WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead, Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones.
The Walking Dead, the long-running comic series created by Robert Kirkman, took everyone by surprise by ending last week. It's the third major genre property to end in as many months, following Game of Thrones and Avengers: Endgame (which, marked the conclusion of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to say nothing of the contracts of several of the franchise's stars).
While Endgame left open a lot of doors for future entries, it didn't necessarily wrap up everything the way fans had wanted. Game of Thrones was flat-out divisive, with fandom still debating that last episode, if not the entire season. Both finales came with massive expectations that were virtually impossible to meet after months, if not years, of build-up. Meanwhile, The Walking Dead ended with as much of a surprise as any of the series' signature deaths. But by being released with relatively no fanfare, and with surprisingly hopeful tone, The Walking Dead may have had the year's best endgame.
Welcome To The Endgame
This year has been dominated by franchises. Avengers: Endgame has earned a staggering $2.7 billion worldwide, promptly followed by the release last week of Spider-Man: Far From Home, itself already a critical and commercial success. While the heavily promoted Endgame, without a doubt, exceeded the expectations of its fan base, even as it killed off or otherwise benched, beloved characters, the highly touted final season of Game of Thrones fell short.
The critically acclaimed fantasy drama will most surely rank among television's most disappointing finales, even if we're left to debate how much is due to the rushed, even haphazard, nature of the final six episodes, and how much owes to unrealistic expectations (buoyed by an endless line of theories).
Meeting Expectations
By contrast, The Walking Dead ended with no publicity push. Despite the death of Rick Grimes in the previous issue, there was no indication that Issue 193 would be the last. In fact, Image Comics had released solicitations for future issues. Readers were fully prepared to continue on in the world without Rick; there were even arguments to be made that the series could actually improve without Rick at its center.
But Kirkman has been open about ending the series on his own terms. The surprise finale means fans didn't have months (or, in the case of Game of Thrones, years) to speculate about how it would, or should, end. There wasn't time to build up an impossible standard; readers instead were confronted by the sudden end. It's fitting for the series, and the unpredictability it's always utilized.
Happy Endings
What really sets the ending of The Walking Dead apart from the others is the tone. Avengers: Endgame may have restored many of the casualties of Infinity War, but it still played out as a bittersweet goodbye to heroes like Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow. Game of Thrones had an even more tragic ending, with Westeros poised for a brighter future built on the bodies of beloved characters like Daenerys Targaryen.
The Walking Dead has always been a bit grim, but it's also found moments of levity and tenderness throughout its run. The series actually embraced a surprisingly happy ending, even when considering the death of Rick. The final issue reveals that everything Rick worked for came to pass. A decade or so later, civilization has been restored, at least to mid-19th century levels, and the dead have been contained. A sense of normalcy is returning. It's the best possible case scenario for the series. Even though there are bittersweet notes, the conclusion is an unabashed win for the survivors.
Sometimes, a series just needs a happy ending. Especially considering the difficult aspects of the story, it's a welcome surprise. Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones can show how much expectations can weigh down a finale. But The Walking Dead proves sometimes, something can just end, without fanfare, and be incredibly effective.