Carl Grimes (Comic Series)

Carl Grimes is the deuteragonist of Image Comics, The Walking Dead. The son of Rick and Lori Grimes he started as nine-year-old boy who is thrust into the zombie apocalypse with his mother and father and forced to adapt in the new world. Overtime after losing many of his loved ones including his mother and baby sister, Carl becomes a hardened and merciless person almost devoid of his previous innocence and more than willing to kill to protect those he loves. However, his father’s guidance allows him to better himself and become a force for good and help in the reestablishment of society. 
Eventually Rick died fighting for his cause, but Carl continued his legacy twenty-five years later and helped restore the world, even later getting married to his childhood love Sophia Peletier and had a daughter named Andrea whom was named after his late stepmother.
== Appearance ==
Carl was at first a short and skinny nine-year-old child with scruffy black hair. Carl always wore his father's sheriff's hat until he eventually gave it to Lydia in issue 137. Later on, he loses his right eye when it is accidentally shot off by Douglas Monroe leaving a black gaping hole where it used to be. By the time of his teenage years, he has gotten much taller and briefly wore a sunglass to cover up his missing eye but later abandoned it and openly showed his scar, Carl would also later slick his hair back. Thirty years after the apocalypse began a now thirty-nine-year-old Carl is full grown and appears quite tall and has a near identical look to his late father having short hair and a full beard. Carl also started wearing a brown eyepatch, so he doesn't frighten his daughter.
== Personality ==
At the start of the series Carl was an innocent and fun loving nine-year-old boy who loved spending time with his family and friends. At first despite how bleak the world was around him Carl didn’t break his happy demeanor and adapted to the apocalypse well, even showcasing immense bravery not hesitating to stop either humans or zombies if they threaten those he cares about. However, Carl’s innocence would slowly fade starting when he had to kill Shane who was his first human kill, initially showing immense guilt towards this even lamenting that it wasn’t the same as killing zombies. He was also very perceptive for someone his age, understanding the heavy weight of death. 
Later on, Carl loses what little innocence he had left after his mother and sister were killed. Realizing just how cruel the world was he became vengeful, hardened and serious not hesitating to kill anyone who crosses him or his loved ones and no longer felt a shred of remorse for killing other humans. He killed young Ben a six year old in cold blood when he became a homicidal threat to the group because no one had the else had the guts to do so. He even scared the hardened and ruthless Negan with his fearlessness to the point he called him a “future serial killer”. The apocalypse hardened Carl to the point where he can't even function in a peaceful setting as when the arrived in the community of Alexandria he showed confusion as to why anyone would try to live a normal life in the world they live in. He also became reckless and arrogant braking into the Saviors base on his own to kill Negan while he was armed with a single machine gun. He also cockily believed he could take a horde of zombies on his own, which he had sorely mistaken. However he could still see the good in people, as he was the first person to trust Paul Monroe after talking to him for a few days. 
Eventually after the conflict with the Saviors and the two-year time gap Carl mellowed out. He become more warm, friendly and hopeful, being quite sociable and making various friends. He also showed more mercy to people like when he sympathized with Lydia and helped her to redeem herself. Carl showcased a desire to become more independent and self sufficient, having moved to the Hiltop to get a job as an apprentice blacksmith and carve his own legacy separate from his father. However despite this he still had a violent streak beating Brandon Rose and his friend to near death for attacking him and Sophia. He also cursed out Brandon’s parents in a manner similar to Negan. When Sebastian Milton was imprisoned for murdering Rick he went out of his way to demean and insult his father’s killer and made it clear he would enjoy watching him rot in prison for the rest of his days. 
As an adult, Carl was a doting father to his daughter Andrea, and a good husband. He tried his best to uphold his late father’s ideals which is why he was engraved at Hershel II for bringing a walker in the safe zone. He got so angry at Hershel he even punched him in the face and killed his remaining walkers. Every night he makes sure to read a bedtime story to his daughter Andrea about Rick and his legacy and the sacrifices he made to create a new world for him and their loved ones. He even tears up at the end of the story and happily reads it to his daughter again. This shows that despite everything that’s happened, despite his flaws, he will never forget his father’s ideology and dream for a better world and will always strive to follow his example.
== Synopsis ==
=== Early Life ===
Carl Grimes was born sometime in April 1994 to Rick and Lori Grimes in the town of Cynthia, Kentucky and presumably attended elementary school before the outbreak. Later his father was shot in the line of duty and left in a coma and to make matters worse a zombie apocalypse soon began. Carl, his mother and Rick's friend Shane were forced to move to a safe zone in Atlanta and leave Rick behind. However when they arrive at Atlanta the city is already overunn with the undead and most of it's rsidents have died. Carl, Lori and Shane then stayed in a camp on the outskirts of the city which housed various other survivors. The sister Andrea and Amy, Dale Horvath, Jim, Donna, her husband Allen and their twin biys Ben and Billy, as well as Carol and her daugter Sophia whom Carl struck a freindship with.
=== Days Gone Bye ===
Several weeks later and the camp's supply runner, Glenn Rhee, rescued a man in the city who turned out to be his father, who woke up from the coma and traveled to Atlanta to find them. He is beyond relieved to see his father alive again and quickly embraces him. However after a few close calls with walkers near the camp Rick see's it best to teach the group how to use guns. Rick ultimately decides to teach Carl to use a gun as well. During target practice Carl quickly adapts to using a gun, much to Rick's pride. Rick then decides to gift Carl his own gun on the condition he only use it when absolutely needed or else he will take it away. This however causes an argument between Lori and Rick, as Lori believes that Carl is too young to be using a firearm. Later that night during a cookout the camp is attacked by a group of Walkers, one of them manages to kill Amy. Another Walker almost kills Lori but Carl thinks fast and shoots it saving his mother. Later Carl attends Amy's funeral. A few days later Carl, Shane and Rick go on a hunting trip. Rick insists that Carl not shoot anything and merley watch. Carl then points out that with Amy dead and Jim sick ndue to getting bit by a walker they won't need to hunt as much. Shane and Rick then argue over the horrid state of the group and how Shane's bad leadership caused it. Carl overwhelmed with the matter runs away. Eventually Carl as well as the rest of the group witnesses as Jim is left behind to reanimate per his request. The next day Carl wakes up and greets his father. Shane asks Rick to go on a hunting expidition with him and Carl asks to come as well but Rick declines, insisting he needs to talk to Shane alone. This results in a heated argument between Shane and Rick and them both storming off. Carl however senses something is wrong and runs after them. Carl then witnesses Shane attempting to kill Rick and is forced to shoot Shane in the neck to save his father killing him. Carl however is horrified and remorseful after killing another human, claiming its not the same as killing zombies. Rick comforts his son and hugs him.
=== Miles Behind Us ===
Carl and the group then attend Shane's funeral. The next morning Carl is woken up and informed by Rick that they are now prepared to move camp. Rick offers to talk to Carl about the incident with Shane if he wants to, however Carl still reeling from what happended passively agrees. While on the road the group picks up a few new surviors, a man named Tyreese, his daughter Julie and her boyfriend Chris. Later that night Lori reveals that she is pregnant meaning Carl will have a new sibling. Carl is later seen playing with Sophia in Dale's RV while being watched by Lori and Carol. Lori then suddenly swears to which Carl claims that she owes him a quarter for swearing, much to Lori's annoyance. The group then find a gated communnity called Wiltshire Estates. The group decided to make this their new home unaware of the danger within. That night Carl lies fast aslerp finally able to get a good nights rest after staying in the RV for so long. However the next morning everything goes bad when a horde of zombies emerge and kill Donna. The group is forced to make a hasty retreat because of this.
The next day the food supply is running low so they decide to go on a hunting expiditon. This time Carl is allowed to attend. However tragedy strikes when Carl is accidentally shot by a man named Otis. Thankfully Carl survives and Otis offers to take Rick's group to thr farm he is staying at. The owner of the farm might be able to help Carl. Carl and the group are taken to the Greene Family Farm where he is tended to by the owner of the farm Hershel Greene and his family. After Carl is treated he is put to bed where is to rest until he heals. Later Carl wakes up much to the relief of the the group. Carl then asks for his hat and is given it back by Tyresse. Carl then learns to his shock that a man shot him but after learning said man as well as several people on the farm helped save him Carl asks to meet them. Carol then walks in the room with Sophia in tow to give Carl company. Sophia and Carl talk for a bit before Sophia suddenly kisses him on the cheek, much to his disgust.
==Trivia==
*Carl was born in the same year as Clementine, the protagonist of The Walking Dead Telltale games which interestingly enough take place in the same continuity as the comics. They were born appoximately six months apart with Carl being born in April and Clementine in October.
*Carl is actually named after series creator Robert Kirkman's father.
*In Issue #5, When Lori and Rick argue about Carl using a gun at such a young age she claims that Carl is seven years old. However in later issues this was contradicted and he is estimated to actually be nine at the time judging by the comics timeline.
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