Heath's whereabouts (and unaddressed fate) in The Walking Dead is one big franchise question that bothers me till date

Heath’s disappearance in The Walking Dead remains one of the show's most mysterious and unresolved plot threads for its fans, even years after the original series ended in 2022 and several franchise spin-offs for created.

Heath, played by Corey Hawkins, was introduced in Season 6 as a supply runner from Alexandria. He is portrayed as small, resourceful, but cautious, and was a significant addition to the ground, adding more potential. His role in the comics is far more complex and important — therefore, making him vanish in the TV series based on the same comics becomes more frustrating and unprofessional.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live could have been a good gateway for Heath's return, but season 1 doesn't reveal anything, while season 2 is still not confirmed.

Here is how Heath's whereabouts and ambiguous fate in The Walking Dead are one big franchise question that bothers me to date.

In The Walking Dead Season 7 episode 6, Heath disappears mysteriously after getting separated from Tara when a supply run goes wrong. When Tara returns to the site later, Heath is gone. Tara only finds his broken pair of glasses and an RV tire track. Along with this, she finds a key card with "PPP" written on it. Nothing more is revealed about his fate, whether he is dead or where he has vanished.

For years, fans speculated endlessly. Then, showrunner Angela Kang (who took over after Season 8) confirmed in an interview with Business Insider that he was "traded to the CRM". CRM is Civic Republic Military. The CBR reports:

"According to Kang, Heath was taken by Jadis and the Scavengers off-screen and was traded off to the CRM for supplies."

Now, while the character's fate still remains unknown, this revelation leaves the fans with 2 possibilities. Heath is labelled as A, and the CRM would likely have used him as a test subject in their walker experiments. So he could be either dead or transformed into a Walker. Secondly, if he is labelled B, he would have been kept alive and put into CRM’s labour or military program. This aligns with the “PPP” card Tara found, which many believe is a CRM designation marker for “B”s.

Corey Hawkins' career in Hollywood is indeed rising. Though The Walking Dead makers have written him off quickly, they have kept the door open for his return. Kang's statement ties Heath's fate directly to how Rick Grimes was also captured, meaning Heath's arc is parallel to Rick’s, just left in limbo.

Heath's fate could have been answered in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

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The showrunner further called Hawkins a "terrific actor" and said that she would love to see him again. It was speculated that Heath's fate would be answered in the 2024 series, The Ones Who Live, as the story is deeply entrenched in the CRM's secrets. It portrays what happens to A and B designations while Rick and Michonne fight to expose the same. Therefore, Heath's appearance, even for a short span, would complete the long open arc and would provide an emotional impact for Rick and Michonne's journey.

Though The Ones Who Live is the most likely option, the show's season 1 didn't answer Heath's fate, and it hasn't been renewed for a season 2 yet. However, the makers haven't ruled out the possibility either. Heath could return as a CRM prisoner or an insider, or a rebel, and even become part of the rescue mission.

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