpha and Beta in, bringing in hordes of Whisperers and zombies. The couple then kiss and use a power-up their alien overlords gave them to create a zombie golem.
This giant zombie golem is made from walkers and Whisperers. But Rick is quick to improvise, opting to use Eugene's hoverboard -- which is made from tech they ironically stole from the aliens -- to attack the beast.
Knowing he needs a Hail Mary play with Michonne and the others occupied, Rick jumps on the flying skateboard and flies up to the golem, seeking out Alpha and Beta by cutting through zombies in a gory sequence. And there, in an instant, once he finds his opening and powers up his lightsaber, he drives it straight through both their skulls at the same time.
This fatality matches the dark tone of their murderous romance, leaving Rick scrambling to escape as thousands of zombies come crashing down with the host minds gone.
In the original continuity, the Whisperers caused just as much havoc here as they did ravaging the alliance with Alexandria, Hilltop and the Kingdom in a war that resulted in King Ezekiel being beheaded and put on a spike. That didn't come to pass in this alternate reality, so Rick doesn't exactly have a grudge here; he's just trying to protect their haven in the Sanctuary.
Still, this is a fitting end that rewrites Aaron and Paul killing Beta in the comics, and Daryl stabbing him in the show. In comics and the show, Negan pretended to be an ally and took her head off. Rick was long gone on TV by that time too, so it did feel like Negan's actions were meant as a dark reflection of what Rick would do.
However, this execution finally lets Rick take out some of the iconic villains who caused him so much trouble in the franchise's original timeline.
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