How did the zombie apocalypse start? A virus? A bio-weapon? Something supernatural? (As “Dawn of the Dead” suggested: “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.”)
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Series co-creator and writer Robert Kirkman included an origin for the outbreak in his pitch, but it wasn’t something he ever intended to use. What origin was that? Aliens! To give “The Walking Dead” a more unique hook beyond just zombies, Kirkman pitched that the series would eventually reveal that aliens began raising the dead to soften Earth up for an invasion.
“The Walking Dead” ultimately didn’t need more than zombies and some great writing to become a bestseller. So, in turn, Kirkman didn’t have to use the alien invasion story, and aliens never showed up in “The Walking Dead” — or did they?
The non-canon story “Rick Grimes 2000” by Kirkman and artist Ryan Ottley “revealed” that aliens caused the apocalypse. When they make their presence known, Rick Grimes and co. switch from zombie killers to alien smashers. (“Rick Grimes 2000” was first published across five chapters in the anthology book “Skybound X” then collected in full as a hardcover.)
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“Rick Grimes 2000” is a parody, written in jest, so it can’t be taken as what Kirkman would have written in the main book if Image Comics forced him to write in aliens. Rather, the story is more meant to highlight just how ridiculous the idea of aliens starting the zombie apocalypse is. While the stakes are still the fate of the world, the tone is closer to “Star Wars” than “The Walking Dead” itself. Just look at Rick himself, who goes from a normal man to wielding a lightsaber like Luke Skywalker and wearing a masked costume, resembling a recolored version of Kirkman and Ottley’s hero Invincible.
