Rumors are that actor Andrew Lincoln, who played the titular character of Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead, may be joining The MCU.
In an exclusive from Giant Freakin Robot, there are rumored hints that actor Andrew Lincoln may be joining the MCU. Since leaving The Walking Dead in 2018, The actor has kept a low profile. Having stayed out of the public spotlight to spend time with his family, thus far, the actor has taken on only two acting roles since that time. First in the book-to-film adaptation of Penguin Bloom. Then, in the upcoming Guillermo del Toro horror series: Cabinet of Curiosities.
Lately, Andrew Lincoln has been seen around Atlanta hinting at a small return in the final season of the popular zombie series. He also has a contract to do a Rick grimes-centered movie. But what afterward, to Rick Grimes and The Walking Dead series itself, is up in the air at best. This is why Lincoln’s pivot to the superhero world would make a lot of sense.
A lot of former Walking Dead stars have moved onto the superhero world. Shane, played by Jon Bernthal, became Marvel’s Punisher on Netflix. Daryl’s brother Merle, played by Michael Rooker, was Yondu in The Guardians of The Galaxy. Fan-favorite Glenn, played by Steven Yuen, is now the leading character on Amazon Prime’s Invincible. Then of course, there’s the biggest star of both The Walking Dead and Marvel Cinematic Universe worlds: Michonne, played by actress Danai Gurira, who plays Okoye in The Black Panther franchise.
Suffice to say, Lincoln would be in good company if the pivot into the superhero world were to happen. However, details are murky according to GFR and it’s uncertain as to what role Lincoln would play in the MCU. Though there has been a series of Walking Dead-related connections in Marvel as of late, a big one that is often overlooked: is the upcoming Marvel Zombies series for Disney+.
Debuted in ‘What If…?’ this adapted series from the comics sees fan-favorite Marvel superheroes take on the zombie apocalypse. Often, in dire and escalating situations that sees conflicts like, “What if The Avengers become zombified”? Or, “What if Deadpool were the last human left in a zombie apocalypse?
That said, it should be noted who the original creator of Marvel Zombies story was in the first place. Because that gem began by none other than Robert Kirkman. The very creator who made The Walking Dead. Kirkman has got a bit of a history introducing zombies into other creative universes. Doing so for Disney/Marvel, let alone using a star character/actor that helped rocket his career, doesn’t seem all that ludicrous to me. And though this is a TheWorkprint fan rumor created by yours truly, I will throw this out there: that Robert Kirkman was given the reigns to let both AMC be home of The Walking Dead and let Amazon be home of Invincible. So I personally see no reason as to why Disney/Marvel wouldn’t want Kirkman to have some degree of creative control over Marvel Zombies to establish it as their home for the Disney+ platform?
Rick Grimes dropping in for a cameo doesn’t sound too obscene. Though even better: would be seeing Andrew Lincoln in a starring role in the MCU.
Atop of this, The Marvel Zombies comic line pretty much breaks every rule when it comes to canon anyway. It already had a longstanding Evil Dead crossover in their comics… which, if unrealized by fans, is also an MCU/Disney+ possibility. Because now that Sam Raimi (the evil dead’s creator) is back at Marvel and directing Multiverse of Madness, that door for including The Evil Dead into this, is now open as well.
Truth be told, the possibilities of all sorts of zombie crossovers became endless the second that ‘What if…?’ greenlighted Marvel Zombies. But only time will tell what will happen…
