The Walking Dead Fans Can't Get Over The Twisted Judith And Carl Parallels

Although AMC's "The Walking Dead" is a series that has a long history of brutally killing off some of its most important characters, to this day there is perhaps no death as shocking nor heartbreaking as that of Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs). Carl is the son of series lead Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and served as a central character within the series, all the way up until his death in Season 8 — in which he committed suicide after being bitten by a walker.

On top of the fact that Carl's death was incredibly traumatic for fans of the series and for Rick Grimes himself, it was also shocking because it has no prior basis in "The Walking Dead" comic series. Indeed, within the original comics Carl actually ends up outliving his father, and his dream for a brighter tomorrow is the central driving force behind the series' final few issues.

As gut-wrenching and surprising as Carl's death may have been, it seems as though the series' final season might be leading up to an even more devastating character death, as the latest episode saw Rick's daughter Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming) suffer a life-threatening gunshot wound. What's worse, this scene serves as a twisted parallel to a gunshot wound that Carl once suffered, and mirrors the circumstances of his untimely death.

Season 11, Episode 23 of "The Walking Dead" saw Judith Grimes get shot while saving the life of Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohen), after which she is carried to safety by Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), at one point looking up at him and asking "Daddy?"

Twitter user @twdufans was quick to call the writers of this scene "sick," pointing out that this scene mirrors the gut-wrenching moment when Carl Grimes lost his eye in Season 6, Episode 9 — Carl loses his eye to a stray bullet, then turns to his father to say "Dad?" before collapsing. Afterward, Rick Grimes carries his son to safety in the exact same pose as Daryl carries Judith in the latest episode, further strengthening the parallels between the two scenes. "I'm literally in shock and have a migraine from this ... Just like with Carl!" echoed @LacyMcginnis. "Feel like my BFF just got shot! If she dies ..... I'm done!"

Several other users, such as @Pmac191, also promised that if Judith does die then they are quitting the series outright — though by the episode's end her fate was still unclear. In addition, perhaps the most upsetting part of this scene is the way in which Judith's possible death parallels Carl's death, as (if Judith does die) it would mean that both of Rick's children died sacrificing their lives for others. 

As of right now, we'll just have to wait and see whether or not Judith does die during the upcoming series finale — though regardless of her fate, it's clear that fans are already heartbroken by this twisted parallel between Carl and Judith's gunshot wounds.