The Walking Dead: World Beyond Character Fans Agree Should Have Appeared In The Other Series

"The Walking Dead: World Beyond" breathed some much-needed life into a franchise that had, in some ways, become zombified. Interest in the one-time TV phenomenon had been flagging for a minute by the time "World Beyond" was announced. The decision to expand the universe by allowing us to see it through the eyes of youth who have grown up almost entirely after the apocalypse brought us a much-needed fresh perspective. And with that, a worldview was introduced that could be somewhat more expansive than brute survival. After the series ended at the end of its planned two-season run, Paste Magazine's Janelle Sheetz went out on a limb and called it the franchise's most fascinating installment.

Of course, "World Beyond" still took place in the same universe as both "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead." After Morgan (Lennie James) made the leap from the original series to "Fear the Walking Dead," it seemed that the proverbial floodgates had been opened for future crossovers. So, it was only a matter of time until fans started imagining their faves from "World Beyond" crossing over too.

A thread posted in the r/TWDWorldBeyond Reddit group starts with a picture of Jennifer "Huck" Mallick (Annet Mahendru). "To me the series is HER story," wrote u/Corsairkidd, who also expressed hope to see Huck make appearances in other series or the upcoming movies.

That Huck became a fan favorite during the run of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" is not surprising. In some ways, she embodies much of what fans have loved in other characters in "The Walking Dead" universe: toughness, resourcefulness, a willingness to make risky calls, and a traumatic backstory that spurs her toward redemption. Others agreed with and elaborated on the original post. Redditor u/Blessed_Passenger14 wrote, "The show definitely should have been her story. I think even the writers have recognised that now and pretty much unofficially made her the lead protagonist." Others, such as u/Doom4101 and u/LordScott91 hoped she would make an appearance not just on "The Walking Dead" but also in the long-awaited movies.

Of course, these fans were bound to be disappointed.

How exactly such a crossover would have worked isn't broached on the Reddit thread. There are a couple of issues at play, including potential timeline irregularities and the fact that Huck is hundreds of miles away from the action of the other two shows. Of course, those issues didn't stop the other "Walking Dead' universe crossovers. However, the characters who bridged the gaps between those shows did have one crucial thing in common: they were all left alive by the end of their runs on their original series. 

Though the series finale of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" set up the franchise for some major twists (per Entertainment Weekly), Huck will not be part of them. She dies in the series finale episode, first being stabbed in the stomach, then blowing herself up in an attempt to thwart the CRM's plans. After the character's death, some commenters returned to the Reddit thread to sound off.

"This didn't age well," wrote u/Aniensane, to which u/eziotheeagle replied, "Neither did Huck." Ouch.