How The Walking Dead's Season 11 Episode 18 Character Death Opens The Door For More Stories

AMC's "The Walking Dead" is notorious for killing off its main characters in a variety of shocking and brutal ways. Longtime fans of the series will know that nobody is safe in the post-apocalyptic landscape these survivors inhabit, as even the most important characters in the series can be murdered or eaten by walkers at a moment's notice.

Perhaps the most egregious example of this is the shocking death of series staple Glenn Rhee (Steven Yuen), who was infamously murdered by Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) while the rest of the survivors looked on in horror. Other iconic cast members who have been killed off throughout the series include Hershel Walker (Scott Wilson) and Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) — the latter of who actually lives until the very end of "The Walking Dead" comics, making his death one of the most surprising in the entire series.

Every time one of these major deaths occurs, it sends a major ripple throughout the entire world of "The Walking Dead," with far-reaching consequences that shape the actions of the remaining survivors. Such is the case with another character death from Season 11, Episode 18, and although this particular character may not have been as crucial to the series as somebody like Carl, their death has opened up an abundance of potential storylines for the final season of "The Walking Dead."

The character in question is none other than Sebastian Milton (Teo Rapp-Olsson), the sadistic son of Commonwealth governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) who is brutally killed by a walker at the end of Season 11, Episode 18.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Angela Kang explained that Sebastian's shocking death (which is a drastic departure from his fate within the comics) opens up a variety of new storylines for them to explore in the future. "Once we went down that path, it just felt right, and it gives the episode this great punch," Kang said. "And what's cool about it is ... it actually unlocks other story possibilities in the next episode. So we're always kicking the story for, does it work in the context? But then, does it also do something interesting for us as a ripple effect?"

Kang's comments make it clear that Sebastian's gruesome demise will have major ramifications throughout the rest of the Commonwealth arc, and she even hinted that Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt) will have to face the music for his role in Sebastian's death. Although Sebastian's death is certainly an extreme departure from his story within the comics — in which he has a direct impact on the fate of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) — it's clear that his death has unlocked plenty of new story possibilities for the remainder of Season 11 –- even if not all of those stories follow the comic books themselves.