Rick Grimes wakes from a coma to a zombie infested world. He meets Morgan Jones and his son, Duane Jones. After Morgan gives insight into the situation, Rick sets out to Atlanta to find his missing wife and son.
On the road to Atlanta Rick overcomes a few setbacks. When he reaches Atlanta, he meets a young survivor named Glenn. Glen takes him to a small camp of survivors where he is reunited with his wife, Lori Grimes, and his son, Carl Grimes.
The survivors try to live a normal life, but when a walker attacks the small group, they learn vital information. Rick's former police officer, partner, and friend, Shane, grows jealous of Rick's sudden return.
After Shane persuades Rick that the group needs to stay near Atlanta, Rick feels the group needs more guns. Rick and Glenn make a trip into the city limits to get more guns, but not without trouble. Lori is keeping a secret from Rick.
Lori's pregnancy stirs the group. Dale has speculations over the father. The survivors find a potential safe-haven, Wiltshire Estates, but they fail to see a sign at the entrance warning "All Dead Do Not Enter".
The survivors settle into their newly found community. Their streak of luck is ruined when the group is attacked and Donna is killed. Carl is seriously wounded a few weeks after those incidents.
Otis tells Rick that he knows where Carl can be treated. Upon arrival at the farm Rick is greeted by Hershel, his six children, and Otis's girlfriend, Patricia. Carl regains consciousness after receiving medical aid. Glenn has a spark with one of Hershel's daughters, Maggie. Hershel reveals that he is keeping walkers in his barn.
A walker shows up on the farm, and everything goes wrong. The barn is opened and walkers kill two of Hershel's children, Lacey and Arnold. Hershel comes to his senses.
The survivors join Tyreese and Rick inside the prison, and the surviving inmates give them a tour. All of the Greene family, excluding Otis, come to stay at the prison. Chris kills Julie in a suicide pact gone wrong.
Tyreese kills Chris in revenge, and the survivors learn that one does not need to be bitten to come back as a walker. Rick visits Shane, Tyreese is abandoned, and Hershel finds his twin daughters, Susie and Rachel decapitated.
Thomas is locked away. Patricia releases him from his cell only to be attacked by him. Maggie, who hears the skirmish, shoots Thomas multiple times in the back. Later, Dexter and Andrew show up with Patricia and guns and tell the other survivors to leave the prison.
Andrea holds a meeting for the survivors and informs them of the prison jumpsuits she found for them. Rick and some of the other men continue clearing the prison when Allen is bitten. Meanwhile, Dale and Tyreese find a generator.
Rick amputates Allen's leg in order to protect him from becoming infected. Later, Carol is looking for Tyreese when she sees him receiving oral sex from Michonne.
Hershel gives Maggie his permission to be with Glenn. Later, he is working in the fields with Axel and they form a friendship. Rick and Lori go to check on Carol after she kicks Tyreese out of her cell. They find her lying in bed with her wrists slit.
Rick and Tyreese get into a fight which quickly turns physical. Rick says that if Carol dies it is his fault and Tyreese claims that Rick enjoyed cutting of Allen's leg. Andrea informs them that Allen has died. After shooting Allen, Rick passes out mysteriously.
Rick wakes up and Dale informs him that he is no longer their leader. He says that they have founded a committee consisting of himself, Rick, Hershel, and Tyreese. Rick walks outside and speaks to the group declaring, "We are the walking dead."
Rick, Michonne and Glenn are tracking the helicopter, and find it crashed, with footprints on the ground. Ben and Billy are adopted by Andrea and Dale.
One of the cage fighters, Harold, is killed by another, Eugene. The Governor hires Michonne to fight with him. Eugene is quickly killed by Michonne. Martinez, the man who handed Rick to The Governor, comes to tell him they have to leave immediately.
The survivors arrive at the Prison, but the sight isn't delightful. The gates have been left open and the whole place is filled with zombies. Morgan and Duane Jones are seen in this issue, surviving on their own.
Rick tracks Martinez and kills him on the spot. Glenn asks Hershel's permission, and proposes to Maggie. Rick tells everyone to be ready for the Woodbury survivors' attack.
The issue shows a flashback of Shane and Lori having sex. Glenn's and Maggie's wedding is held in the cafeteria. The young couple, Tyreese, Michonne, Andrea and Axel take a trip outside due to lack of weapons. Lori tells Rick they need to talk about Shane.
Rick tells Lori he already knew about their relationship. The survivors outside, after finding some weapons, hide out in a store, when three men led by Bruce Cooper, The Governor's right hand man, are getting closer.
A little group is taken outside to bring a zombie inside, so Alice could develop a cure to zombie virus. Andrea assures Dale she and Tyreese are just friends. Carol, after having sex with Billy Greene, commits suicide by letting the zombie bite her.
This flashback issue shows, how The Governor survived Michonne's brutal torture. After a few weeks, he determines the The Prison's location and starts his assault on the survivors.
The Governor has returned with an army of soldiers. He opens fire, but their soldiers are outnumbered in the end. The Woodbury survivors withdraw, but Andrea and Rick have been shot.
Rick faints due to the injury. Dale realizes they have to leave The Prison, and takes a couple of others with him, despite some of the survivors wanting to stay. Rick wakes up and states they could not do this. Michonne and Tyreese commit a counterattack, but Tyreese is captured by Woodbury survivors.
The Governor has captured Tyreese and a soldier, Matthew, has taken Michonne's sword. The Governor brings Tyreese to The Prison and decapitates him in front of Rick and others. After failing to gain access in by this action, The Governor realizes Michonne is pointing a gun to his head.
Michonne finds The Governor and kills Matthew after being shot at. The Governor commits his final attack to The Prison and opens fire, killing Axel. Andrea returns and kills Gabe. The Governor is getting desperate after losing a lot of men, and drives a tank over the fence. Everyone goes to get their families, and Rick finds someone pointing a gun to Lori's head.
The Governor commits his final attack on The Prison, killing almost every Prison survivor. Lilly kills The Governor after realising she killed a baby. The rest of the Woodbury soldiers lock themselves up in The Prison while zombies take over the place. Rick and Carl remain to be the only survivors.
Carl saves his father and defeats a couple of zombies outside. He returns to Rick and states he can't protect anyone. Rick wakes up for a moment, to prove he is not a zombie. Carl puts his father's head on his lap and states he is scared.
Rick finally wakes up and finds a phone. He starts talking believing he is connected to Lori. They quickly leave the house, but Rick takes the phone with him.
After travelling for a bit by car, Rick has to set out to scavenge for gas. Carl is attacked by zombie, but saved by Michonne. The trio later discovers Glenn and Maggie.
Eugene, claims he knows what caused the outbreak/ infections.The Herd is introduced. Rick tells Carl not to trust anyone, and the survivors leave Hershel's Farm.
Rick has a nightmare about Lori, where she reanimates and kills him. Eugene discovers that zombies are getting weaker over time. Maggie attempts to hang herself.
Glenn manages to save his wife. Rick puts a gun to Abraham's head, as the latter tries to shoot Maggie. Later he asks Rosita not to let him do that again.
Rick, Carl and Abraham take a trip to Atlanta to find an old friend. At night, they encounter three marauders, which they kill immediately. Abraham wants to reveal to Rick what happened to his family.
Abraham reveals how his family died and Rick tells him about Woodbury. The group finds Morgan Jones, but his son has been bitten and is now in chains. Rick asks Morgan to shoot him, but instead he breaks the chains and lets Duane roam freely.
Rick and the others are able to shake off the walkers for a moment. Ben seems to have signs of a mental disease. All survivors are gathered up and Rick tells everyone to leave immediatelly. Dale isn't satisfied, and is afraid of Rick possibly endangering them all again in the future.
Andrea finds Billy murdered by Ben in the forest. The group discuss about possibly having to kill the unstable Ben. A priest, Fr. Gabriel Stokes, shows up. Ben is later shot by Carl. As the survivors leave, they are watched by two men.
The group search for Dale. Survivors are sure Gabriel did something to him, but are being convinced he is innocent. The Hunters, a group of cannibals, have captured him, and have eaten his leg.
Dale shows his bite to The Hunters, which he got earlier. They drag him to a field next to Gabriel's church. Dale serves as bait and the survivors have to get in the church, as the Hunters start shooting. Glenn is shot, and Rick realizes they're being toyed with by the attackers.
A few weeks after Dale's death, Rick and Carl have time to talk about Ben. Eugene has lied all this time about working for the government; in fact he is a high school teacher. A new survivor appears.
Aaron, another survivor, is tied up by others. Everyone except Rick recommends to leave with Aaron to his place. On the way, they encounter Aaron's partner, Eric. Rick tells Abraham to shoot both of them if they were to try something.
The survivors discover a flare, which was shot by Heath, a supplyrunner. The other runner, Scott is seriously wounded. With new survivors' help, Rick and his people reach their new home; Alexandria Safe-Zone.
Rick has a few words with Safe-Zone's leader, Douglas Monroe. The place seems safe enough, but who is the mysterious, unpopular man named Alexander Davidson?
Rick meets one of the residents, Jessie's husband, named Pete. Pete acts violently against his family, which gets Rick worried. Later he beats Peter up and takes his gun out of the pocket, but is stopped by Michonne. Glenn and Heath encounter a new group outside the town.
Pete, who is healing from his wounds, snaps and kills Douglas's wife with his knife. Pete is shot by Rick. Derek, the outside town group's leader, hears the shot and heads for the Safe-Zone.
The Herd starts to break the Safe-Zone's walls. Glenn, Heath, and Douglas's son, Spencer, are sent to Andrea's watchtower. Meanwhile the wall breaks and Rick arrives and notices Tobin has been killed. Morgan joins Rick and is soon bitten.
Michonne amputates Morgan's arm, and they drag him to Rick's place. Some survivors are hiding there, and Jessie asks what they're going to do with other children and families. Rick simply answers they're not his children.
Michonne informs them that Morgan has died. The survivors try to reach Dr. Denise Cloyd's place. Jessie and her son Ron are killed off outside, as Rick and Carl abandon them. Douglas is bitten and starts to shoot haphazardly. One of the bullets takes a chunk out of Carl's face. He falls down and Rick brings his son to Denise's, asking her to save his life.
The Survivors clean up the Safe-Zone and mourn for those who have died. They start to discuss measures and actions that have to be taken for the future. Rosita leaves Abraham because he was cheating on her with Holly. Carl shows signs of being alive.
Carl's actions were false alarm, but he is still alive. Rick states that he believed in the potential of the community to give them the power to survive in the future.
Abraham starts a relationship with Holly. Rick mourns for the Anderson family, and tries again to talk to Lori, who is mad about what happened to Carl. Carl wakes up and asks where his mother is.
Glenn hears Nicholas's thoughts and attacks him. Glenn barely manages to get away and tells his family to lock themselves up in the bathroom. Nicholas points his gun at Glenn until Rick arrives making clear how wrong those actions are.
Michonne and Abraham encounter the unknown observer, introduced as Paul Monroe, and more commonly known by Jesus. He reveals he came from a big commuity, where almost two hundred other survivors supposedly live.
Rick stuns the new survivor fearing they might have been targeted by hostile survivors. Rick swears he is going to take everything the new community has if Paul is lying, which would basically mean the death of the other survivors' community.
Rick, Michonne, Andrea, Glenn and Carl take a trip to Paul's community, Hilltop Colony. Paul is tied up but frees himself quickly. Rick slowly starts to trust him, and Paul welcomes the group to Hilltop Colony.
Paul takes Rick and others inside the Hilltop Colony. Rick is introduced to Gregory, a man partially in charge at this place. A man named Ethan comes back from a failed mission and stabs Gregory. Rick tackles him and kills him immediatelly with his own knife.
The Hilltop Colony residents are shocked about the murder of Ethan. Paul starts to explain the situation regarding 'The Saviors', who keep the area clean from zombies but require half of Hilltops supplies as payment. Everyone agrees that Rick's group is able to defeat them. On the way to the Safe-Zone Rick states they can finally start living.
Rick's group encounter members of The Saviors on the way to the Safe-Zone. Three of them are killed and Rick tells the last one to go and pass a message on to Negan. They reach the Safe-Zone, and Maggie reveals she's pregnant. Later on Abraham and Eugene slip outside in hopes that they can restore their ammunition not knowing they are watched by a group of men.
During the search Abraham is killed by the Savior Dwight. Carl finds Rick and Andrea in bed and learns that they are together. Many Saviors assemble in front of Alexandria Safe-Zone, holding Eugene hostage and demanding access inside. Eugene injures Dwight and Rick's group manage to kill a few Saviors, as Dwight and the rest retreat. Abraham's body is dragged to the safe-zone and Rick states he doesn't know what to do next.
Abraham is buried in the safe-zone. Rick and a few others drive to the Hilltop Colony, hoping to get help with defeating The Saviors. An unnamed savior tells his fellow saviors to attack the Safe-Zone at dawn.
On the way to the Hilltop Colony, Rick's group is ambushed by Negan and 50 other Saviors. Glenn is beaten to death by Negan during the course of this situation.
After Glenn's death, Maggie attacks Rick. Carl pulls a gun on her but is stopped by Sophia. Glenn is finally buried at the Hilltop Colony. With Paul among them, the group gets back to Safe-Zone only to see afailed attack of The Saviors. Inside, Dwight is being held captive by Andrea.
Instead of killing Dwight, Rick decides to let him go in order to prevent more deaths. Rick sends Jesus out to follow him and find out more information about the Saviors.
Rick tells everyone Negan is now in charge. Paul is captured by Dwight but is able to flee. Carl hides in The Saviors' van, and kills several of them with Abraham's rifle. He is stopped violently by Dwight until Negan tells him to stop and asks "is that any way to treat their new guest?".
Negan gives Carl a tour on the Saviors' base. Negan forces Carl to show him his eye socket and sing a song to Lucille. Negan then reiterates that The Saviors' every rule must be followed and then tortures one of the Saviors that had had a relationship with one of Negan's wives. Afterwards he tries to figure out what to do with Carl.
Negan, however, returns Carl back to Rick and says he could be reasonable. Back at the safe-zone Paul reveals to Rick that it's time to get introduced to a man by the name of Ezekiel.
Rick and Jesus are escorted to Ezekiel, ruler of The Kingdom. During the following audience with the "king" they discuss the problem that are Negan and The Saviors. Suddenly Dwight enters the scene and reveals his intentions of wanting to help them take down their common enemy. But will Rick buy into that?
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