Despite the fact that Steven Yeun has been removed from the openings credits of The Walking Dead, last night’s episode ended with a mysterious voice that once again sparked the debate about Glenn’s fate. So is everyone’s favorite pizza boy still alive? Of course he is.
1. Steven Yeun Was Not on The Talking Dead
Let’s get the biggest piece of evidence out of the way. After almost every major character’s death, the actor has been invited on The Talking Dead to discuss their time on the show with Chris Hardwick. The notable exception is Steven Yeun. Glenn was also absent from the The Talking Dead‘s “In Memoriam” segment.
2. He’s Been Spotted Filming Other Scenes
According to The Spoiling Dead Fans, Yeun was spotted filming more scenes later in the season. Detractors will argue that Glenn’s appearance is merely a result of Maggie hallucinating or part of a flashback, but the scene apparently contains no signs of Maggie and a character that hasn’t appeared in the show yet.
3. Michonne is a Prophet
Earlier in the episode Michonne asks, “Have you ever been covered in so much blood that you didn’t know if it was yours, or walkers’, or your friends’?” This line hints at the ambiguity surrounding Glenn’s death. We never see the walkers rip into Glenn, just Nicholas.
4. Scott Gimple Said We’ll See Glenn Again
In a letter to Chris Hardwick, The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple wrote, “Dear fans of The Walking Dead, this is a hard story to tell, and when we were planning to tell it, we knew our friends over at Talking Dead would be talking to you about it, and knowing you’d talking and feeling and commiserating, I knew we should say something about it, lest our silence say something we didn’t mean to say or not say so I will say this, In some way, we will see Glenn, some version of Glenn or parts Glenn again, either in flashback, or current story, to help complete the story.” In an interview with MTV News, Gimple was a little more clear about Glenn’s fate adding, “The Glenn as good angel, I believe, is dead.”
5. “Walkie-Talkie” Theory
Some fans are convinced that it was Glenn’s voice we heard asking for help at the end of “Always Accountable”. On paper, this theory makes sense. Glenn owns a walkie-talkie and we want it to be true, so that’s about all the evidence we need.
Norman Reedus has shot down this rumor, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’s fucked with the fans. In an interview with MTV News before the start of season six, when asked what dead character he’d like to see return to the show, Reedus answered “Glenn” prompting Andrew Lincoln to scold him, “Don’t you spoil it. Why would you do that dude?”
6. Maggie’s Speech Hints at His Fate
But just because Glenn is alive doesn’t mean we’ll actually ever know what happens to him. At the end of “Now” Maggie tells Aaron, “I don’t know if he’s alive. He would have shown me by now, that’s what Michonne said. I just want to see his face. I can’t. I don’t get to know what happened, why it happened, what I did right or wrong. Not now. I have to live with that. You do too.”
It’s possible that Schroedinger’s Glenn exists in a super-position of both dead and alive. We’ll never find out what happens to him and maybe that’s the point. In that world, sometimes people just die alone. It’s anti-climactic, but just like Maggie, we might have to accept that we’ll never find out what happened to Glenn, even if he is still alive.
So what do you think? Is Glenn still alive?
