Convention - Comic Con France 2025: Chandler Riggs Resurrects Carl Grimes’ Legacy in a Unforgettable Walking Dead Reunion

By Mulder, Villepinte, Parc des Expositions, 12 april 2025

On April 12, 2025, at Comic Con France, the Main Stage was seized by a wave of undead nostalgia as Chandler Riggs—forever Carl Grimes to millions of fans—made his highly anticipated appearance. It wasn’t just a regular panel; it was more like a long-overdue campfire chat with a survivor of the apocalypse, and the energy in the room crackled with that same eerie electricity we once felt watching The Walking Dead at its peak. Fans across generations showed up, many sporting sheriff hats or eye patches as a tribute to Carl, and some even brought their original graphic novels, pages frayed by time and emotion. From the moment Riggs stepped on stage, it became clear this wasn’t going to be just about the show’s past. It was about legacy, growth, and how one young actor helped shape one of television’s most unexpected cultural phenomenons.

Chandler Riggs, now a seasoned performer and DJ (known in music circles as Eclipse), has come a long way from playing the emotionally resilient and increasingly hardened Carl Grimes. During the panel, it was impossible to ignore the evolution of Riggs himself—from the shy kid cast at age 10 to a confident artist who held the stage with calm charisma. With hundreds of eyes locked on him, Riggs didn’t just recount stories; he transported the audience back into the woods, the prison yard, and the bloody paths of Alexandria. Every anecdote had a lived-in authenticity, like the moment he described filming Carl’s final scenes—episodes that caused an uproar in the fanbase due to their deviation from Robert Kirkman’s original comic arc. This wasn’t a generic behind-the-scenes Q&A; this was an emotional reckoning for those who had mourned Carl’s premature exit and who still wrestle with what the series might’ve become if the character had lived.

The panel also rekindled appreciation for The Walking Dead's unprecedented cultural dominance during its heyday. Riggs’ recollections were a powerful reminder of how the series, launched in 2010 and concluding in 2022 after 11 blood-soaked seasons, had not only defined AMC’s identity but became a zeitgeist-defining show. Riggs, who won multiple Saturn Awards and a Young Artist Award for his role, spoke about the surreal experience of growing up on camera—dealing with puberty, fame, and death scenes all at once. He shared a particularly vivid memory of filming during Georgia’s humid summers, when the makeup department would spend hours turning extras into walkers, only to have that work undone in minutes by sweat and mosquitoes. For a series rooted in gore and decay, there was an incredible amount of life—and absurdity—behind the scenes.

What resonated deeply with longtime fans in the audience was how Riggs framed The Walking Dead not just as a genre show, but as a human drama. He underscored the heavy emotional beats that shaped Carl: watching Lori (his mother) die in childbirth, shooting his own mother to prevent reanimation, and enduring betrayal and violence at the hands of other survivors. Riggs discussed how portraying these moments forced him to tap into emotional depths far beyond his years, and how those experiences as Carl have helped him approach roles today with more intensity and empathy. Interestingly, his growth as a performer mirrored Carl's evolution from a naive boy to a post-apocalyptic sage—one who might have succeeded Rick Grimes had the narrative chosen another route. There was a quiet intensity in Riggs’ voice when he talked about Carl’s belief in building a better future, a conviction that still seems to live inside the actor himself.

Riggs also spoke candidly about the moment he learned his character would be killed off—weeks before shooting. Fans in the audience nodded solemnly as he recalled the shock and bittersweet goodbye to a role that had shaped most of his adolescence. That moment remains one of the series’ most controversial decisions, and the discussion reignited debate among attendees about the narrative direction of Season 8. Yet Riggs, with surprising maturity, expressed gratitude for the opportunity and revealed that Carl’s death scene was filmed with the entire cast and crew on set, many in tears, giving the moment the weight and respect it deserved. For the actor, it marked both an end and a new beginning—he dove into music shortly after, toured as a DJ, and later reentered acting with recurring roles in A Million Little Things and voice work as Superman and Peter Parker.

The panel wasn’t just a retrospective—it became a celebration of The Walking Dead as a global phenomenon. Fans asked about everything from the infamous prison storyline to Carl’s rivalry with Negan, and Riggs offered answers with a mix of humility and geeky enthusiasm. He also revealed how dedicated the creative team was to practical effects—Greg Nicotero’s zombie school, the different levels of walker makeup, and the sheer logistical madness of filming in open streets and abandoned towns in rural Georgia. What many didn’t know was that Chandler’s early acting included stage performances and indie horror flicks, meaning the horror genre has been embedded in his DNA from day one. It made his seamless transition into Carl all the more organic, and explained why his performance resonated so deeply.

But what really struck a chord was the way Riggs addressed the impact the show had on his generation. For many young fans, Carl was more than a character—he was a surrogate brother, a moral compass, and at times, a stand-in for their own teenage struggles in a hostile world. Riggs acknowledged this responsibility and talked about how he still receives messages from fans who were inspired by Carl’s strength, loyalty, and courage. Some audience members even shared how the show helped them cope with personal losses or traumatic experiences, and Riggs responded with heartfelt appreciation. It was a reminder that, despite the blood and guts, The Walking Dead was always about survival, family, and hope.

As the panel drew to a close, Riggs hinted that while Carl’s story may have ended, his own journey through the ever-expanding universe of entertainment is just beginning. And as fans applauded thunderously—some with misty eyes—it was clear that for them, Carl Grimes hadn’t died in Season 8. He had simply walked off screen, forever etched into their hearts. Comic Con France 2025 gave fans a rare opportunity not just to remember The Walking Dead, but to reconnect with the soul of the show—embodied in the young actor who gave it so much depth. And as Chandler Riggs waved goodbye, the Main Stage felt less like a convention venue and more like a reunion around the last campfire of the apocalypse.

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Photos and video : Boris Colletier / Mulderville